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Memo to Obama: How to Convert to A Peace Economy
You have been elected by the first anti-war constituency since 1952, when Eisenhower was elected after promising to end the Korean War. But ending a war isn't the same as bringing peace. America has been on a war footing since the day after Pearl Harbor, sixty-seven years ago. We spend more on our military than the next sixteen countries combined. If you have a vision of change that goes to the heart of this country's deep problems, ending our dependence on war is far more important than ending our dependency on foreign oil.
The most immediate changes are economic. Unless it can make as much money as war, peace doesn't stand a chance. Since aerospace and military technologies remain the United States' most destructive export, fostering wars around the world, what steps can we take to reverse that trend and build a peace-based economy?
1. Scale out arms dealing and make it illegal by the year 2020.
2. Write into every defense contract a requirement for a peacetime project.
3. Subsidize conversion of military companies to peaceful uses with tax incentives and direct funding.
4. Convert military bases to housing for the poor.
5. Phase out all foreign military bases.
6. Require military personnel to devote part of their time to rebuilding infrastructure.
7. Call a moratorium on future weapons technologies.
8. Reduce armaments like destroyers and submarines that have no use against terrorism and were intended to defend against a superpower enemy that no longer exists.
9. Fully fund social services and take the balance out of the defense and homeland security budgets.
These are just the beginning. We don't lack creativity in coping with change. Without a conversion of our present war economy to a peace economy, the high profits of the military-industrial complex ensures that it will never end.
Do these nine steps seem unrealistic or fanciful? In various ways other countries have adopted similar measures. The former Soviet army is occupied with farming and other peaceful work, for example. But comparisons are rather pointless, since only the United States is burdened with such a massive reliance on defense spending. Ultimately, empire follows the dollar. As a society we want peace, and we want to be seen as a nation that promotes peace. For either ideal to come true, you as president must back up your vision of change with economic reality. So far, that hasn't happened under any of your predecessors. All hopes are pinned on you.
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118 Comments so far
Show All."All hopes are pinned on you."
Then we are, of course, doomed to disappointment. With great respect to Mr. Chopra all hopes are where they have always been, with the people of this nation. My hopes are that, after the deep and hurtful betrayal of our new President become fully obvious, after the last diehard calls for a wait to criticisms, after those young voters who were inspired to become active in Obama's political campaign get over their frustration and stay active, our electorate will demand a President of principles, leaders who do what they promised.
We see things, not as they are, but as we are.
Anais Nin
Mamakat D
Copy this article. Mail it (or e-mail it...save trees) to the White House, your Congressional Reps, and major media news editors. Pass it on to your friends and neighbors. Repeat daily until the halls of government and every news network is flooded by the will of WE THE PEOPLE for peace and a new way of living on this planet. A simple action that could grow into a massive wave. Are you willing to take one simple step?
Who let this New Age spokesman for Trancedental Meditation in here? What does he have to offer other than truisms and unsupportable blanket statements?
Sioux Rose
Morticia: With what credentials do you own to challenge his morally sound statements?
Morticia = agent of death. Another anti-peace bigot who'd prefer humanity to continue along the path of insanity, sucking up the incredible wealth the Earth offers to lay waste to many to enrich the few. These children of the grave will attack anyone who offers feasible solutions to inhumanity and immorality, amply demonstrated, among others, by the U. S. and Israeli governments. So, Morticia, what's your take from the death of the innocent?
Chopra isn't a spokesperson for Transcendental Meditation. He is both a traditional allopathic doctor, and a supporter of alternative medicine, as well as a prolific writer and teacher. As an atheist myself, I appreciate his non-sectarian writings on spirituality.
In fact, he actually encouraged Mike Myers the parody him in the Love Guru (unfortunately, a very lame movie).
Morticia, you are riotously funny. And you cannot spell. There is no such thing as "trancedental" meditation. Just ask your dentist. Then go back inside your TV.
No, but I did once hear about an Eastern mystic who shunned general anesthesia or pain pills when he went in for cavity removal. You might say he wished to transcend dental medication.
Sorry . . . couldn't help it. : )
.This reminds me of a certain superhero I once heard of, Cal by name, his great superpower being his incredible bad breath. Other than that he was quite delicate. It might be said that Super Cal was fragilistic except for halitosis ....
Ill stop if you will!
.
We see things, not as they are, but as we are.
Anais Nin
Ha! Love it! (And let's not egg each other on here - it could get ugly.)
However, since this one is quite similar to yours . . .
