US Department of Defense is the Worst Polluter on the Planet

[mudplanet]

The extensive global operations of the US military (wars, interventions, and secret operations on over one thousand bases around the world and six thousand facilities in the United States) are not counted against US greenhouse gas limits. Sara Flounders writes, “By every measure, the Pentagon is the largest institutional user of petroleum products and energy in general. Yet the Pentagon has a blanket exemption in all international climate agreements.”

http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/2-us-department-of-defense-is-the-worst-polluter-on-the-planet/



Let's just get rid of 'em. It would go down in history as a great service to humanity.

[freshwest]

1. Yoo Hoo! I just heard that suggestion on the radio last night.

We've got enough WMD to kill everything on the planet a jillion times over, so let's forget about all this other stuff.

No sarcasm intended. Maybe we go into virtual computer warfare like they did on the old Star Trek series. No real weapons used unless someone messes with the virtual game.

Well, that did get complicated, didn't it.

Just get rid of it and start up Kucinich's department of peace. No one has to lose their jobs or profits. There's a lot of things the MIC could make money at instead of this.

Or am I missing something very big here?

[mudplanet]

2. What on earth do we need 7000 nuclear weapons for?

Or 800 overseas military bases?

Or billion dollar bombers?

The enemy is right here in the country, on Wall Street and in Washington. And the Chamber of Commerce.

Realistically, everyone agrees that we need some kind of military defense. I'm suggesting going back to the draft and reducing the military budget by 75%.

States that lose defense dollars could be rewarded with constructive projects on which we would redirect those defense dollars.

Mandated small school class sizes, new medical schools and universal health, reliable public transit systems.

As far as "keeping America safe" goes, I'll take my chances.

[freshwest]

3. There never was a need except to maintain the heirarchy of society.

Fear, prejudice and ideology were the sales pitches to convince people to buy their hardware and their system, most of which could never be used for any constructive purpose. It was all done for a sick form of commercial gain for the few to maintain control.

Perhaps it benefited that unique third of the American population who still support the concept of regimenting society as FDR warned against, the maintenance of bases, opportunistic wars and over reaching in domestic security in every election.

The world doesn't have to be that way, is not made to be that way. We've shut out all the cultures with different visions that would give us that very freedom and safety that the military is claimed to be the barrier to enslavement. Millions of noble people have given their lives and liberties to this view, so it will be hard to give up.

But as Eisenhower said:

'If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking... is freedom.'

Let's go on the less militarized scenario we are envisioning here. After a few years of cutting the military drastically and letting all of the folks in the death and destruction business have a few years to develop a different mindset, even greater ideas for unifying the world on a productive course will come.

In the meantime, there will be more reasons and justifications dreamed up and outrages committed to frighten people into continuing a system whose time has passed, but it won't work. And finally the human race will meet its destiny, whatever that may be.

:hi: