Cannot our national-level elected officials, Sens. Laphonza Butler and Alex Padilla and Congressman Jimmy Panetta, do more to protect our young people from having to work for war and in war corporations?Â
Some young people want to enter the military or to work for war companies, to kill and to risk being killed. But most who enter the war business are forced by economic circumstances, misunderstandings about the risks, and pressure from recruiters. Perhaps the government even strong-arms our young people into the business of war. There exists a possibility for reinstatement of the draft. Once in the military, what personal liberties they had will be gone.
If our legislators would but invest our public money in community empowerment and stop pouring the majority of our public money into weapons and war, our communities, and particularly young people, would have a multitude of opportunities!
Dolores Howard
Paso Robles
This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 7, 2024.
Yep, stick your head in the sand like Brittan and France did in the 30s.
No, I have not worn a military uniform – other than a 13 button navy blue as a Sea Cadet Officer. We loved the style!
However, I have a right to complain just as you do and so does Tony whether or not we ever ‘served’ in the military.
For me, it is not a matter of not ignoring and/or hoping against hope that our fears are ungrounded.
It is the fact that our government has treaties that much be honored.
We, the United States, have agreed to defend or help some other country to defend it from aggression,
If we sit back and ignore a treaty, how will others with similar treaties feel and react?
Regardless of individual personal opinions, the United States has a reputation to protect unless we think we can stand alone on the international stage with no friends or allies.
The day will come when we need those friends and allies. We cannot ignore them now.
We are fortunate to have Britain and France’s mistake in the 30s to remind us not to be so foolish today
Ask Ukraine how effective international opinion and negotiation are in repelling invasion, or why having a strong military is a bad idea.
Shanti,
WHy do I keep having to explain myself to you?
The reputation I speak of is one of keeping our treaties and agreements made with our allies. If those need to be changed there are diplomatic channels for that purpose and nothing should be taken lightly. A close look at how our allies benefit the U.S. as well as how the U.S. benefits them must be done with care and caution. Abandoning our allies is not a wise option.
As to Americans staving in the streets, how do you explain the increasing numbers of homeless surviving in those same streets. I realize the housing shortage is a crisis however that is not due to foreign aid. It is the direct result of cities, counties and states regulation of the development and construction industries which I will not go into here,
I see John is asked to explain himself to you as well. Is your mind open to other view points? I wish it were.
Shanti: Why should Ukraine negotiate with Russia? Any agreement that they make is meaningless, as it will be broken at the first opportunity. Perhaps you forgot that, in exchange for Ukraine giving up their nuclear weapons upon the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia guaranteed their territorial security. How did that work out?
First of all maybe if the Chinese stop spending money on military systems we can stop. Second of all, community empowerment seems a bit out of the marxist playbook. Thirdly, I think we pay more for interest on the national debt than we do for military. A lot of people get training in the military and get great jobs. My nephew will be a doctor of psychology, another relative repairs jet engines, a friend of mine who studied electronics in the navy got a job in hi tech maintenance. That’s empowering,