VFP - Stop the Machine - Freedom Plaza -
How is the War Economy Working for You?
Let's Play Tag!
A new poster has been developed for the "How is the War Economy Working For You?" campaign. It is a glossy, high quality poster and available in lots of 100. It is very inexpensive $50 per 100 including the cost of shipping. 10 posters on a closed library, factory or school will make a powerful display and help the American people connect the war to the economy. You can order these posters by contacting John at jajaja1234@aol.com or contacting National office at 314-725-6005. More inside . . . .
Last March, Minnesota VFP Chapter 27 members Kim Doss-Smith and Anne Galloway put "How's the War Economy Working for You?" signs on tractors that were part of the tractor motorcaid in Madison Wisconsin. Farmers were protesting losing their eligibility to enroll their families in Wisconsin's State-sponsored Health Care plan. Folks all over the country are begining to realize the war is connected to the economy and the war economy is not working. Thanks Kim!
This sign, thanks to Michael Madden, assoicate VFP member, Chapter 27, is on a rural dirt road 3 miles out of Lindstrom, MN and serves as a daily reflection, to citizens travelling back and forth, "How is the War Economy Working for You?" Michael Madden serves along with Chapter 27 Secretary, Brother Wayne Wittman on the Executive Board of the St.Paul Regional Labor Federation AFL-CIO. Michael is also a draft resister who went to federal prison for two years instead of taking up arms agains the men, women and children of Indo-China. Michael states, "If we want to continue the struggle to reclaim our America, the Veterans for Peace pledge will take us a long way toward this goal." Thank you Michael, for all of your excellent work and sacrifice!
VFP President Elliott Adams and the Erie, PA Peace Initiative redecorate a billboard, Saturday June 4, 2011 . Visit www.veteransforpeace. org for another excellent photo and more on VFP. Thanks Elliott!
November 1, 2010, Noam Chomsky
addressed the question,
"How is the War Economy Working For You?"
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Just 8 months down the road and our campaign is just beginning.
On November 1, 2010, Noam Chomsky
addressed the question,
"How is the War Economy Working For You?"
On November 1, 2010, Noam Chomsky addressed the question, "How is the War Economy Working for You?", at the Thomas Merton Center Awards dinner in Pittsburgh, PA. Speaking to a group to a group of over 750 (the dinner was completely sold out) Professor Chomsky held his audience in rapt attention as he addressed this complex and nuanced question in stunning and comprehensive detail. When his talk was finished, the crowd rose to their feet giving him the respect and admiration he has earned for his exceptional service to humanity world wide in speaking truth to all of us and giving us insight into the often criminal and immoral US foreign policy.
Veterans for Peace National Campaign is designed to help US citizens understand that the cost of the wars in the Middle East and the extraordinary expenditures of taxpayer money by the Pentagon and the military budget are collapsing the US economy and transforming us into a 3rd world nation. Clearly this was reinforced and amplified by Professor Chomsky's presentation.
A banner drop was skillfully designed and executed by Elliott Adams and VFP at the Station Square Sheraton Inn, which inspired and delighted those attending the TMC awards dinner. Thank you Elliott!
It was an exciting and rewarding event for all who attended. The Thomas Merton Center is to be commended and has once again provided Pittsburgh with an inspired and educational event. Veterans For Peace is delighted to partner with you on the continuing, "How is the War Economy Working for You?" campaign. Thank you!
"How is the War Economy Working for You?"
"War is a Bad Bet"
Friday, June 23, 2010, we are standing in the rain in front of Saratoga Race Course on opening day. VFP members of the Adirondack Chapter, Tom Paine Chapter and Chapter 27 from Minnesota, are holding the new VFP lawn signs and a large banner asking, “How is the war economy working for you?” The crowd is somewhat subdued and withdrawn, walking quickly, trying to stay dry. At times the rain is heavy and at other times light.
