Thursday, June 26, 2008
War's price tag
By the end of 2008, the federal government will have spent more than $800 billion on combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (government accounts make it hard to separate the two). On top of that comes a mountain of future costs: caring for war veterans (to date, more than 1.6 million troops have been deployed), replacing the military hardware that is being used and worn out in Iraq and paying interest on the enormous sums of money we've borrowed to finance the war. . . All told, we estimate that the cost of the war will easily reach $3 trillion in today's money. . we can expect that the next generation of Americans will eventually spend $600 billion to look after the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. LA Times, 3/16/08
Our Statement of Values
- We, who are affiliated with Standing For Peace, embrace no particular political party or candidate.·
- We reject any use of disrespectful, insulting, obscene or vulgar speech or any violent behaviors during our public witness.·
- We reject any communication, sign, or behavior which is disrespectful to our country or which disparages any person or group.·
- We witness by standing silently in single file for one hour weekly at a specified time and location.
- We invite any person to stand with us who agrees with our purpose and who adheres to our values and mission.
Why do I stand?
I stood today for an hour thinking of all the suffering of the women and children in Iraq, and the suffering of the women and children of Georgia who cannot afford basic health care. I stood thinking of the 350 infants who die in Georgia each year because they can’t access good quality health care and the 1,000 Georgians who died in 2006 from lack of healthcare. I stood today because I provide care for the poor women in Georgia who do not receive fundamental health care, and yet our country somehow manages to find the funds to spend $12,000,000,000 every single month to finance the Iraq war. I stood in memory of the 50,000 innocent women ad children who have died as a result of the Iraq war. I stood because war is not the answer but there is nothing else I can do, except stand for peace.
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