folks ask the legislators to support our solutions..
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Peace is real!
–
Peace is real!
–
I share with you our email to Barack, Merkely, DeFazio, Boehner..
Hello Folks,
please note we have opened our forum to the public.
http://i-come-to-talk-story-net.3220728.n2.nabble.com/
come help make this a good tool;
Barack, Jeff, Peter, i do hope you share with us what you are do_in about
the many important delusional - wasteful consumptive issues, presently which the US government is not responsibly acting on. such as;
i post a few comments from Peace Action West.
Groundswell Blog, from Peace Action West Grassroots action for a safer, more just world
Home. My life in the decade of war: Zaher Wahab
October 6, 2011
tags: Afghanistan, anniversary, kabul, occupation, war, withdrawal
by Rebecca Griffin
To mark the 10th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, we have been collecting photo stories from around the country showing how people’s lives have changed over the decade the US has been at war. This series will feature some of those stories. You can see a slideshow of the stories and share your own here.
Letter From Kabul
Witness to a ten- year war and occupation
Since early 2002, I have been spending at least a semester annually here in Afghanistan, attempting to (re) build the higher education system in the ravaged country. My adopted country- the US, launched operation Enduring Freedom on October 7/2001 claiming to bring freedom, peace, prosperity, democracy, security, women’s liberation, eradication of drugs, and stability to the war-torn country. There are now some 150,000 troops from 45 countries, that many civilian contractors from around the world, and 340,000 US-trained sectarian Afghan security forces all ostensibly fighting “terrorism.” The US alone spends ten billion dollars per month on the war, a total of about half a trillion dollars in the last ten years. 1,600 Americans (70 of them last August) have been killed and thousands wounded. An estimated 40,000 Afghans have been killed, 971 civilians from June to August this year alone, untold numbers wounded, and half a million displaced. According to a recent UN report, 2011 has been the most unstable, deadliest and most violent year for all sides, since the war started in 2001. All of the country’s neighbors also meddle in Afghan affairs and are waging proxy struggles in the Afghan theater.
Ten years of occupation (and “development”) costing the US $500 billion, Afghanistan still ranks at the bottom of the Human Development Index. Half of the population is hungry and/or food insecure. Per capita income is about $350. The average life span is 45. 90% of the women and 70% of the men are illiterate. Only half of the school age children attend school. More than half the schools have no building. Only 20% of the teachers are considered qualified. The Afghan puppet regime spends just $70 per year per student. Americans spend one million dollars per year per soldier in Afghanistan. Just 1% of the age group is enrolled in college. UNICEF labeled the country as the worst place for children and women. A woman dies in childbirth every hour. Half of the children die before age five. All marriages are arranged, and the majority of the girls are married (sold) off before age 16.
Ninety seven percent of the country’s $15 billion GDP and 97% of the government’s $4 billion budget are based on the presence of foreigners (armies, aid, NGOs, etc). There is little organized licit formal productive economy. Drugs constitute about a third of the economy and there are close to 2 million addicts. Half the people are (un) underemployed. Anyone who can is leaving the country. People have been divided, demoralized, and exhausted. But since this is mostly a young nation so the prospects for an “Afghan Spring” are a real possibility.
The American installed and protected government has no legitimacy, credibility, authority, ability, will, or efficacy. It is essentially a dysfunctional plutocracy- mafiocracy with various crime syndicates and criminal gangs milking the foreigners and preying on the disempowered, divided and enraged public. The government cannot and will not provide the basic services like education, healthcare, work, security, justice, law and order, water, electricity, sewage systems, garbage collection, clean air, roads or even traffic lights in the capital Kabul. The old and new criminal, treacherous, treasonous and sectarian warlords are empowered, paid, armed, legitimated, used and protected by the occupation forces at the expense of the wretched population. And the country’s very future is in question. Many express nostalgia about the monarchy, the communists, even the Taliban eras.
There has been no serious attempt either by the occupiers or their self- spring and corrupt client regime to build a functioning government, democracy, institutions, civil society, freedom, justice, national unity, long-term peace, real security, or stability.
The insurgents control about 70% of the country, including the outskirts of Kabul. They can hit anyone, any time, any place as demonstrated by the recent assassinations of A.W. Karzai, Daoud Dauod, Jan Mohammad a close adviser to president Karzai, the Kandahar mayor, the Kundoz governor, former warlord, former president and president of the so-called High Peace Council, B.Rabbani, the CIA employee, etc. The insurgent attacked the Intercontinental Hotel, the British Council, The US Embassy and the ISAF headquarters, and petrified and paralyzed Kabul for days. I have experienced four lockdowns, one lasting three days in the last six weeks. Kabul looks and feels like a garrison city under siege, but with no sense of security, legality, justice or normalcy. The people despise, distrust and disdain the government, and the government has little to no concern, responsibility or respect for the people. Most Afghans hate, despise, and distrust all the foreigners and blame them for all the calamities visited upon the country. And the non-Pashtoons fear and dislike the Taliban insurgents. The country is on the brink of a bloody civil war. But the one percent predatory warlords, criminals, and war profiteers love the foreigners, the war, and the “new freedom.” Anything goes, everything is negotiable, nothing matters, and people are disposable. There are governments within the government, cities within cities, and countries within the country. There is the war-related contracting mafia, the land mafia, the timber mafia, the development mafia and the drug mafia, weapons smugglers, and human traffickers . The occupiers work hand-in-glove with the older and new known war criminals, human rights abusers, thieves and gangsters. This has widened the distance between the people and the colonial settler power and its local intermediaries. There is no clear boundary between the government the warlords and various crime syndicates, they are closely intertwined. All this explains the success of the insurgency, the moral-political-military disarray of the US/NATO invaders in the country, and the stalemate if not success of the insurgents in the war. In short, life has become much harder for the vast majority of Afghans. Who still lead primitive lives. Additionally, they endure a brutal occupation with heavy use of storm troops, air power, drones, night raids, and the mercenary Afghan regular and irregular armies. And now there is open talk of resurgent civil war. Mr. Rabbani’s assassination has ruptured the so-called “peace talks.” The US/NATO, while talking about withdrawal is also pressing for a permanent “strategic agreement” with Kabul. There is great confusion, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty in the country. No wonder then, those who can, are leaving, with the rest preparing for the worst. Only a miracle can save the people and the country.
another post from PAW:
Our message to the deficit “super committee”
October 10, 2011
tags: Afghanistan, deficit, Iraq, military budget, Nuclear Weapons, pentagon, pork, super committee
by Rebecca Griffin
.In the next few weeks, the “super committee” will decide on a plan that could shape the federal budget for the next decade. We are mobilizing our supporters to contact the super committee and counteract the major push from the defense industry.
We sent the letter below to super committee members to clearly outline the balanced security budget Peace Action West’s supporters would like to see. You can tell the super committee that you support these priorities by clicking here.
On behalf of Peace Action West’s 50,000 supporters, I am writing to urge you to produce deficit reduction recommendations that make Americans more secure by balancing our security budget and preserving domestic programs that contribute to security and prosperity at home.
