War Budget Gone Bad

2006-12-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

Some countries invest in job training, substance abuse treatment, national healthcare, and literacy programs--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"It is finer to bring one noble human being into the world and rear it well...than to kill ten thousand."--Olive Schreiner

See: US Has the Most Prisoners in the World, CommonDreams.org, 12.11.06
See: PrisonSucks.com
See: Critical Resistance
See: The Prison Industrial Complex, The Atlantic, 12.98
Image: Web capture.

2006-12-12T15:57:00.000-08:00

Some countries invest in effective transportation alternatives to pollution-spewing, energy-draining, and life-sucking automobiles--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"The great error of nearly all studies of war...has been to consider war as an episode in foreign policies, when it is an act of interior politics."--Simone Weil
See: National Association of Railroad Passengers
See: That's Right: 23 Lanes of Traffic, CommonDreams.org
See: Bike Commuting
See: Bikes Not Bombs
Image: FreeFoto.com

2006-12-07T15:50:00.000-08:00

Some countries have leading industries creating needed and useful products--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"War against a foreign country only happens when the moneyed classes think they are going to profit from it."--George Orwell

See: U.S. Predicts Bumper Year in Arms Sales, CommonDreams.org, 12.05.06
See: Action Atlas: U.S. Arms Sales, Mother Jones
Image: Web capture.

2006-12-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

Some countries provide education on safe sex, pregnancy prevention, and sexually transmitted disease--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it."--Noam Chomsky

See: Bush's Other Losing War: AIDS, TomPaine.com, 12.01.06
See: More wisdom on sexuality from the U.S. government, Mark Morford, San Francisco Chronicle, 11.29.06
See: Few Americans favor abstinence-only sex ed, MSNBC, 11.07.06
Image: Web capture.

2006-11-28T15:38:00.000-08:00

Some countries invest in international economic development to foster trade and peace--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Our country is now geared to an arms economy bred in an artificually induced psychosis of war hysteria and an incessant propaganda of fear."--General Douglas MacArthur"

See: Best Minds Join Iraqi Exodus, Middle East Times, 11.15.06
See: The other failure in Iraq: The Economy, TruthOut.org
See: Civilian death toll reaches new high, UN says, International Herald Tribune, 11.22.06
Image: Web capture.

2006-11-28T12:53:00.000-08:00

Some countries have an objective free press that challenges official assertions--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"All governments lie."--I.F. Stone

See: Washington Post Equals White House Propaganda, Crooks & Liars, 11.28.06
See: Some US media decide to call Iraq strife a 'civil war', Agence France Presse, 11.28.06
See: Does the Media Have It Right on the War?, Michael Schwartz, TomDispatch.com, 03.28.06
Image: Web capture.

2006-11-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

Some countries honor treaty agreements--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"This war did not spring up on our land, this war was brought upon us by the children of the Great Father who came to take our land without a price, and who, in our land, do a great many evil things. This war has come from robbery--from the stealing of our land."--Spotted Tail

See: Indigenous Peoples' Resistance to Economic Globalization, Democracy Now!, 11.23.06
See: Native Groups Mourn on Thanksgiving Day, CommonDreams.org, 11.21.01
See: Why I Hate Thanksgiving, Dan Cohen, CounterPunch, 11.25.04
See: Who Says Racism is Unfashionable?, Velorution Gauchiste
Image: Web capture.

2006-11-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

Some countries provide wholesome food for everyone regardless of paycheck size--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war."--John Adams

See: Dark secrets of Whole Foods, Slate, 03.17.06
See: Welcome to Whole-Mart, CommonDreams, 05.02.06
See: Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy
Image: Web capture.

2006-11-13T14:55:00.000-08:00

Some countries export useful products to the world--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot."--Thomas Paine

See: Foreign Sales by U.S. Arms Makers Doubled in a Year, New York Times, 11.11.06
See: Military Industrial Complex
Image: Web capture.

2006-11-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

Some countries spend more money building schools than prisons--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other."--James Madison

See: PrisonSucks.com
See: Critical Resistance
See: The Prison Industrial Complex, The Atlantic, 12.98
Image: Web capture.

2006-11-11T10:44:00.001-08:00

Some countries provide a home for everyone--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket."--General Smedley Butler

See: Veterans for Peace
See: Veterans Against The Iraq War
See: Create Peace at Home
Image: Web capture.

2006-11-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

Some countries have balanced budgets--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"All wars are fought for money."--Socrates

See: The Bush Budget Deficit Death Spiral, CommonDreams.org, 10.22.04
See: After the New Economy: The Binge and the Hangover That Won't Go Away
See: The Boom and The Bubble: The US in the World Economy
Planet of Slums
Image: Web capture.

