Before March 31 sign a petition to President Obama urging him to move us closer to a nuclear weapons free world.
In the coming weeks, President Obama will write new guidance that will lead to a new nuclear war plan and new requirements for the size and structure of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
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Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach reflects upon where our true security comes from and the need to make real cuts from the defense budget.
As Christians we must never allow ourselves to see displays of military might as the world’s “real” power. We must remember that God is the one who saves us. Furthermore, God calls us to work for equitable and just relationships, which lay the groundwork for security and peace.
When we forget the true source of our security, it is impossible to ever spend enough. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Pentagon’s base budget has nearly doubled. (That number excludes spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.)
Many people across the political spectrum now support making at least some cuts to the Pentagon, as a way of addressing the federal deficit. Some in Congress, along with the defense industry and the Pentagon, are working hard to ensure that the cuts will be as minimal as possible.
Read the entire article here.
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Posted by jesseeppfransen
Credit: National Archives/Getty Images
The Pearl Harbor attacks were 70 years ago today, beginning U.S. military involvement in World War II.
World War II was hugely expensive. Some estimate it would be the equivalent of $5 trillion in today’s dollars. An astounding 60 million people lost their lives during the war.
Today’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken the lives of an estimated 236,000 and will end up costing as much as $4 trillion.
On this day let us remember the tremendous costs of war.
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Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
U.S. Air Force photo
Forty-one members of Congress have signed a letter to the “super committee,” the Joint Select Committee for Deficit Reduction, calling for reductions to the Pentagon budget. The letter states:
In the ten years since the 9/11 attacks, spending on defense and security has increased 96% and totaled almost $8 trillion. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost $1.36 trillion, and taken the lives of over six thousand men and women while leaving over thirty thousand wounded. In the same time frame, the base budget for the Pentagon has mushroomed to $5.6 trillion…..
Read the full letter and see the list of signers here.
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Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach reflects on the U.S. government military spending for Third Way Cafe:
Photo by Clay Lancaster/DoD
What the campaign doesn’t mention is that the United States already spends more on its military than nearly all other countries in the worldcombined. It also doesn’t cite the study that showed that investments in education and health care create significantly more jobs than does military spending.
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Posted by Patricia Kisare
Melissa Engle/MCC
As we approach the ten year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, it is worth taking note of the staggering costs of war in Afghanistan and Iraq over the past decade. A recent study by researchers at Brown University suggested that as many as 225,000 people have died as a result of the two wars. They also suggest that the price tag for the military’s involvement could be as high as $4 trillion.
Take some time this week to tell your policymakers that the current level of military spending is unsustainable. Our nation must find alternative responses to violence. The costs are simply too high.
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Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
Nathan Toews writes about the effects of cluster bombs for Third Way Cafe:
Outha Sidakham demonstrates how he uses a metal detector to find ordinance, then marks it with a stake to later detonate. (MCC Photo/Jenna Stoltzfus)
The cluster bomb is a weapon that continues to cause thousands of
civilian casualties decades after its use. With unexploded munitions lying hidden in the ground people find themselves falling victim while going about daily activities.In 2010 an international treaty known as the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) took effect. While the United States has not yet agreed to the treaty, a bill has been introduced in the U.S. Congress known as the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act
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Posted by Patricia Kisare
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