Reduce wasteful military spending
The base Pentagon budget has increased by more than 50% in the last decade. Pentagon spending, including Overseas Contingency Operations, accounted for 58% of the FY2011 discretionary budget. Any serious plan to reduce the deficit must address wasteful military spending, especially when that spending competes with funding for priorities such as healthcare, job creation, and education.
Our safety is not best measured in dollars spent, but rather in the strategy served by our budget. There is room for substantial reductions in military spending without detriment to US national security. This could include:
· Reducing all DOD contracts by 10% and freezing hiring of civilian DOD employees
· Bringing troops home from Europe and Asia and reducing ground forces to pre-9/11 levels
· Eliminating unnecessary weapons systems such as the F-35, the MV-22 Osprey and the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle
· Curtailing national missile defense
The Sustainable Defense Task Force report offers details on a potential $960 billion in savings over the next ten years.[i]
Military withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan
US taxpayers have spent more than $1.2 trillion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in direct costs.[ii] The Eisenhower Study Group projects the long-term costs of the wars, including such costs as veterans’ care and interest payments, will reach $3.2-4 trillion.[iii] There have also been opportunity costs, such as lost jobs and lack of public investment in infrastructure. The macroeconomic impacts have also been significant; the average homebuyer paid an additional $600 in mortgage payments last year because of the increase in interest rates due to borrowing money for the wars.[iv]
The administration is reportedly considering keeping 3-10,000 troops in Iraq beyond the agreed-upon withdrawal deadline. The current plan for Afghanistan leaves nearly 70,000 troops on the ground in the fall of 2012, with no clear end date for withdrawal. With fewer than 100 Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan, there is no longer a compelling national security rationale for maintaining a massive military presence in Afghanistan. The raid that apprehended Osama bin Laden demonstrates that policing and intelligence are much more effective approaches to protecting Americans from the threat of terrorism.[v] There are several plans available with recommendations for reduced troop levels.[vi] Accelerating withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan would save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars over the next decade.
Reducing spending on nuclear weapons
With the Cold War over and a national security strategy that decreases reliance on nuclear weapons, the United States cannot afford to spend $700 billion over the next decade on nuclear weapons programs.[vii] In a 21st century security environment, nuclear weapons are more of a liability than an asset; funding for weapons and delivery systems competes with more effective security priorities such as nonproliferation. Cuts could include:
· Stopping construction of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Replacement Facility in New Mexico, saving $3-5 billion
· Delaying the New Long Range Penetrating Bomber, saving $3.7 billion
· Rightsizing the ballistic missile submarine fleet to eight boats, saving $27 billion over ten years
· Canceling the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Plant, saving an estimated $4 billion
Avoiding disproportionate cuts to the international affairs budget
The international affairs budget accounts for only 1% of the federal budget, yet it has faced disproportionate cuts in the current budget battle, bearing nearly 20% of all discretionary funding cuts in FY2011. These cuts are even more devastating after years of neglect that have weakened our civilian engagement tools. As former Defense Secretary Robert Gates pointed out, the entire Foreign Service does not include enough people to staff one aircraft carrier.
These programs are essential to preventing costly military intervention, promoting stability and saving lives around the globe. Shortsighted cuts in international affairs funding would further the imbalance in our current security budget and could have detrimental impacts on US engagement and security in the future.
Peace Action West’s supporters strongly urge the super committee to develop a deficit reduction plan that reflects a smart security budget as outlined above. Feel free to contact me for more details on any of these proposals.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Griffin
Political Director
Peace Action West
[i] http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/1006SDTFreport.pdf
[ii] http://costofwar.com/en/
[iii] http://costsofwar.org/article/economic-cost-summary
[iv] http://costsofwar.org/article/macroeconomic-impact-military-spending
[v] http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9351/index1.html
[vi] http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2011/06/the-afghan-troop-number-game.html
[vii] http://ploughshares.org/sites/default/files/resources/What%20We%20Spend%20on%20Nuclear%20Weapons%20092811.pdf
not to mention the present ideals we are working at fro developing 1 universal science, so as to support students to come out of the classroom into the community to do an exchange for some common sense. as all support each other to self-develop + create numerous jobs as folks come together + build natural communities + share what works. as they restore local ways that are interfering in the ability for folks to self-develop as with other pathes of local communities when folks 'boon with + preserve their natural world. so as to sustain natural communities that harmonize.
Jeff, please note folks that are healthy have a hard time processing the above information. our neuro processing is not designed for these out dated aggressive measures. not to mention those without.
Jeff, what can you tell me as well post on your site for all, to tell folks that are very distressed over the above awareness.
as well what support can you tell us/ me to tell the school administrators when i take our ideals to them + the community. with our solutions. so students of all ages can open doors into the community + make an exchange supporting themself + all to become a local, global + beyond participant, so as to harmonize.
vs. as presently with the Sunset Middle School here in Empire, near Charleston, Or. as a teacher states my ideals are good, + it is hard for her because the kids come to school hungry.
not to mention elderly i've had 1st hand experience helping, where they are living alone, misusing, not understanding yet under doctors. suffering, unable to have a day go by without struggling.
where when the students, if supported to come into the community, + log + communicate. as they build a system that works so as to self-reflect with these real needs. as they do interchangeable roles, meanwhile each person without now gets daily support, as bothe self-develop.
creating jobs, saving funds from people going to ER continually. not to mention Jeff, it would be nice if the doctors also are required to go back to school + come into community along with the students. not to mention learn alternative medicine to enable them to prescrine behavioral modification along with any medication prescribed. not to mention have the insurance pharmacolgy review, include a pharmacognosy perspective.
now patients misusing will no longer be expected, by their present doctors, to know how alternative medicine could leave less negative side effects, as they presently do. as well i belief we could come up with a few instructors that could support a manditory program for all doctors to become aware in diagnosing, medicine management,
along with defining which medicine/herbal formula is best for patient to taper off that which is harmful, leaving negative effects, or going in no positive direction. into a good self-development mode, as each becomes supported with the student community project.
Jeff, we have solutions that work. please take a look + see what you can do to support this to become a nice tool created by all that take the time to share what works.
we have a focus direction so as to simplify. but it does take a bit of concentration + weach have to do their homework. but we realize support is needed for many in order to just to get to do that.
thank you Jeff for your format to share.
Jeff please comment + post your responce as well email it to us + i will post it
patchespocketstalk@icometotalkstory.net
our combined` effect makes a difference, we can address 1 issue at a time.
Hello Folks,
please note we have opened our forum to the public. it is not threaded yet, but can open a document, open ctrl l box + put in link:
http://i-come-to-talk-story-net.3220728.n2.nabble.com/
come help make this a good tool.
please suggest, i'm considering the USAID + Gates Grant - WASH. we could do this with the students in a local area, along with technical data to see that it is reaching every local community to address solutions we have now.
i just wrote them to confirm their closing date. it stated 2 dates.