2006-11-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

Some countries honor their neighbors' sovereignty, promote human rights, encourage democracy, and respect international law--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist."--Dom Helder Camara

See: Ortega’s Likely Return Seen As a Blow to US Policy, CommonDreams.org, 11.07.06
See: In Nicaragua, a Chavez Wave?, CounterPunch.org, 11.07.06
See: 11th Hour Election Meddling by the US: Targeting Nicaraguans' Stomachs, CounterPunch.org, 10.31.06
See: The Forging Of The American Empire: From the Revolution to Vietnam
See: Chomsky: Rogue States
Image: Web capture. Sandinista supporters celebrating the election of Daniel Ortega as president of Nicaragua.

2006-11-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

Some countries have principled, consistent, and democratic governments--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws."--Tacitus

See: Saddam's Unindicted Co-Conspirator: Donald Rumsfeld, Norman Solomon, 11.06.06
See: The Saddam in Rumsfeld’s Closet, ZNet.org, 08.02.02
See: Video of 1983 Meeting Between Rumsfeld and Saddam Hussein, YouTube.com
See: Shaking Hands with Saddam Hussein, National Security Archive
See: Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War
See: WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception
Image: Web capture, Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein in December, 1983, just 18 months after the Dujail massacre--the primary charge resulting in Hussein's conviction for crimes against humanity--and five years before the Halabja poison gas attack.

2006-11-01T09:08:00.000-08:00

Some countries have free, open, and honest elections--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"It's not the people who vote that count, it's the people who count the votes."--attributed to Joseph Stalin

See: 'Hacking' Casts Doubts on Electronic Voting, CommonDreams.org, 11.01.06
See: Election 2006: Campaign Spending Hits New Heights, NPR, 10.21.06
See: US election ads trawl the gutter, AFP, 10.27.06
See: Greg Palast, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy
See: Noam Chomsky, Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy
Image: Web capture.

2006-10-31T16:04:00.000-08:00

Some countries provide college scholarships, job training and career opportunities for young people--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Our children are not born to hate, they are raised to hate."--Thomas della Peruta

See: October Ends: Deadly Month Is Finally Over, NPR, 10.31.06
See: Kerry, White House spar over comment on Iraq
See: Myths of Military Opportunity
See: Veterans Return From Iraq Disabled and Homeless, DemocracyNOW!, 12.13.04
See: Study Details Mental Health of War Veterans
Image: Web capture

2006-10-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

Some countries have a free press--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government."--Hugo Black, Supreme Court Justice

Josh Wolf Blog: The Revolution Will Be Televised
Jail Time For Journalists: The Government Crackdown on Reporters, Democracy Now!, 09.15.06
Image: Steve Rhodes, photo of independent journalist Josh Wolf.

2006-10-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

Some countries fund necessary and valuable youth programs without forcing children to sell cookies, sell raffle tickets, hold bake sales, or wash cars--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious."--General Smedley Butler
See: Pentagon Holds Bake Sale, The Onion
Image: Web capture. Kids should play and be kids, not impressed as sales agents for corporate baking interests.

2006-10-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

Some countries regulate energy companies, tax fuel to fund research and encourage conservation, and pursue sustainable transportation alternatives--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"A man who says that no patriot should attack the war until it is over...is saying no good son should warn his mother of a cliff until she has fallen."--G. K. Chesterton

See: Exxon profits rise to $10.49B in 3Q
See: Exxpose Exxon
See: Freedom From Oil
See: Bike Commuting Tips Blog
Image: Web capture

2006-10-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Some countries prioritize science, research, and medicine instead of superstition--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter."--Winston Churchill

See: Michael J. Fox, Parkinson’s and Stem Cells, New York Times, 10.25.06
See: Religious Right Hijacks Stem Cell Debate, CommonDreams.org
Image: YouTube.com

2006-10-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

Some countries encourage environmental concern--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable."--Condoleeza Rice

See: Californians Against Waste
See: Fast Food Nation: The Movie
Image: Web capture

2006-10-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

Some countries provide full scholarship support for all students--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."--Friedrich Nietzsche

See: FreeHigherEd.org
Image: Web capture

2006-10-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

Some countries act to prevent gun violence--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Statism needs war; a free country does not. Statism survives by looting; a free country survives by producing."--Ayn Rand

See: Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence
Image: G.B. Trudeau, Doonesbury.com

2006-10-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

Some countries encourage alternative modes of transportation--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Bicycling: A quiet statement against oil wars"--Committee for Full Enjoyment

See: City CarShare || Flexcar || Zipcar || Live Car-Free || Bike Commuting
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
Bikes Not Bombs
Image: Paul Dorn

2006-10-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

Some countries encourage tolerance, fight bigotry, and protect equal rights for everyone--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it."--Thomas Jefferson

See: California appeals court upholds ban on gay marriage
See: The case for gay marriage, The Economist, 02.26.04
See: Equality California
See: Marriage Equality USA
Image: Web capture