Our group is buoyant and our spirits soaring. We are in action, doing the work and we know that when a small group of dedicated people and when two or three are gathered in the name of peace and justice, mountains will be moved. If ever there was a group of dedicated people, I find myself in one now with Kim Doss-Smith, VFP member and the executive director of WAMM in Minneapolis. Then there is Pete Looker from Saratoga, a man of keen insight and humor, holding a sign that reads eloquently and simply, “War is a bad bet!” Coleen Rowley is with us, and if this name rings a bell, well it should. She was one of Time Magazines persons of the year in 2002. Coleen now a former and retired FBI agent and lawyer was an extraordinarily courageous woman who reported on the FBI’s mishandling of 9/11 information which mostly likely would have prevented the attack if the information was correctly handled. Others in our group in included, Jack Rossbach from Chapter 27, Minnesota and Mike McGraw from Chapter 147. Linda LeTendre and Nancy Webb also joined us. Nancy is a member of VFP Chapter 10 and Linda constantly amazes us with her numerous civil disobedience actions and her willingness to readily partake in the sacrament of the handcuffs (as she likes to call it). She also writes a delightful and informative blog called Waging Peace for the Daily Gazette in Schenectady, NY. Thanks everyone. Paz, John
For Immediate Release.
By Kim Doss-Smith
Minnesotans join New York Protesters at Demonstration in Saratoga Springs,
New York
Minnesota veterans stood in solidarity with veterans from Saratoga Springs, and Albany New York as they protested the war at opening day at the Saratoga Springs race track's 142nd opening day. Veterans for Peace members stood in pouring rain with banners and placards that asked the question "How's the War Economy Working for You?" The Saratoga Race Course reopened Friday, July 23, 2010 after nearly going bankrupt in 2008. As racing fans paused to buy tip sheets at the race course gates, veterans chanted "War is a bad bet! and were handed brochures that asked if folks, How is the War Economy Working for You? Some race goers stated that they had thought that the war economy would bring prosperity, but were disappointed with the war's multi-billion dollar drain on the economy.
According to demonstration organizer, John Amidon, of Tom Paine Veterans for Peace Chapter 10, of Albany New York, upstate New York is hard-hit by the war economy. "One doesn't need to go to Detroit to see collapsed cities. Regionally Schenectady, Amsterdam, and Gloversville, NY are cities in steep decline if not already collapsed. The war economy is simply not working for the people of New York State."
Among the protesters were Minnesotans Coleen Rowley one of Time Magazine 2002 Persons of the Year, a former FBI staff attorney, Jack Rossbach of International campaign to Ban Land Mines and Cluster Munitions, and Kim Doss-Smith of Women Against Military Madness, and a few members of Twin Cities Chapter 27 of Veterans for Peace. They are members of a delegation of 19 Minnesota peace activists that are in Albany New York attending a national conference and strategy planning session of the national peace movement.
On Friday, August 23, 2010 at 10 AM VFP will conduct an informational leafleting at the main gate of Saratoga Raceway. We will hand out brochures asking the question, How is the War Economy Working for You? There is no civil disobedience planned. This will be part of a continuing National Campaign by VFP. How is the War Economy Working for you?
The National Debt is approximately 13 trillion dollars and growing rapidly. The interest on the National Debt is about 1.2 billion dollars every day, in other words 50 million dollars an hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Nearly all of the states are seriously in debt and will be forced to cut jobs and services and raise taxes. New York State is at least 50 billion dollars in debt over the next 5 years, with a 9.2 billion dollar deficit this year. Our elected officials in NY are now looking at the NYS workers’ pension funds as a source to borrow from. Local cities such as Amsterdam, Gloversville and Schenectady are in steep decline, if not already collapsed. Isn’t it time we give some thought to our economy, both on the state and federal levels as they are interconnected and effect each other.
Isn’t it time to rethink the war economy?
What is a war economy?
Encyclopedia.com defines the war economy as “the organization of a nation’s economic activities in such a way as to maximize its ability to sustain a war”. Wikipedia offers a slightly different take and references the work of Dr. Philippe Le Billion’s who describes the war economy as “a system of producing, mobilizing and allocating resources to sustain the violence”.
A more in depth consideration quickly leads to such terms and the “military industrial complex”, “military Keynesian economics” and the “Iron Triangle”, “the closed, mutually supportive relationships that often prevail in the United States between the government agencies, the special interest lobbying organizations, and the legislative committees or subcommittees with jurisdiction over a particular functional area of government policy.”