Barack, Jeff, Peter, i do hope you share with us what you are do_in about the many important delusional - wasteful consumptive issues, presently, which the US government is not responsibly acting on. such as:
i post a few comments from Peace Action West:
Groundswell Blog, from Peace Action WestGrassroots action for a safer, more just world
Home.My life in the decade of war: Zaher Wahab
October 6, 2011
tags: Afghanistan, anniversary, kabul, occupation, war, withdrawal
by Rebecca Griffin
To mark the 10th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, we have been collecting photo stories from around the country showing how people’s lives have changed over the decade the US has been at war. This series will feature some of those stories. You can see a slideshow of the stories and share your own here.
Letter From Kabul
Witness to a ten- year war and occupation
Since early 2002, I have been spending at least a semester annually here in Afghanistan, attempting to (re) build the higher education system in the ravaged country. My adopted country- the US, launched operation Enduring Freedom on October 7/2001 claiming to bring freedom, peace, prosperity, democracy, security, women’s liberation, eradication of drugs, and stability to the war-torn country. There are now some 150,000 troops from 45 countries, that many civilian contractors from around the world, and 340,000 US-trained sectarian Afghan security forces all ostensibly fighting “terrorism.” The US alone spends ten billion dollars per month on the war, a total of about half a trillion dollars in the last ten years. 1,600 Americans (70 of them last August) have been killed and thousands wounded. An estimated 40,000 Afghans have been killed, 971 civilians from June to August this year alone, untold numbers wounded, and half a million displaced. According to a recent UN report, 2011 has been the most unstable, deadliest and most violent year for all sides, since the war started in 2001. All of the country’s neighbors also meddle in Afghan affairs and are waging proxy struggles in the Afghan theater.
Ten years of occupation (and “development”) costing the US $500 billion, Afghanistan still ranks at the bottom of the Human Development Index. Half of the population is hungry and/or food insecure. Per capita income is about $350. The average life span is 45. 90% of the women and 70% of the men are illiterate. Only half of the school age children attend school. More than half the schools have no building. Only 20% of the teachers are considered qualified. The Afghan puppet regime spends just $70 per year per student. Americans spend one million dollars per year per soldier in Afghanistan. Just 1% of the age group is enrolled in college. UNICEF labeled the country as the worst place for children and women. A woman dies in childbirth every hour. Half of the children die before age five. All marriages are arranged, and the majority of the girls are married (sold) off before age 16.
Ninety seven percent of the country’s $15 billion GDP and 97% of the government’s $4 billion budget are based on the presence of foreigners (armies, aid, NGOs, etc). There is little organized licit formal productive economy. Drugs constitute about a third of the economy and there are close to 2 million addicts. Half the people are (un) underemployed. Anyone who can is leaving the country. People have been divided, demoralized, and exhausted. But since this is mostly a young nation so the prospects for an “Afghan Spring” are a real possibility.
The American installed and protected government has no legitimacy, credibility, authority, ability, will, or efficacy. It is essentially a dysfunctional plutocracy- mafiocracy with various crime syndicates and criminal gangs milking the foreigners and preying on the disempowered, divided and enraged public. The government cannot and will not provide the basic services like education, healthcare, work, security, justice, law and order, water, electricity, sewage systems, garbage collection, clean air, roads or even traffic lights in the capital Kabul. The old and new criminal, treacherous, treasonous and sectarian warlords are empowered, paid, armed, legitimated, used and protected by the occupation forces at the expense of the wretched population. And the country’s very future is in question. Many express nostalgia about the monarchy, the communists, even the Taliban eras.
There has been no serious attempt either by the occupiers or their self- spring and corrupt client regime to build a functioning government, democracy, institutions, civil society, freedom, justice, national unity, long-term peace, real security, or stability.
The insurgents control about 70% of the country, including the outskirts of Kabul. They can hit anyone, any time, any place as demonstrated by the recent assassinations of A.W. Karzai, Daoud Dauod, Jan Mohammad a close adviser to president Karzai, the Kandahar mayor, the Kundoz governor, former warlord, former president and president of the so-called High Peace Council, B.Rabbani, the CIA employee, etc. The insurgent attacked the Intercontinental Hotel, the British Council, The US Embassy and the ISAF headquarters, and petrified and paralyzed Kabul for days. I have experienced four lockdowns, one lasting three days in the last six weeks. Kabul looks and feels like a garrison city under siege, but with no sense of security, legality, justice or normalcy. The people despise, distrust and disdain the government, and the government has little to no concern, responsibility or respect for the people. Most Afghans hate, despise, and distrust all the foreigners and blame them for all the calamities visited upon the country. And the non-Pashtoons fear and dislike the Taliban insurgents. The country is on the brink of a bloody civil war. But the one percent predatory warlords, criminals, and war profiteers love the foreigners, the war, and the “new freedom.” Anything goes, everything is negotiable, nothing matters, and people are disposable. There are governments within the government, cities within cities, and countries within the country. There is the war-related contracting mafia, the land mafia, the timber mafia, the development mafia and the drug mafia, weapons smugglers, and human traffickers . The occupiers work hand-in-glove with the older and new known war criminals, human rights abusers, thieves and gangsters. This has widened the distance between the people and the colonial settler power and its local intermediaries. There is no clear boundary between the government the warlords and various crime syndicates, they are closely intertwined. All this explains the success of the insurgency, the moral-political-military disarray of the US/NATO invaders in the country, and the stalemate if not success of the insurgents in the war. In short, life has become much harder for the vast majority of Afghans. Who still lead primitive lives. Additionally, they endure a brutal occupation with heavy use of storm troops, air power, drones, night raids, and the mercenary Afghan regular and irregular armies. And now there is open talk of resurgent civil war. Mr. Rabbani’s assassination has ruptured the so-called “peace talks.” The US/NATO, while talking about withdrawal is also pressing for a permanent “strategic agreement” with Kabul. There is great confusion, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty in the country. No wonder then, those who can, are leaving, with the rest preparing for the worst. Only a miracle can save the people and the country.
another post from PAW:
Our message to the deficit “super committee”
October 10, 2011
tags: Afghanistan, deficit, Iraq, military budget, Nuclear Weapons, pentagon, pork, super committee
by Rebecca Griffin
.In the next few weeks, the “super committee” will decide on a plan that could shape the federal budget for the next decade. We are mobilizing our supporters to contact the super committee and counteract the major push from the defense industry.
We sent the letter below to super committee members to clearly outline the balanced security budget Peace Action West’s supporters would like to see. You can tell the super committee that you support these priorities by clicking here.
On behalf of Peace Action West’s 50,000 supporters, I am writing to urge you to produce deficit reduction recommendations that make Americans more secure by balancing our security budget and preserving domestic programs that contribute to security and prosperity at home.
Reduce wasteful military spending
The base Pentagon budget has increased by more than 50% in the last decade. Pentagon spending, including Overseas Contingency Operations, accounted for 58% of the FY2011 discretionary budget. Any serious plan to reduce the deficit must address wasteful military spending, especially when that spending competes with funding for priorities such as healthcare, job creation, and education.
