The Cost of War

To the Editor (of the Walpole Times),

After reading Jeffrey Symanski’s letter last week about the need for more money for our schools, I felt compelled to write about one area that is a major cause of the shortage of money in Walpole, namely, the military spending of the U.S. government. The Pentagon currently has a $460 billion budget. With a population of 300 million, that breaks down to $1,533 per person in taxes. For simplicity’s sake, that equals $6,132 for a family of 4 and using a rough figure of 25,000 for the population of Walpole this equals about $39 million that the people of Walpole pay towards our military budget. If you add in the cost of the Iraq war at about $100 billion a year that equals about $8 million more that the people of Walpole are paying towards the military budget. If you factor in the military’s portion of the budget that goes to pay the interest on our debt then there is another $5 million that all of us in Walpole are paying. If you add all of the above, the people of Walpole are paying about $52 million a year on our military.

According to Truemajority.org, there are many former Admirals, Generals and Pentagon officials who agree that we could safely cut the Pentagon’s budget by 13% or $60 billion. This would be a savings of $5 million a year for the people of Walpole and if we weren’t bogged down in Iraq, we would be saving another $8 million. If we had $13 million staying in Walpole, I don’t think we would have any trouble funding our schools or any of the other needs of our town.

To put this military spending in perspective, the United States represents less than 5% of the world’s population but the pentagon’s budget represents about 50% of all the military spending in the world!

The following quote by James Madison, our fourth president, best sums up what is at stake as far as our country’s future is concerned if we don’t get this military spending under control: “Of all the enemies of liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies: from these proceed debts and taxes ….. known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few …… No nation can preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”

There are very powerful interests who are making billions in profits off of our war-like military budget while people in communities like Walpole fight amongst themselves to meet their basic needs.

Paul Peckham
Dec. 18, 2006

Peace Vigil in Walpole Dec 16th

Walpole Peace Group Peace Vigil
Walpole Common
Saturday, December 16th at 10:00 to 11:00 AM

Join us for a Peace Vigil on Saturday, December 16th on the Walpole Common from 10:00 to 11:00 AM as we stand in opposition to the U.S. policy in Iraq. The President continues to distort the truth and persist in following a failed policy while the situation is worst then ever. It is important that we stand in opposition to the war and call for our leaders to be held accountable for this tragic war.

"Hidden in Plain Sight" Date Change

Please note that the film, "Hidden in Plain Sight", has been moved to Tuesday, 12/12, at 7:30 at the Library. Thanks, Paul

"Hidden In Plain Sight" Screening

The Walpole Peace and Justice Group is continuing it's speakers series on Dec. 5th with the video, Hidden In Plain Sight. We have choosen this film due to the fact that it documents the history of the infamous School of the Americas at Ft. Benning in Columbus, Georgia which just had 16 people arrested for civil disobedience, out of a crowd of 22,000 that demonstrated on Nov. 17 - 19 to close the school. Since 1990, there have been annual demonstrations to close the school that has grown from a few 100 to around 20,000 in 2005 and 22,000 in 2006. There have been over 170 people arrested who have served more than 78 years in federal prison and local jails. These demonstators come from all over the U.S. and are made up of religous leaders, teachers, veterans, students, grandmothers and torture survivors.


Hidden In Plain Sight

The reason that so many people want to close this school is because it has been training many of the worst human rights violators in many of the countries of Latin America. These people object to the fact that our tax dollars are being used to promote a foreign policy that has supported many oppressive goverments. The film, Hidden In Plain Sight, gives a good overview of this foreign policy and how The School of the Americas has been used as a tool by various governments to control the poor. If you want to see why so many people in Latin America (especially the poor) don't like the U.S., then please come see this very revealing film.

The film will be shown at the Walpoe Public Library at 7:30 on Dec. 5th.

Climate Resources from Tuesday Talk

Danielle Luttenberg Meitiv was kind enough to send along some of the information she presented at Tuesday talk so we could all do our own research and follow-up:

Union of Concerned Scientists www.ucsusa.org
Just released a major new sudy on the effects of climate change on the Northeast - available on their website.

MASSPIRG www.masspirg.org

Massachsetts Climate Action Network: www.massclimateaction.org
Grassroots climate action conference, Sunday November 19th - open to all

Ross Gelbspan's website The Heat Is Online: http://www.heatisonline.org/

Books:

The Heat is On - Ross Gelbspan
The Boiling Point - Ross Gelbspan
An Inconvenient Truth - Al Gore (even better than the film)
The Weather Makers - Tim Flannery
Field Notes From a Catastrophe - Elizabeth Kolbert
The Discovery of Global Warming - Spencer Weart

[Note: The full UCS report is available from the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment -- the report in PDF form:
Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast, a report of the NECIA]

WPnJ Global Warming Talk Oct 3rd

Getting All Hot and Bothered: The Truth About Global Warming and What We Can Do About

The Walpole Peace and Justice Group is sponsoring a talk on global warming by oceanographer Danielle Luttenberg Meitiv on October 3, 2006 at 7:30 PM at the Walpole Public Library. An international consensus of scientists, religious leaders, politicians, activists and citizens are calling for a coordinated global effort to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reverse global warming. However, while most people are concerned about global warming, many struggle to understand how it works or what its effects might be. Others worry that we don't have the means to address the problem or don't realize that they can make a difference. In this presentation, Getting All Hot and Bothered: The Truth About Global Warming and What We Can Do About, Danielle Luttenberg Meitiv will “translate” the science behind global warming into understandable language and talk about some of the most promising solutions to this global challenge. Special emphasis will be placed on the environmental and political climate of New England, including ways that Massachusetts is taking the lead on this issue and what you can do to make a difference. Danielle Luttenberg Meitiv is an oceanographer, advocate and environmental educator. She received her B.S. in Biology from the University at Buffalo and her M.S. in Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island. Her research focused on the study of climate and ecology in the distant past. She has worked as an oceanographer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington, D.C., led Environmental Defense’s efforts to protect New England’s ocean environment, has coordinated the JGEN project, an international network committed to protecting Israel's environment, and taught in many educational settings.

Walpole Peace Vigil Sept 21st

The Walpole Peace and Justice Group is holding a candlelight vigil on Thursday, September 21, 2006 at the Walpole Common at the corner of Main Street and West Street from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM in support of the Declaration of Peace’s call on Congress to create and initiate a comprehensive plan for peace in Iraq:

- a prompt timetable for withdrawal of troops and closure of bases
- a peace process for security, reconstruction, and reconciliation
- a shift of funding from war to meeting human needs

Please join us for the vigil, either for the full hour or just for a few minutes. We will have candles. September 21st is the International Day of Peace and is a fitting day for calling for peace in Iraq. Information on the Declaration of Peace can be found at their web site, http://www.declarationofpeace.org. Over 400 religious and peace groups have endorsed the declaration. They are also asking people to contact their senators and representatives on September 26.

“The Declaration of Peace is a nationally coordinated grassroots effort to call on Congress to create and initiate a comprehensive plan for peace in Iraq. The Declaration of Peace began in March 2006, through discussions with organizations and individuals around the United States who shared the common goal of ending the war and occupation in Iraq. Consultations with peace and justice coalitions, faith-based groups, veterans and military families, elected officials and staff, and community leaders from around the country led to the development of The Declaration of Peace’s eight points, to be included in Congressional plans for peace.” http://www.declarationofpeace.org/about-us.

For the Walpole Peace and Justice Group,
Philip Czachorowski