Source: A Glossary of Political Economy Terms
While arguments abound about whether the war economy creates jobs or is sustainable, few argue that it isn’t at the expense of human services including health, education, housing, and public transport nor at the expense of our environment.
Who locally can forget the radioactive waste, depleted uranium introduced into the air, soil and ground water in Colonie, NY by NL Industries and the subsequent 180 million dollar clean up cost.
Some facts about U.S. military spending.
The US spends more than the next 45 highest spending countries in the world combined.
The US accounts for 46.5 percent of the world’s total military spending.
The US. Military spending is 7 times more than China, 13.3 times more than Russia and 73 times more than Iran.
(Source: Center For Arms Control and Non-proliferation, May, 2010)
Non-military spending produces far more bang for the buck
1) Each billion dollars of tax revenue allocated to tax cuts for personal consumption generates approximately 10,800 jobs.
2) Investing the same amount in the military creates 8,500 jobs.
3) Investing it in health care yields 12,900 jobs; in education, 17,700 jobs; in mass transit, 19,800 jobs; and in construction for home weatherization and infrastructure, 12,800 jobs.
Sources: U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Standards, U.S. Census Bureau
“War is a racket. I spent 33 years in the Marines being a high-class muscle man for big business, for Wall Street and the bankers. At least 21 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the US during WWI. And the general public shoulders the horrible bill in lives, shattered minds and back-breaking taxes for generations.”
Marine Corp Major General Smedley D. Butler
President Obama is requesting $549 billion dollars for basic defense spending and an additional 159 billion to continue our discretionary wars in 2011.
What can you do to stop this unbelievable expenditure of
your money?
Call your Representative at
202-224-3121 and ask your representative to co-sponsor
H.R. 5353 - The War is Making You Poor Act . To learn more see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z8UVftBZb0
Get informed and get involved.
Join Veterans For Peace, (www.veteransforpeace.org ) or
other active peace organizations.
To learn more about the costs of war go to the National Priorities Project at: http://www.nationalpriorities.org/
Immediately below is the press release for "How is the war economy working for you?" banner drop in Detroit at the US Social Forum.
Contact: Leah Bolger 541 207-7761, Elliott Adams 518 441-26978
FOR RELEASE June 25, 2010
VETERANS’ BANNER TAGS ABANDONED DETROIT BUILDING:
“HOW IS THE WAR ECONOMY WORKING FOR YOU?”
DETROIT – On June 26, at 2pm, a group of U.S. military veterans will hang a large banner on the abandoned Eddystone Hotel, on Sproat St., between Cass and Park, to protest and reveal the effect of war spending on American cities.
Members of Veterans For Peace (VFP), attending the U.S. Social Forum, a gathering of over 8,000 activists from across the U.S., created and erected the 10 x 15-foot sign that reads, “HOW IS THE WAR ECONOMY WORKING FOR YOU?” in this city with an unemployment rate of 15 percent and 10,000 abandoned homes on the mayor’s demolition list.
Taxpayers in Detroit have sent a total of nearly two billion dollars to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The city’s 2011 general fund budget of 1.3 billion dollars contains an estimated deficit of 300 million dollars, even after years of cutbacks in services once assumed to be part of urban life. The budget for Detroit schools has a deficit in the same range.
“Detroit, like so many of our cities, is most certainly in distress,” said Mike Ferner, National President of VFP. This crisis is no different than a five-alarm fire and we should respond the same way. Instead, we watch America’s cities literally crumble while we pour thousands of lives and trillions of dollars into wars abroad.”
John Amidon, President of VFP Chapter 10, added, “It’s absolutely criminal that the people who built the U.S. auto industry have to watch their city collapse around them while they send $2,000,000,000 to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is indeed the purest form of madness and it’s coming to a city near you.”
VFP, with over 100 chapters, is beginning a campaign to work with local government officials to place “war counters” on city halls stating the amount of money each community has sent to the wars.
Veterans For Peace members fought in World War II, the Korean, Vietnam, Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars and have served in all eras in between conflicts. VFP is an official Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) represented at the UN.