The Elephant in the Room: Militarism

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Jeff Cohen

The Elephant in the Room: Militarism
It’s arguably our country’s biggest problem — and the mainstream media won't acknowledge it exists.

April 10, 2013 |


I spent years as a political pundit on mainstream TV – at CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. I was outnumbered, outshouted, red-baited and finally terminated. Inside mainstream media, I saw that major issues were not only dodged, but sometimes not even acknowledged to exist.

Today there’s an elephant in the room: a huge, yet ignored, issue that largely explains why Social Security is now on the chopping block. And why other industrialized countries have free college education and universal healthcare, but we don’t. It’s arguably our country’s biggest problem – a problem that Martin Luther King Jr. focused on before he was assassinated 45 years ago, and has only worsened since then (which was the height of the Vietnam War).

That problem is U.S. militarism and perpetual war.

In 1967, King called the United States “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today” – and said, “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/media/elephant-room-militarism

[mike_c]

1. HEAR, HEAR!

Kicked and recommended.

[TimberValley]

2. Military spending = 20% of the federal budget? More? Less? n/t.

[Lasher]

4. 57% of discretionary spending

[lunatica]

10. That's eye popping!

Jeebus!

[newfie11]

3. This should be required feeding

For everyone in this country

[Awknid]

5. I did not realize that Dr. King focused on that

Do you suppose that is why they assassinated him? Just like John Kennedy.

[woo me with science]

6. K&R

[tecelote]

7. America's priorities are screwed up.

This is the reason Americans are suffering, so we can remain at war. It's not a budget or debt problem.

It's a moral and ethical problem.

We value war more than our citizens well-being.

[lunatica]

11. Enjoy your stay

[magellan]

9. Know all the Republican projection about this country's bankrupt moral values?

They pin it on gays, atheists, liberals, socialism, "big government"....

But THIS is where those values have really been lost to. Arms deals. Mercenaries. No bid contracts. War for profit. Black ops. And on and on. It'd be fascinating to learn exactly what portion of our tax dollars wind up in the back pockets of every war hawk, strategist, and middle man between DC and the Pentagon. I'd wager it's a huge chunk of defense spending, while the legitimate costs are more on par with other nations.

Bankrupt morals, indeed.

[99Forever]

13. The last two paragraphs sum up nicely..

... just how counterproductive our bullying of the world really is:

"What our mainstream media so obediently call the “War on Terror” is experienced in other countries as a U.S. war OF terror – kidnappings, night raids, torture, drone strikes, killing and maiming of innocent civilians – that creates new enemies for our country. Interestingly, you can easily find that reality in mainstream media of allied countries in Europe, but not in the mainstream media of our country. Needless to say, it’s our country that’s waging this global perpetual war.

In a democracy, war must be subjected to questioning and debate. And not just on the comedy channel."

At some point, the World will have had enough of our MIC's war crimes and inhumanity and the American people will suffer the consequences of the hatred it has generated.