Our safety is not best measured in dollars spent, but rather in the strategy served by our budget. There is room for substantial reductions in military spending without detriment to US national security. This could include:
· Reducing all DOD contracts by 10% and freezing hiring of civilian DOD employees
· Bringing troops home from Europe and Asia and reducing ground forces to pre-9/11 levels
· Eliminating unnecessary weapons systems such as the F-35, the MV-22 Osprey and the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle
· Curtailing national missile defense
The Sustainable Defense Task Force report offers details on a potential $960 billion in savings over the next ten years.[i]
Military withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan
US taxpayers have spent more than $1.2 trillion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in direct costs.[ii] The Eisenhower Study Group projects the long-term costs of the wars, including such costs as veterans’ care and interest payments, will reach $3.2-4 trillion.[iii] There have also been opportunity costs, such as lost jobs and lack of public investment in infrastructure. The macroeconomic impacts have also been significant; the average homebuyer paid an additional $600 in mortgage payments last year because of the increase in interest rates due to borrowing money for the wars.[iv]
The administration is reportedly considering keeping 3-10,000 troops in Iraq beyond the agreed-upon withdrawal deadline. The current plan for Afghanistan leaves nearly 70,000 troops on the ground in the fall of 2012, with no clear end date for withdrawal. With fewer than 100 Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan, there is no longer a compelling national security rationale for maintaining a massive military presence in Afghanistan. The raid that apprehended Osama bin Laden demonstrates that policing and intelligence are much more effective approaches to protecting Americans from the threat of terrorism.[v] There are several plans available with recommendations for reduced troop levels.[vi] Accelerating withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan would save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars over the next decade.
Reducing spending on nuclear weapons
With the Cold War over and a national security strategy that decreases reliance on nuclear weapons, the United States cannot afford to spend $700 billion over the next decade on nuclear weapons programs.[vii] In a 21st century security environment, nuclear weapons are more of a liability than an asset; funding for weapons and delivery systems competes with more effective security priorities such as nonproliferation. Cuts could include:
· Stopping construction of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Replacement Facility in New Mexico, saving $3-5 billion
· Delaying the New Long Range Penetrating Bomber, saving $3.7 billion
· Rightsizing the ballistic missile submarine fleet to eight boats, saving $27 billion over ten years
· Canceling the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Plant, saving an estimated $4 billion
Avoiding disproportionate cuts to the international affairs budget
The international affairs budget accounts for only 1% of the federal budget, yet it has faced disproportionate cuts in the current budget battle, bearing nearly 20% of all discretionary funding cuts in FY2011. These cuts are even more devastating after years of neglect that have weakened our civilian engagement tools. As former Defense Secretary Robert Gates pointed out, the entire Foreign Service does not include enough people to staff one aircraft carrier.
These programs are essential to preventing costly military intervention, promoting stability and saving lives around the globe. Shortsighted cuts in international affairs funding would further the imbalance in our current security budget and could have detrimental impacts on US engagement and security in the future.
Peace Action West’s supporters strongly urge the super committee to develop a deficit reduction plan that reflects a smart security budget as outlined above. Feel free to contact me for more details on any of these proposals.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Griffin
Political Director
Peace Action West
[i] http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/1006SDTFreport.pdf
[ii] http://costofwar.com/en/
[iii] http://costsofwar.org/article/economic-cost-summary
[iv] http://costsofwar.org/article/macroeconomic-impact-military-spending
[v] http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9351/index1.html
[vi] http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2011/06/the-afghan-troop-number-game.html
[vii] http://ploughshares.org/sites/default/files/resources/What%20We%20Spend%20on%20Nuclear%20Weapons%20092811.pdf
not to mention the present ideals we are working at fro developing 1 universal science, so as to support students to come out of the classroom into the community to do an exchange for some common sense. as all support each other to self-develop + create numerous jobs as folks come together + build natural communities + share what works. as they restore local ways that are interfering in the ability for folks to self-develop as with other pathes of local communities when folks 'boon with + preserve their natural world. so as to sustain natural communities that harmonize.
Barack, Jeff,Peter, please note folks that are healthy have a hard time processing the above information. our neuro processing is not designed for these out dated aggressive measures. not to mention those without.
what can you tell me as well post on your site for all, to tell folks that are very distressed over the above awareness.
as well what support can you tell us/ me to tell the school administrators when i take our ideals to them + the community. with our solutions. so students of all ages can open doors into the community + make an exchange supporting themself + all to become a local, global + beyond participant, so as to harmonize.
vs. as presently with the Sunset Middle School here in Empire, near Charleston, Or. as a teacher states my ideals are good, + it is hard for her because the kids come to school hungry.
not to mention elderly i've had 1st hand experience helping, where they are living alone, misusing, not understanding yet under doctors. suffering, unable to have a day go by without struggling.
where when the students, if supported to come into the community, + log + communicate. as they build a system that works so as to self-reflect with these real needs. as they do interchangeable roles, meanwhile each person without now gets daily support, as bothe self-develop.
creating jobs, saving funds from people going to ER continually. not to mention Jeff, it would be nice if the doctors also are required to go back to school + come into community along with the students. not to mention learn alternative medicine to enable them to prescrine behavioral modification along with any medication prescribed. not to mention have the insurance pharmacolgy review, include a pharmacognosy perspective.
now patients misusing will no longer be expected, by their present doctors, to know how alternative medicine could leave less negative side effects, as they presently do. as well i belief we could come up with a few instructors that could support a manditory program for all doctors to become aware in diagnosing, medicine management,
along with defining which medicine/herbal formula is best for patient to taper off that which is harmful, leaving negative effects, or going in no positive direction. into a good self-development mode, as each becomes supported with the student community project.
Barack, Jeff, Peter, we have solutions that work. please take a look + see what you can do to support this to become a nice tool created by all that take the time to share what works.
we have a focus direction so as to simplify. but it does take a bit of concentration + weach have to do their homework. but we realize support is needed for many in order to just to get to do that.
thank you Barack, Jeff, Peter, for your format to share.
please comment + post your responce as well email it to us + i will post it:
patchespocketstalk@icometotalkstory.net
our combined` effect makes a difference,
we can address 1 issue at a time, with the students help along with many degreeded professionals in responsible roles, including yours. to also come into your local community + join the students,as a student. take part in planning the restoration of your community to become a natural community that becomes sustainable. to get the real picture. for you folks i believe are lost in layers.
the solution comes from, understanding what sustains us + when we talk simple common sense from 1 universal science,that co_evolves in real time, made transparent + transcribed into a lay persona understanding, then it can become a language that applies solutions as they are researched, networked as folks in patches + pockets on this planet have great offerings from simply living `boon with the natural world.
each can become aware, once a student(s) gives special attention to their basic needs + help them sort out a better quality life. as community cooperatives are created. many are so much happier when they can get support to stay home vs. go without or go to ER repeatedly/hospital/nursing home/foster home, etc.
thank you, i will appreciate comment, kara
Hello Folks,
please note we have opened our forum to the public.
http://i-come-to-talk-story-net.3220728.n2.nabble.com/
come help make this a good tool;
Barack, Jeff, Peter, i do hope you share with us what you are do_in about
the many important delusional - wasteful consumptive issues, presently which the US government is not responsibly acting on. such as;
i post a few comments from Peace Action West.
