The Costs of War

THIS POST WAS WRITTEN AND POSTED IN 2011, AND I JUST FOUND IT AT THE TOP OF MY POST FEED WITH TODAY'S DATE. ANYWAY, EXCEPT FOR THE DATE, THE POST IS STILL RELEVANT SO I WILL LEAVE IT.

This coming weekend marks the 8^th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, and we have not completed that war.  In October, we will have 10 years at war in Afghanistan, and we have yet to begin the draw down of combat operations there.  The total cost of these wars is above $1.16 trillion and counting, over $700 million a day by conservative estimates. It is millions more if considering all the associated costs of maintaining the military industrial complex and repairing the damage caused by war.  Leaving aside for a moment the social and moral costs of war, can we afford this kind of expense when we have such looming unsolved economic problems here?  

Consider health care so costly that many of our citizens can’t afford it even with the Affordable Health Care Act that is under threat, state budgets in so much trouble they are threatening massive layoffs and cuts in essential social services and infrastructure to avoid bankruptcy, a national debt that exceeds $14 trillion, rampant and uncontrolled greed in our financial institutions that caused a massive recession and that show no signs I have seen of reforming or being reformed, an environment increasingly at risk, increased taxes on the lower middle-class while taxes are cut for the most wealthy.   No, we can’t afford the mounting costs of resorting to war to resolve our security problems and international disputes. 

We study and learn the practice of war.  We pour our best resources into improving our military capability.  Imagine what would happen if we began to draw down our commitment to war and turned those abilities and resources to learning and practicing peaceful conflict resolution.  For that we need moral commitment from citizens and institutions together.  A better, more peaceful world will not happen only by individuals just improving themselves, though that is a good and necessary thing to do.  But then, like Buddha, or Christ, or Mohammed, the individual needs to take some responsibility for improving the world. 

For a time, there was an old bill board on Carmichael Street which said in stark white on black, WAR IS OVER IF YOU WANT IT.  I am sorry to see it gone.  We need voices, many of them speaking out every where, on billboards, Face Book, Twitter, Blogs, Letters to the Editor.  We need moral voices crying out for all the killed, wounded, and displaced by war.  We need a vast chorus of voices demanding peace.  Please join us at the Aroostook River Bridge on Sunday at 12:00 noon and add your voice to the chorus.