As you know, as Gandhi's teachings and non-violent actions progressed, he began to shun more and more modern conveniences, such as shoes, which only increased the calluses on his feet. He also started to eat less, thus losing weight. In addition he, too, started o acquire some bad breath. So after awhile he became a super callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.
Deepak Chopra is a very wise and spiritual person. I've seen him several times on Oprah and each time he has given me a lot of food for thought. You can simply feel the power of his spirit. He has a presence that I find is similar to the Dali Lama, where you just look at him, and can tell that he has been blessed by G*d with the gift of enlightenment. I feel he has really positive energy and a deep outlook on life. He is full of wonder and wisdom.
However, his vision of reducing the size of the US military is simply naive and contrary to why I voted for Obama.
Obama has pledged not only to expand the military budget, but also the size of the military. He has pledged to fight the War on Terror the right way, to catch Bin Laden by expanding our use of special ops. I happen to still support the War on Terror, I just didn't support Bush's War on Terror. I will admit, there are still people out there who are plotting to kill American citizens. They are a real threat. If anything, Bush has made this threat worse since 911. Obama sure has a heck of a mess to clean up. Draining the military budget isn't going to help.
I have deep respect for Deepak Chopra as a spiritual teacher, but not as a political commentator. Although, I give him credit for being unwaveringly supportive during the campaign. But one has to wonder, is this the same Deepak Chopra who recently wrote that "if Barack Obama makes it all the way to the White House, it will represent a quantum leap in American consciousness and a promise to restore America's position in the world." I think it did. Did he change his mind?
Regarding the issue of the US being the sole remaining military "Superpower" in the world. I think it's important to remember how we got here. We didn't try to create an empire. We didn't conquer other countries or try to rule the world. We became a superpower because in WII we came to the defense of Europe and the Jewish People. We became a "Superpower" by chance. If the Nazis had won WWII then maybe they would be the world sole remaining "Superpower". But thankfully, we won and now (like it or not) we're in charge. Shouldn't we use this power for good? Don't we have a responsibility to help the world?
After all, if we don't rule the world (with liberty for all) then someone else will try to rule the world, and that person could be the next Hitler, Mao, or Stalin. (or Palin).
"Regarding the issue of the US being the sole remaining military "Superpower" in the world. I think it's important to remember how we got here. We didn't try to create an empire."
Are you serious?
"After all, if we don't rule the world (with liberty for all) then someone else will try to rule the world, and that person could be the next Hitler, Mao, or Stalin. (or Palin)."
These non-people who attempt to rule over the whole world, as you say, ARE the next Hitler, Mao, Stalin, etc.
To those who think that "We didn't try to create an empire," and that "We became a "Superpower" by chance," I recommend the following quote from George Kennan's "Policy Planning Study 23 (PPS23), Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS), 1948"
Kennan is rightly considered to have been the grandfather of post WW2 foreign policy"
''We have about 50 percent of the world's wealth but only 6.3 percent of its population," Kennan wrote in a Policy Planning Study of 1948. ''In this situation, we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which will permit us to maintain this position of disparity."
http://www.swans.com/library/art11/ga192.html
To maintain this disparity, it isn't necessary or desirable to acquire political ownership of colonies. It is only necessary to ensure that the raw materials and other products of third world countries be sold very cheaply to us. Which means that wages will be low, and that expenditures on health and environment and such will not jack up the bill. For that purpose we ensure that third world countries are hugely in debt so that "structural adjustment" conditions can be written into the terms of the loan arrangements. (cf. "Confessions of an Economic Hitman," by John Perkins) Countries which resist these conditions are overthrown with the help of the CIA. Iran, 1953; Guatemala, '54; Congo, '60; Iraq, '64, Dominican Republic, '65 (with troop invasion); Vietnam, Chile, '73; Nicaragua in the 80's; Haiti, '91 and '04. A short list.
The real history of the United States is not taught in schools, but it is available. Start with Stephen Kinzer: "Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq." Enjoy
Excellent book! I just read it last year. I would also add "Lie My Teacher Told Me" by James Loewen, "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn, "Killing Hope" by William Blum, and "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" by John Perkins.
William Blum, hmmm, didn't Bin Laden recommend him?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/20/AR2006012001971.html
Bin Laden? You mean Emmanuel Goldstein?
.Thanks for that link, interesting as heck and rather amusing, especially for Blum. But I guess that isnt the point you are attempting, huh?
We see things, not as they are, but as we are.