Groundswell Blog, from Peace Action West Grassroots action for a safer, more just world
Home. My life in the decade of war: Zaher Wahab
October 6, 2011
tags: Afghanistan, anniversary, kabul, occupation, war, withdrawal
by Rebecca Griffin
To mark the 10th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, we have been collecting photo stories from around the country showing how people’s lives have changed over the decade the US has been at war. This series will feature some of those stories. You can see a slideshow of the stories and share your own here.
Letter From Kabul
Witness to a ten- year war and occupation
Since early 2002, I have been spending at least a semester annually here in Afghanistan, attempting to (re) build the higher education system in the ravaged country. My adopted country- the US, launched operation Enduring Freedom on October 7/2001 claiming to bring freedom, peace, prosperity, democracy, security, women’s liberation, eradication of drugs, and stability to the war-torn country. There are now some 150,000 troops from 45 countries, that many civilian contractors from around the world, and 340,000 US-trained sectarian Afghan security forces all ostensibly fighting “terrorism.” The US alone spends ten billion dollars per month on the war, a total of about half a trillion dollars in the last ten years. 1,600 Americans (70 of them last August) have been killed and thousands wounded. An estimated 40,000 Afghans have been killed, 971 civilians from June to August this year alone, untold numbers wounded, and half a million displaced. According to a recent UN report, 2011 has been the most unstable, deadliest and most violent year for all sides, since the war started in 2001. All of the country’s neighbors also meddle in Afghan affairs and are waging proxy struggles in the Afghan theater.
Ten years of occupation (and “development”) costing the US $500 billion, Afghanistan still ranks at the bottom of the Human Development Index. Half of the population is hungry and/or food insecure. Per capita income is about $350. The average life span is 45. 90% of the women and 70% of the men are illiterate. Only half of the school age children attend school. More than half the schools have no building. Only 20% of the teachers are considered qualified. The Afghan puppet regime spends just $70 per year per student. Americans spend one million dollars per year per soldier in Afghanistan. Just 1% of the age group is enrolled in college. UNICEF labeled the country as the worst place for children and women. A woman dies in childbirth every hour. Half of the children die before age five. All marriages are arranged, and the majority of the girls are married (sold) off before age 16.
Ninety seven percent of the country’s $15 billion GDP and 97% of the government’s $4 billion budget are based on the presence of foreigners (armies, aid, NGOs, etc). There is little organized licit formal productive economy. Drugs constitute about a third of the economy and there are close to 2 million addicts. Half the people are (un) underemployed. Anyone who can is leaving the country. People have been divided, demoralized, and exhausted. But since this is mostly a young nation so the prospects for an “Afghan Spring” are a real possibility.
The American installed and protected government has no legitimacy, credibility, authority, ability, will, or efficacy. It is essentially a dysfunctional plutocracy- mafiocracy with various crime syndicates and criminal gangs milking the foreigners and preying on the disempowered, divided and enraged public. The government cannot and will not provide the basic services like education, healthcare, work, security, justice, law and order, water, electricity, sewage systems, garbage collection, clean air, roads or even traffic lights in the capital Kabul. The old and new criminal, treacherous, treasonous and sectarian warlords are empowered, paid, armed, legitimated, used and protected by the occupation forces at the expense of the wretched population. And the country’s very future is in question. Many express nostalgia about the monarchy, the communists, even the Taliban eras.
There has been no serious attempt either by the occupiers or their self- spring and corrupt client regime to build a functioning government, democracy, institutions, civil society, freedom, justice, national unity, long-term peace, real security, or stability.
The insurgents control about 70% of the country, including the outskirts of Kabul. They can hit anyone, any time, any place as demonstrated by the recent assassinations of A.W. Karzai, Daoud Dauod, Jan Mohammad a close adviser to president Karzai, the Kandahar mayor, the Kundoz governor, former warlord, former president and president of the so-called High Peace Council, B.Rabbani, the CIA employee, etc. The insurgent attacked the Intercontinental Hotel, the British Council, The US Embassy and the ISAF headquarters, and petrified and paralyzed Kabul for days. I have experienced four lockdowns, one lasting three days in the last six weeks. Kabul looks and feels like a garrison city under siege, but with no sense of security, legality, justice or normalcy. The people despise, distrust and disdain the government, and the government has little to no concern, responsibility or respect for the people. Most Afghans hate, despise, and distrust all the foreigners and blame them for all the calamities visited upon the country. And the non-Pashtoons fear and dislike the Taliban insurgents. The country is on the brink of a bloody civil war. But the one percent predatory warlords, criminals, and war profiteers love the foreigners, the war, and the “new freedom.” Anything goes, everything is negotiable, nothing matters, and people are disposable. There are governments within the government, cities within cities, and countries within the country. There is the war-related contracting mafia, the land mafia, the timber mafia, the development mafia and the drug mafia, weapons smugglers, and human traffickers . The occupiers work hand-in-glove with the older and new known war criminals, human rights abusers, thieves and gangsters. This has widened the distance between the people and the colonial settler power and its local intermediaries. There is no clear boundary between the government the warlords and various crime syndicates, they are closely intertwined. All this explains the success of the insurgency, the moral-political-military disarray of the US/NATO invaders in the country, and the stalemate if not success of the insurgents in the war. In short, life has become much harder for the vast majority of Afghans. Who still lead primitive lives. Additionally, they endure a brutal occupation with heavy use of storm troops, air power, drones, night raids, and the mercenary Afghan regular and irregular armies. And now there is open talk of resurgent civil war. Mr. Rabbani’s assassination has ruptured the so-called “peace talks.” The US/NATO, while talking about withdrawal is also pressing for a permanent “strategic agreement” with Kabul. There is great confusion, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty in the country. No wonder then, those who can, are leaving, with the rest preparing for the worst. Only a miracle can save the people and the country.
another post from PAW:
Our message to the deficit “super committee”
October 10, 2011
tags: Afghanistan, deficit, Iraq, military budget, Nuclear Weapons, pentagon, pork, super committee
by Rebecca Griffin
.In the next few weeks, the “super committee” will decide on a plan that could shape the federal budget for the next decade. We are mobilizing our supporters to contact the super committee and counteract the major push from the defense industry.
We sent the letter below to super committee members to clearly outline the balanced security budget Peace Action West’s supporters would like to see. You can tell the super committee that you support these priorities by clicking here.
On behalf of Peace Action West’s 50,000 supporters, I am writing to urge you to produce deficit reduction recommendations that make Americans more secure by balancing our security budget and preserving domestic programs that contribute to security and prosperity at home.
