SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Memo to Obama: How to Convert to A Peace Economy
Jan 11, 2009
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.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 Tikkun
Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra came to the U.S. in 1970 from his native India to practice medicine, a career that evolved into the field of mind-body medicine. His breakthrough book, "Quantum Healing," brought him public recognition in 1989. Since then he has written more than 42 books and travels worldwide as a spiritual speaker who fuses Western science with Eastern wisdom. He lives in La Jolla with his wife, Rita, and has two grown children and two grandchildren. Dr. Chopra heads the Chopra Center in Carlsbad, California, which specializes in many alternative treatment modalities including Ayurveda.
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.
Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra came to the U.S. in 1970 from his native India to practice medicine, a career that evolved into the field of mind-body medicine. His breakthrough book, "Quantum Healing," brought him public recognition in 1989. Since then he has written more than 42 books and travels worldwide as a spiritual speaker who fuses Western science with Eastern wisdom. He lives in La Jolla with his wife, Rita, and has two grown children and two grandchildren. Dr. Chopra heads the Chopra Center in Carlsbad, California, which specializes in many alternative treatment modalities including Ayurveda.
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.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.