Anais Nin
.Have you ever, even once in your life, read a history book, or thought about anything of substance?
.
We see things, not as they are, but as we are.
Anais Nin
What a shallow ignorant fellow you are. You write triumphant piece of nonsense. It seems that you are a true believer in what is called American "exceptionalism" and "manifest destiny" and yes the white man "burden". Go watch a wrestlin match
or cops speed chase, that is what you are only mentally qualified for.
jonabark
In Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Guatemala, Indonesia, Haiti, El Salvador, Chile, Lebanon, and Gaza and too many other places we have already been the next death dealing tyrant. If a country can be run as a self contained representative government, which we never demonstrated, but the Europeans are showing can be done, then why can't the world be similarly organized for universal global isssues?
Sioux Rose
I applaud leaders who offer a spiritually inclusive vision of a peaceful future for our world. The military is and has been over-rated. To justify its cannibalizing of our nation's collective income(s), it must invent enemies, and that's why the media is so infiltrated with pro-war voices. This is a sickness, the whole feeding frenzy that searches for enemies and is satisfied with puny states that haven't an iota of this nation's military assets with which to defend themselves resembles the lifestyle of sharks. The warm-blooded mammal that gives its own milk to its young learns something about empathy and feelings; but it would seem this evolutionary leap has been lost on the vast majority of persons who have risen to "leadership" positions in the land of the anything but brave. Brave is to champion justice for all, not select privileges for a few that call for the mass murder of too many innocents.
Thank you Deepak for bringing your wisdom to bear on this issue, the key depraved judgment maiming our era.
>>Brave is to champion justice for all, not select privileges for a few
Exactly my thoughts and conviction, Sioux Rose. At the risk of sounding sexist, I want to say, there is something absolutely manly about such a stance. Of course, such a stance may lead to a bit of sacrifice, non-violence, passive resistance, simplified lifestyle, great discipline, courage to resist, and, in the event of picking a fight, doing so only with someone equal or stronger, and so on. To the uncritical observer, this may look like weakness. But I hope this would be the future definition of courage and manliness (I am including 'manliness' only as a cultural image - I know courage has nothing to do with one's gender).
Highintel: Can we do better?
Sioux Rose
ALCYON: Living by the courage of one's convictions I see as a stance that is from the soul, and thus without gender. I have met few persons of either gender, however, willing to risk that. However, most of us have been privileged to live our lives within relative comfort zones the likes of which are passing away as recent leaders have sold off our chance at retaining climate stability, fiscal stability, and global good will. Without these three staples, necessity will act as the intended Mother of invention. And the next 9 weeks are absolutely magnificent for the emergence of new incentives, innovations and inventions. I already see this synergy operating in the lives of a few of my most environmentally activist friends.
Alcyon . . .
I don't believe it is a sign of weakness whatsoever. Quite the contrary! Refusing to fight is TRUE strength. It requires seeing yourself in that other person, acknowledging our Oneness, and practicing extreme compassion and unconditional love. THAT takes courage! Though others may disagree or chide me for saying so, I believe it is quite cowardly to fight, go to war, or become a soldier in general. True strength comes in refusing those things and truly working FOR peace FROM peace. You hit upon the very issue here, and I thank you.
I think this is exactly what Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier meant when he said, "Peace hath more tests of manhood than battle ever knew."
Blessings,
John (SeventhSon)
"You must unlearn what you have learned" - Jedi Master Yoda
Seventhson, thanks for the John Greenleaf Whittier quote. The popular image of Gandhi is one of peace and non-violence. But there was also the stubborn side of him to 'fight' for what he believed in, of course, in his own way. He chose his way because he was more interested in a true victory (without any losers) than on any temporary gains which could be obtained by violence. I also agree with your quote on unlearning - and it's a useful reminder to me - there's more to unlearn than to learn. I try to stay hopeful - because I see a growing minority that is waking up to the richness and potential of human beings by tuning out of 'traditional' propaganda.
Highintel: Can we do better?
Sioux Rose
Seventh Son: Did you get an email I sent a while back?
I did! Did you not get my reply? I replied once, and it got bounced back to me. I resent it, but got no reply that it didn't go through, so I assumed it worked. It sounds like you didn't get that one either? Jeez. And I'm paying HOW much for Comcast?
Try it again, and I will reply to it as soon as I get it. Reply back to me if you get MY reply. If this doesn't work, I will try to email YOU directly from your website.
sevson1@comcast.net
Peace.
Sioux Rose
Hi, I'll try again. I never did get a response...
Golden Mean
Souix Rose,
I like the juxtaposition between shark and mammal...
I have often made analogies about compassion and selfishness by looking at the evolution of brain development...
The "lizard" brain stem is preoccupied with base individual survival... Sex, competition, fight or flight, etc...
Where as the mammilian brain (cerebral cortex) has to do with community survival: communication, learning skills, empathy, etc...
What makes us humans potentially different is the frontal lobe and pinneal gland and the crown chakra...
which allows for speech, visualization, conscience, true compassion, and conscious connection with Universal Spirit...
It seems to me that people's choices in how they view reality (themselves, others, nature, and spirit) and their actions...
Can be understood from a biological and neurological perspective by seeing which parts of the brain are active...
Advertising executives and speech writers understand this connection, which is why they appeal to our basest fears...
And use language that activates different areas of the brain... Appealing to visual, auditory, and tactile learners alike...
Sioux Rose
Isn't it also stated as ontology recapitulates phylogeny? I agree with your assessment.
You lost me there...!
Ha ha ha
Sioux Rose
College level biology: That as the HUMAN embryo forms, it moves it seems through the evolutionary stages that mimic the earlier animal phyla... like reptile, amphibian, etc. This is why the concept of the "reptile" brain may not be as esoteric as it sounds.
.That phrase ( its ontogeny by the by) refers to the journey of the embryo through the evolutionary stages.
Ontogeny...the development of an individual organism
phylogeny..the history of organismal lineages as they change through time.
I know, i am such a pill!
.
We see things, not as they are, but as we are.
Anais Nin
"The military is and has been over-rated. "
First of all, you might not like our military leaders, but don't you dare insult our military. Got it?
Secondly, you say it's over rated? Well, I bet Iraq wishes it had our military right now.
Also what about WWI? WWII? Korea? The Gulf War? Somalia? Afghanistan? I would argue that the military can still be a force for good. It all depends how it's used.
If you are engaging in a life-or-death fight, do you want to be weaker than your opponent? Slightly weaker? The same skill and size? Slightly better? Or massively better? The answer is obvious. The reasons for maintaining our military supremacy are equally obvious. War is Hell. It should be avoided at all costs. But if you must fight, then you must fight to win.
."Dont dare insult the military? Or what dumbass?
Try and keep up with those who possess an actual brain, Joe. It is the use to which our military is being put that is criticized. It is the bloated budget containing incredible waste and the purchase of unneeded and nonworking hardware that is being questioned. It is the awful waste of our children's lives in wars that are simply for profit that is being questioned.
The day you leave this forum will be almost as fine a day as when Bush leaves Washington.
.
We see things, not as they are, but as we are.
Anais Nin
Sioux Rose
ARDEE, my hero, you saved me the trouble of a response.
JOE: (as per Ardee's posting) Ditto!
My father-in law was a bombardier/navigator in the 'good war' (try reading up sometime on the deep dynamics leading up to that conflict) and was one of the first to use napalm against civilian populations in the Korean war. He spent the rest of his life insulting everyone in his family, me included when I married into it. You cannot just go from dropping bombs on people (which he loved doing) to living a 'normal' life. I didn't understand his history until doing CPR on him when he suffered a fatal alcohol-related heart attack. Something about doing that (energy transfer ?) opened a window into his secret world for me. Not only are there no 'victors' in war, there really are no separate 'wars' as per the ones you identify above. There is only the WAR, which is always being engaged in at various places on the planet with varying degrees of intensity from subchronic to absolutely acute.
When we stop identifying with specific 'wars' and start seeing them as particular manifestations of WAR, we will begin to bring a better perspective to our situation. I would recommend The Wars of Gods and Men by Zecharia Sitchin as a good place to start.
"Do these nine steps seem unrealistic or fanciful?" No, indeed, these 9 steps should all be within reach of accomplishment to any administration truly devoted to the advancement of a peace economy. But, as Ardee notes, the expectation that they will be advanced, based on anything in Obama's record, intentions or cabinet appointments, may indeed be unrealistic or fanciful. Maybe I am wrong on this. I'd be happy to see any commenter post information from any scrap of evidence from anywhere that will give peace activists any "realistic" expectation of such a result after the inauguration of "Hope" on January 20.
Bobby Love
Deepak has one of the great minds/hearts of the 21st century. I encourage anyone who seeks the Truth to check out his vuluminous body of work. One of his projects right now is to have people sign a pledge of non-violence. May peace prevail on earth.