Reduce wasteful military spending
The base Pentagon budget has increased by more than 50% in the last decade. Pentagon spending, including Overseas Contingency Operations, accounted for 58% of the FY2011 discretionary budget. Any serious plan to reduce the deficit must address wasteful military spending, especially when that spending competes with funding for priorities such as healthcare, job creation, and education.
Our safety is not best measured in dollars spent, but rather in the strategy served by our budget. There is room for substantial reductions in military spending without detriment to US national security. This could include:
· Reducing all DOD contracts by 10% and freezing hiring of civilian DOD employees
· Bringing troops home from Europe and Asia and reducing ground forces to pre-9/11 levels
· Eliminating unnecessary weapons systems such as the F-35, the MV-22 Osprey and the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle
· Curtailing national missile defense
The Sustainable Defense Task Force report offers details on a potential $960 billion in savings over the next ten years.[i]
Military withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan
US taxpayers have spent more than $1.2 trillion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in direct costs.[ii] The Eisenhower Study Group projects the long-term costs of the wars, including such costs as veterans’ care and interest payments, will reach $3.2-4 trillion.[iii] There have also been opportunity costs, such as lost jobs and lack of public investment in infrastructure. The macroeconomic impacts have also been significant; the average homebuyer paid an additional $600 in mortgage payments last year because of the increase in interest rates due to borrowing money for the wars.[iv]
The administration is reportedly considering keeping 3-10,000 troops in Iraq beyond the agreed-upon withdrawal deadline. The current plan for Afghanistan leaves nearly 70,000 troops on the ground in the fall of 2012, with no clear end date for withdrawal. With fewer than 100 Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan, there is no longer a compelling national security rationale for maintaining a massive military presence in Afghanistan. The raid that apprehended Osama bin Laden demonstrates that policing and intelligence are much more effective approaches to protecting Americans from the threat of terrorism.[v] There are several plans available with recommendations for reduced troop levels.[vi] Accelerating withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan would save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars over the next decade.
Reducing spending on nuclear weapons
With the Cold War over and a national security strategy that decreases reliance on nuclear weapons, the United States cannot afford to spend $700 billion over the next decade on nuclear weapons programs.[vii] In a 21st century security environment, nuclear weapons are more of a liability than an asset; funding for weapons and delivery systems competes with more effective security priorities such as nonproliferation. Cuts could include:
· Stopping construction of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Replacement Facility in New Mexico, saving $3-5 billion
· Delaying the New Long Range Penetrating Bomber, saving $3.7 billion
· Rightsizing the ballistic missile submarine fleet to eight boats, saving $27 billion over ten years
· Canceling the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Plant, saving an estimated $4 billion
Avoiding disproportionate cuts to the international affairs budget
The international affairs budget accounts for only 1% of the federal budget, yet it has faced disproportionate cuts in the current budget battle, bearing nearly 20% of all discretionary funding cuts in FY2011. These cuts are even more devastating after years of neglect that have weakened our civilian engagement tools. As former Defense Secretary Robert Gates pointed out, the entire Foreign Service does not include enough people to staff one aircraft carrier.
These programs are essential to preventing costly military intervention, promoting stability and saving lives around the globe. Shortsighted cuts in international affairs funding would further the imbalance in our current security budget and could have detrimental impacts on US engagement and security in the future.
Peace Action West’s supporters strongly urge the super committee to develop a deficit reduction plan that reflects a smart security budget as outlined above. Feel free to contact me for more details on any of these proposals.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Griffin
Political Director
Peace Action West
[i] http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/1006SDTFreport.pdf
[ii] http://costofwar.com/en/
[iii] http://costsofwar.org/article/economic-cost-summary
[iv] http://costsofwar.org/article/macroeconomic-impact-military-spending
[v] http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9351/index1.html
[vi] http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2011/06/the-afghan-troop-number-game.html
[vii] http://ploughshares.org/sites/default/files/resources/What%20We%20Spend%20on%20Nuclear%20Weapons%20092811.pdf
not to mention the present ideals we are working at fro developing 1 universal science, so as to support students to come out of the classroom into the community to do an exchange for some common sense. as all support each other to self-develop + create numerous jobs as folks come together + build natural communities + share what works. as they restore local ways that are interfering in the ability for folks to self-develop as with other pathes of local communities when folks 'boon with + preserve their natural world. so as to sustain natural communities that harmonize.
Jeff, please note folks that are healthy have a hard time processing the above information. our neuro processing is not designed for these out dated aggressive measures. not to mention those without.
Jeff, what can you tell me as well post on your site for all, to tell folks that are very distressed over the above awareness.
as well what support can you tell us/ me to tell the school administrators when i take our ideals to them + the community. with our solutions. so students of all ages can open doors into the community + make an exchange supporting themself + all to become a local, global + beyond participant, so as to harmonize.
vs. as presently with the Sunset Middle School here in Empire, near Charleston, Or. as a teacher states my ideals are good, + it is hard for her because the kids come to school hungry.
not to mention elderly i've had 1st hand experience helping, where they are living alone, misusing, not understanding yet under doctors. suffering, unable to have a day go by without struggling.
where when the students, if supported to come into the community, + log + communicate. as they build a system that works so as to self-reflect with these real needs. as they do interchangeable roles, meanwhile each person without now gets daily support, as bothe self-develop.
creating jobs, saving funds from people going to ER continually. not to mention Jeff, it would be nice if the doctors also are required to go back to school + come into community along with the students. not to mention learn alternative medicine to enable them to prescrine behavioral modification along with any medication prescribed. not to mention have the insurance pharmacolgy review, include a pharmacognosy perspective.
now patients misusing will no longer be expected, by their present doctors, to know how alternative medicine could leave less negative side effects, as they presently do. as well i belief we could come up with a few instructors that could support a manditory program for all doctors to become aware in diagnosing, medicine management,
along with defining which medicine/herbal formula is best for patient to taper off that which is harmful, leaving negative effects, or going in no positive direction. into a good self-development mode, as each becomes supported with the student community project.
Jeff, we have solutions that work. please take a look + see what you can do to support this to become a nice tool created by all that take the time to share what works.
we have a focus direction so as to simplify. but it does take a bit of concentration + weach have to do their homework. but we realize support is needed for many in order to just to get to do that.
thank you Jeff for your format to share.
Jeff please comment + post your responce as well email it to us + i will post it
patchespocketstalk@icometotalkstory.net
our combined` effect makes a difference, we can address 1 issue at a time.
Hello Folks,
please note we have opened our forum to the public. it is not threaded yet, but can open a document, open ctrl l box + put in link:
http://i-come-to-talk-story-net.3220728.n2.nabble.com/
come help make this a good tool.
please suggest, i'm considering the USAID + Gates Grant - WASH. we could do this with the students in a local area, along with technical data to see that it is reaching every local community to address solutions we have now.
i just wrote them to confirm their closing date. it stated 2 dates.
