01/22/08:Spending more on weapons won't foster peace - Rev. Don Timmerman
Rev. Don Timmerman: Spending more on weapons won't foster peace
The Capital Times
Letter to the editor — 1/22/2008 9:38 am
Dear Editor: In 2008, U.S. taxpayers will be expected to pay $696 billion for the military, including $189 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military spending is out of control.
The U.S. military spends more money than all the militaries of all the other countries combined.
The U.S. not only spends money on its own military, it also spends billions of dollars on supporting military dictatorships. It sold weapons to the Taliban, Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and presently is selling weapons to dictators in Georgia, Pakistan, Egypt, Kosovo, Ethiopia and the Congo.
It is in the process of selling 900 precision-guided missiles to Saudi Arabia for $123 million. Remember that 15 of the 19 people responsible for the 9/11 tragedy were Saudis.
The United Arab Emirates is buying a Patriot missile defense system worth $9.7 billion from the U.S. Kuwait is buying $1.6 billion worth of missiles and upgrades to its Patriot missile system.
Israel, which is in violation of 70 U.N. Security Council resolutions and still occupying Palestinian land, demolishing Palestinian homes and impoverishing the people, this year received $30 billion worth of weapons and military support from the U.S. Israel receives $11 million a day from U.S. taxpayers.
The only Americans who profit from invasions and occupations of other countries are military corporations whose existence depends on these invasions and occupations and the proliferation of weapons throughout the world. They are very happy these days!
We still have not learned that peace is not brought about with weapons and violence. Peace can only be obtained through love, compassion, forgiveness and the practice of justice shown to other countries. All spiritual leaders, including Jesus Christ, taught and lived this. Are we so arrogant to think that we know better than these holy people?
We celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by doing just the opposite of what he taught and lived. He preached nonviolence, not war. He taught helping the poor, not increasing the wealth of the rich.
He said, "A nation that continues to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."
Rev. Don Timmerman, Park Falls
The Capital Times
Letter to the editor — 1/22/2008 9:38 am
Dear Editor: In 2008, U.S. taxpayers will be expected to pay $696 billion for the military, including $189 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military spending is out of control.
The U.S. military spends more money than all the militaries of all the other countries combined.
The U.S. not only spends money on its own military, it also spends billions of dollars on supporting military dictatorships. It sold weapons to the Taliban, Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and presently is selling weapons to dictators in Georgia, Pakistan, Egypt, Kosovo, Ethiopia and the Congo.
It is in the process of selling 900 precision-guided missiles to Saudi Arabia for $123 million. Remember that 15 of the 19 people responsible for the 9/11 tragedy were Saudis.
The United Arab Emirates is buying a Patriot missile defense system worth $9.7 billion from the U.S. Kuwait is buying $1.6 billion worth of missiles and upgrades to its Patriot missile system.
Israel, which is in violation of 70 U.N. Security Council resolutions and still occupying Palestinian land, demolishing Palestinian homes and impoverishing the people, this year received $30 billion worth of weapons and military support from the U.S. Israel receives $11 million a day from U.S. taxpayers.
The only Americans who profit from invasions and occupations of other countries are military corporations whose existence depends on these invasions and occupations and the proliferation of weapons throughout the world. They are very happy these days!
We still have not learned that peace is not brought about with weapons and violence. Peace can only be obtained through love, compassion, forgiveness and the practice of justice shown to other countries. All spiritual leaders, including Jesus Christ, taught and lived this. Are we so arrogant to think that we know better than these holy people?
We celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by doing just the opposite of what he taught and lived. He preached nonviolence, not war. He taught helping the poor, not increasing the wealth of the rich.
He said, "A nation that continues to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."
Rev. Don Timmerman, Park Falls
Submitted by wnpj on Fri, 01/25/2008 - 4:04pm.