He was very good after 911 when he appeared on Larry King with a rabbi, cleric, priest and reverend and it developed into a who's religion is better? debate. He said something about how tribalism is what led to 9 11 in the first place.
For the record, my religion is better than yours. Convert.
Reminds me of the George Carlin bit on the very same subject.
"It happened because they all answered incorrectly to the god question. Do you believe in god? No. POW! Dead! Do you believe in god? Yes. Do you believe in my god? No. POW! Dead! My god has a bigger d**k that your god!!"
I love your spunk and wit serena; if it wasn't always holding onto the whip handle of cynicism you could really help US accomplish something.
serena ,
Let me say that as a Jew, I respect your proud Native American heritage.
But your views on Obama and America are cynical and shameful.
Can't you see that this is our moment?!? This is OUR time. We have finally elected someone who will listen to us! If we work hard, and work together, we can create meaningful change in America.
I wish you would support Obama.
Maybe this is the revolution you have been waiting for?
Give hope a chance.
It takes dreams to make dreams come true.
"Our moment" and "our time"? Don't speak for all of US. Please. Obama is no revolution. Give hope a chance? If that is the case then we are doomed. Hope means giving up.
Serena...
Are you a Zapatista? Are you actively working to overthrow the currupt regime of Mexico that rigged the election for Olberon?
What is a "Gringo"?
"this will probably be my last reply to you"
Mission accomplished...!
Serena...
Thanks for the correction... I meant to write "Calderon"...
You seem to be doing wonderful things with theater and agriculture in your town, and I respect you for that...
Thank you for defining "gringo" for me... While I understand your anti-Yankee sentiment...
Using derogatory terms regarding race IS racist... Regardless of black, white, brown, yellow, red...
No need to be paranoid about my intentions... I don't care where you live or what famous person was born there...
I have been to Oventic... One of the Zapatista caracoles outside of San Cristobal... and volunteered in one of the clinics...
I was donating my time and money to purchase medicine for the clinic where they were treating folks brutally attacked by paramilitaries...
Not all USAans are what you depict them as... There are hundreds of thousands of us working for agrarian reform here as well...
And I have met many mexicans living in Mexico who detest the EZLN and what they stand for...
The world isn't as "Us vs Them" as you make it out to be...
Interesting...
I lived in Latin America for 18 months, and three weeks in mexico...
Of the hundreds of people I spoke with in English and Spanish, only rarely did the folks use "gringo"... And the folks at Oventic treated me with respect, and I never heard that term during my time there...
Mostly folks said norte-americano or estadundiense... Of the few times I heard "gringo" was used as a derogatory term...
On more than one occasion, I witnessed people chastise the person for saying it, since it was of poor taste...
I equate "gringo" with "Negro" ... Perhaps it was customary to use that term forty years ago, and some of the old timers still do...
But nowadays it is considered offensive to use that term...
I would argue that you use that term to be dismissive of ALL white USAans...
And go to great lengths to justify it...
Since it is so important for you that people don't say "Americans" when referring to the USA,
Why not just refer to white USAans as "white USAans"?
Instead of using an often misunderstood Spanish word?
Whatever happened to your declaration that you would not be replying to my gringo posts anymore?
Of course you are free to use whatever derogatory and racist words of your choosing... No one said that you can't...
I was making the point that your medium taints your message...
You sound like so many other expatriates that left the USA to move to Mexico or anywhere else along the gringo trail in central america that only focus on the negative, and feel that they are no different than the lot they left behind...
So you want ALL the gringos to leave the continent... What about the mestizos? Where do they go?
What about the African Americans? Back to Africa? And the mulatos? And the Asians? Do tell?
You share the same mentality and ideology as the white supremacists who want to ship the non-whites back to where ever...
It is a childish view of life based on hatred and lacking any compassion...
Most gringos were born on this continent, and can't be held accountable for what their forefathers did before they were born...
Good luck with the "us vs them" trip, I hope you have a change of heart before it causes cancer or a heart attack...
I will spare you the indignity of responding to this post by providing one for you:
Serena says:
Another racist gringo troll ignored...
In Mexico, (where my father is from) Gringo is can be used both as an insult and a neutral expression. However, in the US (where CD is published and where most of it's readers are from) it is unambiguously derogatory. Your usage of the term is clearly derogatory.
In the US I can enter a person's house with my shoes on, in parts of Japan that could be incredibly insulting. You need to work on your cultural sensitivity.
There is no need to respond with those who point out your errors by calling them pendejos. You are really immature, serena .