Barack, Jeff, Peter, i do hope you share with us what you are do_in about the many important delusional - wasteful consumptive issues, presently, which the US government is not responsibly acting on. such as:
i post a few comments from Peace Action West:
Groundswell Blog, from Peace Action WestGrassroots action for a safer, more just world
Home.My life in the decade of war: Zaher Wahab
October 6, 2011
tags: Afghanistan, anniversary, kabul, occupation, war, withdrawal
by Rebecca Griffin
To mark the 10th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, we have been collecting photo stories from around the country showing how people’s lives have changed over the decade the US has been at war. This series will feature some of those stories. You can see a slideshow of the stories and share your own here.
Letter From Kabul
Witness to a ten- year war and occupation
Since early 2002, I have been spending at least a semester annually here in Afghanistan, attempting to (re) build the higher education system in the ravaged country. My adopted country- the US, launched operation Enduring Freedom on October 7/2001 claiming to bring freedom, peace, prosperity, democracy, security, women’s liberation, eradication of drugs, and stability to the war-torn country. There are now some 150,000 troops from 45 countries, that many civilian contractors from around the world, and 340,000 US-trained sectarian Afghan security forces all ostensibly fighting “terrorism.” The US alone spends ten billion dollars per month on the war, a total of about half a trillion dollars in the last ten years. 1,600 Americans (70 of them last August) have been killed and thousands wounded. An estimated 40,000 Afghans have been killed, 971 civilians from June to August this year alone, untold numbers wounded, and half a million displaced. According to a recent UN report, 2011 has been the most unstable, deadliest and most violent year for all sides, since the war started in 2001. All of the country’s neighbors also meddle in Afghan affairs and are waging proxy struggles in the Afghan theater.
Ten years of occupation (and “development”) costing the US $500 billion, Afghanistan still ranks at the bottom of the Human Development Index. Half of the population is hungry and/or food insecure. Per capita income is about $350. The average life span is 45. 90% of the women and 70% of the men are illiterate. Only half of the school age children attend school. More than half the schools have no building. Only 20% of the teachers are considered qualified. The Afghan puppet regime spends just $70 per year per student. Americans spend one million dollars per year per soldier in Afghanistan. Just 1% of the age group is enrolled in college. UNICEF labeled the country as the worst place for children and women. A woman dies in childbirth every hour. Half of the children die before age five. All marriages are arranged, and the majority of the girls are married (sold) off before age 16.
Ninety seven percent of the country’s $15 billion GDP and 97% of the government’s $4 billion budget are based on the presence of foreigners (armies, aid, NGOs, etc). There is little organized licit formal productive economy. Drugs constitute about a third of the economy and there are close to 2 million addicts. Half the people are (un) underemployed. Anyone who can is leaving the country. People have been divided, demoralized, and exhausted. But since this is mostly a young nation so the prospects for an “Afghan Spring” are a real possibility.
The American installed and protected government has no legitimacy, credibility, authority, ability, will, or efficacy. It is essentially a dysfunctional plutocracy- mafiocracy with various crime syndicates and criminal gangs milking the foreigners and preying on the disempowered, divided and enraged public. The government cannot and will not provide the basic services like education, healthcare, work, security, justice, law and order, water, electricity, sewage systems, garbage collection, clean air, roads or even traffic lights in the capital Kabul. The old and new criminal, treacherous, treasonous and sectarian warlords are empowered, paid, armed, legitimated, used and protected by the occupation forces at the expense of the wretched population. And the country’s very future is in question. Many express nostalgia about the monarchy, the communists, even the Taliban eras.
There has been no serious attempt either by the occupiers or their self- spring and corrupt client regime to build a functioning government, democracy, institutions, civil society, freedom, justice, national unity, long-term peace, real security, or stability.
The insurgents control about 70% of the country, including the outskirts of Kabul. They can hit anyone, any time, any place as demonstrated by the recent assassinations of A.W. Karzai, Daoud Dauod, Jan Mohammad a close adviser to president Karzai, the Kandahar mayor, the Kundoz governor, former warlord, former president and president of the so-called High Peace Council, B.Rabbani, the CIA employee, etc. The insurgent attacked the Intercontinental Hotel, the British Council, The US Embassy and the ISAF headquarters, and petrified and paralyzed Kabul for days. I have experienced four lockdowns, one lasting three days in the last six weeks. Kabul looks and feels like a garrison city under siege, but with no sense of security, legality, justice or normalcy. The people despise, distrust and disdain the government, and the government has little to no concern, responsibility or respect for the people. Most Afghans hate, despise, and distrust all the foreigners and blame them for all the calamities visited upon the country. And the non-Pashtoons fear and dislike the Taliban insurgents. The country is on the brink of a bloody civil war. But the one percent predatory warlords, criminals, and war profiteers love the foreigners, the war, and the “new freedom.” Anything goes, everything is negotiable, nothing matters, and people are disposable. There are governments within the government, cities within cities, and countries within the country. There is the war-related contracting mafia, the land mafia, the timber mafia, the development mafia and the drug mafia, weapons smugglers, and human traffickers . The occupiers work hand-in-glove with the older and new known war criminals, human rights abusers, thieves and gangsters. This has widened the distance between the people and the colonial settler power and its local intermediaries. There is no clear boundary between the government the warlords and various crime syndicates, they are closely intertwined. All this explains the success of the insurgency, the moral-political-military disarray of the US/NATO invaders in the country, and the stalemate if not success of the insurgents in the war. In short, life has become much harder for the vast majority of Afghans. Who still lead primitive lives. Additionally, they endure a brutal occupation with heavy use of storm troops, air power, drones, night raids, and the mercenary Afghan regular and irregular armies. And now there is open talk of resurgent civil war. Mr. Rabbani’s assassination has ruptured the so-called “peace talks.” The US/NATO, while talking about withdrawal is also pressing for a permanent “strategic agreement” with Kabul. There is great confusion, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty in the country. No wonder then, those who can, are leaving, with the rest preparing for the worst. Only a miracle can save the people and the country.
another post from PAW:
Our message to the deficit “super committee”
October 10, 2011
tags: Afghanistan, deficit, Iraq, military budget, Nuclear Weapons, pentagon, pork, super committee
by Rebecca Griffin
.In the next few weeks, the “super committee” will decide on a plan that could shape the federal budget for the next decade. We are mobilizing our supporters to contact the super committee and counteract the major push from the defense industry.
We sent the letter below to super committee members to clearly outline the balanced security budget Peace Action West’s supporters would like to see. You can tell the super committee that you support these priorities by clicking here.
On behalf of Peace Action West’s 50,000 supporters, I am writing to urge you to produce deficit reduction recommendations that make Americans more secure by balancing our security budget and preserving domestic programs that contribute to security and prosperity at home.
Reduce wasteful military spending
The base Pentagon budget has increased by more than 50% in the last decade. Pentagon spending, including Overseas Contingency Operations, accounted for 58% of the FY2011 discretionary budget. Any serious plan to reduce the deficit must address wasteful military spending, especially when that spending competes with funding for priorities such as healthcare, job creation, and education.
