Military will spend $76 BILLION next year in quest for better ways to kill

[prolesunited]

http://www.easybourse.com/Website/dynamic/News.php?NewsID=62734&lang=fra&NewsRubrique=2

This is the amount included in a record $448 billion Pentagon budget. Iraq alone is costing $8 billion a MONTH.

Tell me again that we as a nation don't have enough money to ensure all of its residents have access to health care and medications.

Erasing the inequities in education is simply too expensive, and we simply just can't ensure that everyone lives in safe, affordable housing.

Much of New Orleans is still in ruins.

No, instead we have to spend all of our money in hopes of conquering the world, or at least guaranteeing easy access to most of its resources.

We are literally dying in the streets here and the best use of our money is to kill and conquer?!?!?

When will all this nonsense finally end?

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. What a waste!

:banghead:

[prolesunited]

3. Can I join you along that wall?

It pisses me off to no end when they say we can't afford things like basic health care.

Sure, we can afford it, but they have different priorities.

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. Sure, the more the merrier, I guess!

:-(

[Union Thug]

2. It won't end.

...Unless the american people revolt. However, so long as they are distracted by terra' and consumerism, don't expect anything anytime soon.

[Peace Patriot]

7. Where did you get such a low opinion of the American people, Union T?

56% of the American people opposed Bush's war way back before the invasion (Feb. '03).*

63% of the American people oppose torture "under any circumstances" (Mar '04).

92% want transparent elections (voting counting they can see and smell). (Aug '06).

I think the American people are far better informed and more progressive than anyone gives them credit for--and this, despite relentless, 24/7 fearmongering and propaganda. The one thing they haven't yet caught up with--because it is THE most black-holed news story of all--is election fraud, and how it's now done, with direct Bushite corporate control over election results, using TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code, with virtually no audit/recount controls--the fascist coup pulled off during the 2002-2004 period, by the biggest crooks in the Anthrax Congress, Tom Delay and Bob Ney, abetted by corporatist 'Democrats' like Christopher Dodd and by the MIND-BOGGLING SILENCE of the entire Democratic Party leadership. Is it any wonder that a lot of people don't know about the specific new mechanism used to disenfranchise the majority? And the war profiteering corporate news monopolies--despite their own polls--give a Big Trumpet to the minority rightwing, making the members of the majority feel isolated, alone, powerless and demoralized.

But word is finally getting out--the work of an awesome election reform movement. I hope to see a massive rebellion this fall in the form of Absentee Ballot voting.

If everybody who despises the Bush Junta (60% to 70% of the American people) votes by Absentee Ballot this fall, the reign of these extremely insecure, insider hackable, Bushite corporate-controlled electronic voting machines will be OVER!

Bust the Machines--Vote by Absentee Ballot!

[Union Thug]

11. Right, but opinions mean nothing. Action means everything.

It is easy to have an opinion, but opinions don't change anything. Even voting, because the result is usually, in best case scenarios, fraught with compromises to satisfy the repukes, the rich, the corporations, etc., nothing but watered down pap in the end. Action has been the catalyst for change in this country - strikes, protests, civil disobedience - and without it, opinions are are about as likely to become policy as lard is to become gold.

Otherwise, I agree with you.

[Peace Patriot]

14. The main REASON that elections result in compromises with fascists is

that the votes are being rigged, this time directly with TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code. We've had crap before. We've never had crap like this.

Strikes, protests, civil disobedience catalyze legislation IF AND ONLY IF you have responsive politicians, beholden to the voters--due to tranparent vote counting. If you don't have that, the government--as with Bush and the war, Bush and torture, and Bush and everything else--can safely ignore even big majority public opinion to the contrary.

That's where we're at. They can safely ignore the majority. We've got to reverse that, first--or no amount of pressure will have any effect--short, perhaps, of a widespread, long term general strike--shut down of the country--and that would take one hell of a well-organized movement, which we don't have. I think our fellow Americans are doing too quite well on word of mouth, and on "reading between the lines"--surprisingly well--bolstered by the internet. People are better informed than many realize. But the fraudulent election system is THE most black-holed story of them all (because many Dem leaders are corrupt/collusive or fearful on it)). So people feel horribly disempowered and demoralized. If they only knew! If they only KNEW! --then they could DO somethng about it. But many don't. They may also have bought the illusion that they are in the minority. That's one reason why street protest may not be effective. It's moral witness--very important--but it will never move the Bush Junta or collusive Dems. We need the power of the vote for that. Also, given the rigged elections, street protest may be very unwise--especially large ones--just an excuse for Nazi clampdown. As long as we have a chance to restore transparent elections--and we still do, a good chance--I think that's what we must work on.

[Union Thug]

15. I agree in principle, but I am a little more pessimistic...

about where we are today as a 'culture'.

I've trumpeted on about this stuff in other threads, and I certainly don't want to bore you with the details, but I think that so long as there is dissonance between reality and the reality-constructs that are fed to the American people every day, from nearly all of the media, we are not going get anywhere. Torture? Jesus - if people really understood this issue they would be surrounding DC with pitchforks and torches. If they understood the underlying factors that compose much of US foreign policy, they would be calling for the imprisonment of every weapons contractor, every currency manipulator, and every politician that supports them. But they have vague notions of these things, and never really integrate them into their wal-mart, consumerist, he-who-dies-with-the-most-toys-wins, view of the world.

I think there has been widespread election tampering, too. But I'm not sure fixing that is going to get to the heart of the sickness that has overcome this country. It is a good start, and I am behind every effort to fix the system - including implementing instant run-off processes on a national level. But I guess I am just a little less enthusiastic about this being as influential in changing America as you are.

[prolesunited]

16. I think a lot of blame can be placed on the educational system

as well. Students have been turned into zombified, test-taking drones instead of being encouraged to question things and think critically.

[Tellurian]

13. They already have a plan in place to quell a revolt..

They are yearning, aching for US citizens to revolt. A revolt would provide the means to institute
Martial Law. As we speak, soldiers are polishing the furniture at the camps to accommodate American detainees.

[Peace Patriot]

5. We need to cut that budget back by 90%, to a true defensive posture.

What is all this military expenditure FOR, except aggressive, unjust war, war profiteering and global corporate predators who want to corner resources, using our soldiers as cannon fodder?

When was the last time the "Defense" Department "defended" us? They couldn't even defend the Pentagon, and our nation's capitol, on 9/11!

For making trouble--that's all this budget for. Killing innocents who are in the way of corporate interests.

It is a vast temptation to fascist dictators, as we've seen. It is untenable--and a sure killer of democracy--to create all this ever more lethal fire power FOR NO GOOD REASON.

Agenda item #3, I think, for when we restore our right to vote:

1. Dismantle the war profiteering corporate news monopolies, and seize their assets for the common good.

2. Do the same to other bad actor corporations--Halliburton, Exxon-Mobile, Diebold/ES&S--and dismantle ALL 'octopus' monopolies.

3. Reduce military spending to only that which is needed for defense against attack, and announced that we are no longer at war with the world.

This is after we've tried and convicted Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and a number of others, and seized THEIR assets for the common good.

This is how we're going to fund our nation's recovery.

[Jcrowley]

8. An 80% reduction in US War Chest

would still mean spending twice as much as the next country I believe. Well and of course the real figures are somewhere between $650-700 billion for Pentagon war games. Add to that how much investment goes into all the technology that is for military purposes. How much goes into various university programs that are for military purposes. You get the picture.

Every single aspect of a healthy economy could be funded with a massive cut in the military budget. But this topic is completely off the table. Other than Kucinich I don't hear much from any Rep's about cutting off the blood money.

K&R

[JanMichael]

6. Kick

good post

[prolesunited]

9. Thank you

With so many things screaming for attention tonight, it's easy to get lost.

Nice to see you around. :hi:

[genie_weenie]

10. Starve the War Machine

http://notyoursoldier.org/article.php?list=type&type=14

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. All so we can maintain our status as the biggest bad ass on the face

of the planet! Nice priorities, eh?