Peace, the natural state

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We live in a small world, interconnected and interdependent, bombarded by news of violence and suffering. Peace is the answer.

Conflicts, distress, disagreements, and fear get in the way of peace while the world burns. Bolsonaro refused $20 million in aid from the G7 to stop the Amazon rainforest fires. No one is going to tell him what to do. Ignoring scientific warnings, the Amazon may self-destruct.

When you look at a pot full of boiling water, you can see the steam, the bubbles rising and spilling from the pot, and feel the energy from the scalding water. Ignoring the pot and pretending this is what pots do, is asking for trouble. Turn it off, your brain is telling you, what are you waiting for?

Harmony, calm, and serenity

Knowing the Rainforest is on fire and indigenous people are losing their ancestral homes and way of life, we feel their pain. Anger and despair are normal responses, but we need a way to stay active and respond.

There are other Bolsonaros with self-destructive, narcissistic cultures behind them. Charles Eisenstein, a brilliant philosopher and ecologist, recently shared his deep concerns on the Amazon wildfires on YouTube. Please search for Eisenstein Amazon Rainforest Fires – Avoid this trap. He believes we live in a web connecting everyone with a living planet, Gaia. He says we can contribute to a shift of consciousness by performing acts of ecological or social healing.

Reach out and help someone in need. Many people are isolated and lonely. Positive actions create a field of positive energy. Renew your commitment to reason and science. To clear your mind, learn to meditate. Avoid negative situations and stay active. Keep your mind open and your eyes on the horizon.

Peace benefits

The risks associated with military attacks from Canada or Mexico in the next 10 years pale in comparison with the threats to public health, food security, housing, and all other aspects of life on a hot planet.

The U.S. spends more than the next seven countries combined, the budget grows every year, and it has failed to provide peace and security. The real question is, if the military is unaffordable, ineffective, and inefficient, why fund it?

Military pollution

During military operations, the destruction and contamination of land and water are ignored. The most toxic chemicals used in military arsenals and bases are left behind without restoring the land or the rivers polluted with these deadly chemicals. Weapons and ammunitions manufacturing are major sources of pollution. Sig-Sauer, Federal Armament, and Blackstone are prominent Arkansas ammunitions manufacturers. Job creation is the reason used to build Arkansas weapons with Millions of dollars of taxpayer’s subsidies.

Military carbon footprint

More than 80 percent of the total U.S. government carbon footprint is caused by the military. This is a sweet spot to reduce carbon emissions.

The largest sources of military greenhouse gas emissions are buildings and fuel. The Defense Department maintains more than 560,000 buildings at 500 military installations, which account for about 40 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions. The other 60 percent is for operations.

Why bomb Iran?

National Security Advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, can’t wait to bomb Iran. Bolton was the architect for the Iraq war. Pompeo, supported by the Koch Brothers, sees diplomats as “warriors.”

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) “wants Iran to change its behavior.” How many bombs will it take? There are millions of men, women, and children living in Iran. Is someone whispering in Tom’s ears?

Arkansas peacemakers

The September 15-22 Arkansas Peace Week celebrates peacemaking as a means to instill justice, build stronger communities, alleviate poverty, promote ecological stewardship, and end wars. Information is available online at arkansaspeaceweek.com. Please join and learn how to thrive and survive.

For the last 3 months, every Saturday, the Fayetteville OMNI Center for Peace, Justice, and Ecology, held peaceful protests to stop war with Iran, and oppose the U.S. imperialist warfare. OMNI peacemakers reached the minds of thousands of Arkansans with extensive media coverage and loud honking cars. Kudos for our peace messengers!

9 COMMENTS

  1. Some threats are real, others are disputes for Diplomats, not Generals. The Secretary of State and the U.S. Embasies in the past have kept peace with treaties not nuclear weapons.

    The changing climate is a National Security threat getting worse every day. We are running out of time to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, our top priority to survive. Peace is required, all countries in the world must come together.

    https://climateandsecurity.org/2019/01/18/new-pentagon-report-the-effects-of-a-changing-climate-are-a-national-security-issue/

  2. Tom Cotton has had enough with Iran … serious pain is coming their way … unless we try a diplomatic approach

    “There are more than ample targets that can deter Iran from this kind of malicious behavior whether it’s naval bases or munition storage or refining capabilities,” Cotton said.