Our safety is not best measured in dollars spent, but rather in the strategy served by our budget. There is room for substantial reductions in military spending without detriment to US national security. This could include:
· Reducing all DOD contracts by 10% and freezing hiring of civilian DOD employees
· Bringing troops home from Europe and Asia and reducing ground forces to pre-9/11 levels
· Eliminating unnecessary weapons systems such as the F-35, the MV-22 Osprey and the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle
· Curtailing national missile defense
The Sustainable Defense Task Force report offers details on a potential $960 billion in savings over the next ten years.[i]
Military withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan
US taxpayers have spent more than $1.2 trillion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in direct costs.[ii] The Eisenhower Study Group projects the long-term costs of the wars, including such costs as veterans’ care and interest payments, will reach $3.2-4 trillion.[iii] There have also been opportunity costs, such as lost jobs and lack of public investment in infrastructure. The macroeconomic impacts have also been significant; the average homebuyer paid an additional $600 in mortgage payments last year because of the increase in interest rates due to borrowing money for the wars.[iv]
The administration is reportedly considering keeping 3-10,000 troops in Iraq beyond the agreed-upon withdrawal deadline. The current plan for Afghanistan leaves nearly 70,000 troops on the ground in the fall of 2012, with no clear end date for withdrawal. With fewer than 100 Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan, there is no longer a compelling national security rationale for maintaining a massive military presence in Afghanistan. The raid that apprehended Osama bin Laden demonstrates that policing and intelligence are much more effective approaches to protecting Americans from the threat of terrorism.[v] There are several plans available with recommendations for reduced troop levels.[vi] Accelerating withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan would save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars over the next decade.
Reducing spending on nuclear weapons
With the Cold War over and a national security strategy that decreases reliance on nuclear weapons, the United States cannot afford to spend $700 billion over the next decade on nuclear weapons programs.[vii] In a 21st century security environment, nuclear weapons are more of a liability than an asset; funding for weapons and delivery systems competes with more effective security priorities such as nonproliferation. Cuts could include:
· Stopping construction of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Replacement Facility in New Mexico, saving $3-5 billion
· Delaying the New Long Range Penetrating Bomber, saving $3.7 billion
· Rightsizing the ballistic missile submarine fleet to eight boats, saving $27 billion over ten years
· Canceling the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Plant, saving an estimated $4 billion
Avoiding disproportionate cuts to the international affairs budget
The international affairs budget accounts for only 1% of the federal budget, yet it has faced disproportionate cuts in the current budget battle, bearing nearly 20% of all discretionary funding cuts in FY2011. These cuts are even more devastating after years of neglect that have weakened our civilian engagement tools. As former Defense Secretary Robert Gates pointed out, the entire Foreign Service does not include enough people to staff one aircraft carrier.
These programs are essential to preventing costly military intervention, promoting stability and saving lives around the globe. Shortsighted cuts in international affairs funding would further the imbalance in our current security budget and could have detrimental impacts on US engagement and security in the future.
Peace Action West’s supporters strongly urge the super committee to develop a deficit reduction plan that reflects a smart security budget as outlined above. Feel free to contact me for more details on any of these proposals.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Griffin
Political Director
Peace Action West
[i] http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/1006SDTFreport.pdf
[ii] http://costofwar.com/en/
[iii] http://costsofwar.org/article/economic-cost-summary
[iv] http://costsofwar.org/article/macroeconomic-impact-military-spending
[v] http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9351/index1.html
[vi] http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2011/06/the-afghan-troop-number-game.html
[vii] http://ploughshares.org/sites/default/files/resources/What%20We%20Spend%20on%20Nuclear%20Weapons%20092811.pdf
not to mention the present ideals we are working at fro developing 1 universal science, so as to support students to come out of the classroom into the community to do an exchange for some common sense. as all support each other to self-develop + create numerous jobs as folks come together + build natural communities + share what works. as they restore local ways that are interfering in the ability for folks to self-develop as with other pathes of local communities when folks 'boon with + preserve their natural world. so as to sustain natural communities that harmonize.
Barack, Jeff,Peter, please note folks that are healthy have a hard time processing the above information. our neuro processing is not designed for these out dated aggressive measures. not to mention those without.
what can you tell me as well post on your site for all, to tell folks that are very distressed over the above awareness.
as well what support can you tell us/ me to tell the school administrators when i take our ideals to them + the community. with our solutions. so students of all ages can open doors into the community + make an exchange supporting themself + all to become a local, global + beyond participant, so as to harmonize.
vs. as presently with the Sunset Middle School here in Empire, near Charleston, Or. as a teacher states my ideals are good, + it is hard for her because the kids come to school hungry.
not to mention elderly i've had 1st hand experience helping, where they are living alone, misusing, not understanding yet under doctors. suffering, unable to have a day go by without struggling.
where when the students, if supported to come into the community, + log + communicate. as they build a system that works so as to self-reflect with these real needs. as they do interchangeable roles, meanwhile each person without now gets daily support, as bothe self-develop.
creating jobs, saving funds from people going to ER continually. not to mention Jeff, it would be nice if the doctors also are required to go back to school + come into community along with the students. not to mention learn alternative medicine to enable them to prescrine behavioral modification along with any medication prescribed. not to mention have the insurance pharmacolgy review, include a pharmacognosy perspective.
now patients misusing will no longer be expected, by their present doctors, to know how alternative medicine could leave less negative side effects, as they presently do. as well i belief we could come up with a few instructors that could support a manditory program for all doctors to become aware in diagnosing, medicine management,
along with defining which medicine/herbal formula is best for patient to taper off that which is harmful, leaving negative effects, or going in no positive direction. into a good self-development mode, as each becomes supported with the student community project.
Barack, Jeff, Peter, we have solutions that work. please take a look + see what you can do to support this to become a nice tool created by all that take the time to share what works.
we have a focus direction so as to simplify. but it does take a bit of concentration + weach have to do their homework. but we realize support is needed for many in order to just to get to do that.
thank you Barack, Jeff, Peter, for your format to share.
please comment + post your responce as well email it to us + i will post it:
patchespocketstalk@icometotalkstory.net
our combined` effect makes a difference,
we can address 1 issue at a time, with the students help along with many degreeded professionals in responsible roles, including yours. to also come into your local community + join the students,as a student. take part in planning the restoration of your community to become a natural community that becomes sustainable. to get the real picture. for you folks i believe are lost in layers.
the solution comes from, understanding what sustains us + when we talk simple common sense from 1 universal science,that co_evolves in real time, made transparent + transcribed into a lay persona understanding, then it can become a language that applies solutions as they are researched, networked as folks in patches + pockets on this planet have great offerings from simply living `boon with the natural world.
each can become aware, once a student(s) gives special attention to their basic needs + help them sort out a better quality life. as community cooperatives are created. many are so much happier when they can get support to stay home vs. go without or go to ER repeatedly/hospital/nursing home/foster home, etc.
thank you, i will appreciate comment, kara
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