The following information is being broadcast by the School of the Americas Watch, which I share with you out of a desire to reduce the carbon footprint of conflicts “resolved” by state-facilitated homicidal violence. However, this reduction will only become efficacious if ALL nations reduce their military budgets. Our demand should be that China and Russia engage in equal reductions. To ask less is to pretend that Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are less mendacious than Trump in having encouraged the global economy of the war-machine. “Local” protest is of course of prime importance, but focusing our attention only on our government will not bring a reduction in the death wish of humanity, which has been extraordinarily strong the past 500 years.
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“Within the next week, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are expected to vote on amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, which would cut the Pentagon budget by 10%. Representatives Barbara Lee and Mark Pocan in the House and Senator Bernie Sanders in the Senate have introduced these amendments to cut the 2021 fiscal year budget of the Department of Defense by 10% — which amounts to $74 billion of the record-breaking $740 billion Defense budget. The amendment would use this money to create a grant program to fund human needs, such as education, healthcare, and more for communities with a poverty rate above 25%.
“Take action: Call both your Senators and your Representative today and ask them to support the amendment to cut the Pentagon budget 10%. You can reach them all by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. You can also e-mail them by clicking here.
“SOAW joins numerous other organizations in supporting this important initiative. The enormous Pentagon budget funds U.S. military intervention around the world and must be cut. While $74 billion is far shy of the $350 billion in annual military spending cuts identified by the Poor People’s Campaign Moral Budget, it is a start. Furthermore, the need to redirect funds to human needs has never been more urgent given the COVID-19 crisis. A vote on the amendment in the Senate is expected the week of July 20 (next week!) and the House vote is also expected very soon.
“Take action today!
1. Call both your Senators (find them here or call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121) and ask them to support Senators Sanders’ amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to cut the fiscal year 2021 Department of Defense Budget by 10%.
2. Call your Representative (find your Rep. here and call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121) and ask them to support the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act introduced by Representatives Barbara Lee and Mark Pocan to cut the fiscal year 2021 Department of Defense Budget by 10%.
3. E-mail your Senators and Representative here.
“Thank you,”
— SOA Watch
The SOA refers to the School of the Americas, a U.S. government project that became so infamous that it was decided to change a name change was necessary in order to escape the aura of its main purpose: to train those who foment military coups and paramilitary torture prisons. It should go without saying that anyone endorsing such an equivalent watchdog organization in Russia or China would find themselves in great peril. If I speak about this, I do so with an infinitely greater chance of waking up tomorrow in my residence and not in a prison cell. On the other hand, reports are coming in that squads of unmarked cars in Portland are kidnapping protestors involved with the movement to hold police accountable for their actions. IF Trump is re-elected, it is likely that the use of such covert forces will exponentially increase.
I don’t expect things to get much better, regardless of the outcome of the election. Nevertheless,….
“Pessimism of the intellect; optimism of the will.”
About Bill Mohr