    His goal? “To inflict enough pain on Tehran that they realize that we’re not going to tolerate these kind of attacks on the high seas.”

    https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/19/tom-cotton-iran-attack-trump-1369863

  3. The Military does not even know where your taxes go!

    The NY Times explains and gives the Pentagon a pass, saying “there is so much money – it is hard to keep track of where it goes. — This is silly, would you be happy if your bank lost your mortgage payment and you get evicted?

    “We failed the audit,” Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters with a curiously nonchalant air. “We never expected to pass it.”

    The Pentagon failed the audit largely because there are serious gaps in the financial controls that guide it, the world’s largest military organization. It has $2.7 trillion in assets (weapons, bases and such) and $2.6 trillion in liabilities (mostly the costs of military personnel and retirees). Basically, the auditors couldn’t account for where all the money went because of flaws in information technology systems.

    That laxity — and the prospect of tax dollars flowing to boondoggles — would be concerning at any time. But it is especially worrisome when the federal budget deficit has skyrocketed to $779 billion — and the military is insisting it needs more money.

    In a way, Shanahan’s attitude is understandable. The Pentagon is an enormous bureaucracy — three million people, 15,700 aircraft, 280 ships, 585,000 facilities at 4,700 sites worldwide, an annual budget of $700 plus billion.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/01/opinion/sunday/pentagon-spending-audit-failed.html

  4. The military is inneficient, they waste our taxes paying whatever Military contractors want, and no one really knows where the money goes.

    “We failed the audit,” Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters with a curiously nonchalant air. “We never expected to pass it.”

    The Pentagon failed the audit largely because there are serious gaps in the financial controls that guide it, the world’s largest military organization. It has $2.7 trillion in assets (weapons, bases and such) and $2.6 trillion in liabilities (mostly the costs of military personnel and retirees). Basically, the auditors couldn’t account for where all the money went because of flaws in information technology systems.

    That laxity — and the prospect of tax dollars flowing to boondoggles — would be concerning at any time. But it is especially worrisome when the federal budget deficit has skyrocketed to $779 billion — and the military is insisting it needs more money.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/01/opinion/sunday/pentagon-spending-audit-failed.html

  5. You may be asking why I said spending $Trillions on military is innefective.

    Are we at peace with the world?

    If not, we are wasting our taxes on a bottomless pit

    Case in point: War with Afghanistan has gone on for over 17 years (after the Soviets gave up and left)

    September 4, 2019: The longest war in American history has gone on for more than 17 years. The U.S. and its NATO-led allies announced the official conclusion of their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014.
    But with the country remaining in violent turmoil, plans for the exit of the coalition have been repeatedly put off.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/afghanistans-war/2019/09/03/dceda430-ce8d-11e9-a620-0a91656d7db6_story.html

  6. How much does Congress gives the military per year? $700 Billion? $800 Billion? $900 Billion?

    There are at least 10 separate pots of money dedicated to fighting wars, preparing for yet more wars, and dealing with the consequences of wars already fought.

    So the next time a president, a general, a secretary of defense, or a hawkish member of Congress insists that the US military is woefully underfunded, think twice.

    A careful look at US defense expenditures offers a healthy corrective to such wildly inaccurate claims.

    I will send a copy to U.S. Senator Tom Cotton and ask for a response

    https://www.thenation.com/article/tom-dispatch-america-defense-budget-bigger-than-you-think/

  7. Some ideas may seem pure fantasy — but sending B-2 bombers to kill people living in Iran, building his Wall with military funds, and making American consumers pay $Billions in tariffs for Chinese products, and lying about these acts just to get re-elected, is beyond comprehension

    Please comment, I will be happy to respond

  8. Defunding the Military would eliminate avoidable carbon emissions and pollution, and create a healthy economy.

    Military personnel and resources would help with rescue operations from unprecedented weather events.

    World peace is the natural state!

Comments are closed.