Dear Gentlepersons:
I agree with the article below, forwarded from Ms. Frida Berrigan. Too much of our pool of national talent and capital is devoted to our outsized armaments industry:
1) We are making the world a more dangerous place.
2) Our economic gains from this process do not offset those forsaken.
For example, we are not retaining our market share of high-value added peaceful consumption goods.
And we are not addressing other problems, such as:
1) Excessive non-renewable energy consumption.
2) Inadequate preparation for natural disasters.
3) A perilous, and increasing, level of national debt.
4) Inadequate healthcare at home and abroad, ...
For the time being, our national course is still set by our national policy choices. If you are one of my current elected national representatives, I would like to know what your position is with regard to our being the worlds largest purveyor of, figuratively speaking, swords rather than plowshares?
For the future, I have found one candidate, Sam Rasoul < http://www.sam2008.c... >, who is working to earn his place as my elected national Representative [D-VA-6th], and appreciates these concerns. Sam shares my vision that we may retain a superb defense capability, but also choose to be both safer and more prosperous, simply by turning away from arms as a national obsession and economic addiction.
(Continued below:)
(Continued from above.)
With every good wish,
John R. Cole
Edinburg, VA 22824-9412
----- Original Message -----
From: TomDispatch
To: John Cole
Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2007
Subject: [TD] Tomgram: Berrigan, U.S. Takes Gold in Arms Olympics
TomDispatch: A project of the Nation Institute
To send this to a friend, or to read more dispatches, go to < http://www.tomdispat... >
Tomgram: Berrigan, U.S. Takes Gold in Arms Olympics ...
... Tom We're # 1! A Nation of Firsts Arms the World
By Frida Berrigan
They don't call us the sole superpower for nothing. ...
... (Use the link below to read more of this dispatch: < http://www.nationins...
>)