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A rendering from weapons company Northrop Grumman shows what the B-21 Raider bomber, set to be unveiled on December 2, 2022, could look like. (Image: Northrop Grumman)
Peace and economic justice advocates responded to the imminent unveiling Friday of the United States Air Force's new $750 million-per-plane nuclear bomber by reiterating accusations of misplaced priorities in a nation where tens of millions of people live in poverty and lack adequate healthcare coverage.
Military-industrial complex giant Northrop Grumman is set to introduce its B-21 Raider on Friday. The B-21, whose development was 30 years in the making and whose total project cost is expected to exceed $200 billion, is tapped to replace the aging B-2 Spirit.
"One thing the world definitely does not need is another stealth bomber," Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the peace group CodePink, told Common Dreams.
"This ominous death machine, with its price tag of $750 million a pop, brings huge profits to Northrop Grumman but takes our society one more step down the road of spiritual death," Benjamin added, referring to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1967 anti-war speech, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence," in which the civil rights leader called the U.S. government "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today."
Noting the B-21's impending introduction, Canadian professor Christopher Stonebanks tweeted on Wednesday: "Hey, how's the good old USA doing on free healthcare, eliminating poverty, and accessible education for all? What? Oh, I see. They have a new stealth bomber. OK. And their citizens are good with that trade-off?"
The Pentagon, which recently failed its fifth consecutive annual audit, is slated to get $847 billion in 2023 after Congress rubber-stamps the next National Defense Authorization Act, possibly as soon as this month. That's more than the combined military spending of China, India, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and South Korea, according to the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS).
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Peace and economic justice advocates responded to the imminent unveiling Friday of the United States Air Force's new $750 million-per-plane nuclear bomber by reiterating accusations of misplaced priorities in a nation where tens of millions of people live in poverty and lack adequate healthcare coverage.
Military-industrial complex giant Northrop Grumman is set to introduce its B-21 Raider on Friday. The B-21, whose development was 30 years in the making and whose total project cost is expected to exceed $200 billion, is tapped to replace the aging B-2 Spirit.
"One thing the world definitely does not need is another stealth bomber," Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the peace group CodePink, told Common Dreams.
"This ominous death machine, with its price tag of $750 million a pop, brings huge profits to Northrop Grumman but takes our society one more step down the road of spiritual death," Benjamin added, referring to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1967 anti-war speech, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence," in which the civil rights leader called the U.S. government "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today."
Noting the B-21's impending introduction, Canadian professor Christopher Stonebanks tweeted on Wednesday: "Hey, how's the good old USA doing on free healthcare, eliminating poverty, and accessible education for all? What? Oh, I see. They have a new stealth bomber. OK. And their citizens are good with that trade-off?"
The Pentagon, which recently failed its fifth consecutive annual audit, is slated to get $847 billion in 2023 after Congress rubber-stamps the next National Defense Authorization Act, possibly as soon as this month. That's more than the combined military spending of China, India, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and South Korea, according to the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS).
Peace and economic justice advocates responded to the imminent unveiling Friday of the United States Air Force's new $750 million-per-plane nuclear bomber by reiterating accusations of misplaced priorities in a nation where tens of millions of people live in poverty and lack adequate healthcare coverage.
Military-industrial complex giant Northrop Grumman is set to introduce its B-21 Raider on Friday. The B-21, whose development was 30 years in the making and whose total project cost is expected to exceed $200 billion, is tapped to replace the aging B-2 Spirit.
"One thing the world definitely does not need is another stealth bomber," Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the peace group CodePink, told Common Dreams.
"This ominous death machine, with its price tag of $750 million a pop, brings huge profits to Northrop Grumman but takes our society one more step down the road of spiritual death," Benjamin added, referring to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1967 anti-war speech, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence," in which the civil rights leader called the U.S. government "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today."
Noting the B-21's impending introduction, Canadian professor Christopher Stonebanks tweeted on Wednesday: "Hey, how's the good old USA doing on free healthcare, eliminating poverty, and accessible education for all? What? Oh, I see. They have a new stealth bomber. OK. And their citizens are good with that trade-off?"
The Pentagon, which recently failed its fifth consecutive annual audit, is slated to get $847 billion in 2023 after Congress rubber-stamps the next National Defense Authorization Act, possibly as soon as this month. That's more than the combined military spending of China, India, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and South Korea, according to the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS).