While war rages on under the command of an American president who won the Nobel Peace Prize, the words of an American protester who also won the Peace Prize are more relevant than ever. In an address he gave at New York City's famous Riverside Church on April 4, 1967 - a year to the day before he was assassinated - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. thundered, "The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government ... for the sake of the hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent."

Silence is not always golden. Sometimes it's just plain yellow. Whether a Democrat or a Republican sits in the Oval Office, strong and striking anti-war voices are needed across this nation and around the world. Though Obama accepted his party's nomination on the 45th anniversary of King's soaring "I Have A Dream" speech, and though he was inaugurated as president as Americans celebrated the holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader, the continuation of wars begun during the Republican regime of George W. Bush would no doubt be protested by King if he were alive today.

In a much-anticipated April 13 speech on America's financial crisis, the president garnered high praise in a New York Times editorial that said, "The man American elected president has re-emerged."

Not so fast, New York Times. Though he vowed to reduce deficits and save Medicare from the plunder and perdition of the Republicans, those who had hope for audacity from the administration on matters of war, peace and the bloated military budget were once again disappointed.

If only President Obama were as "leftist" as his caterwauling "conservative" critics claim that he is, then this nation might at last be marching away from war. Instead, the wise words of warning against the power of the military-industrial complex voiced 50 years ago by Republican President Dwight Eisenhower go unheeded, and the caissons go rolling along.

So far, about 1,500 American troops have died in the Afghan war that President Obama has escalated. Another 4,500 have died during the invasion and occupation of Iraq. The death toll among American military men and women in the two conflicts is now twice the death toll of the Americans who died in the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Now America's wars expand into countries like Pakistan and Libya. While politicians mouth platitudes about improving America's economy and infrastructure, the Pentagon's growing war budget is a sacred cow that is virtually immune from the budget-cutting axes of both Democrats and Republicans.

Today, America's military spending is higher than the military spending of China, Great Britain, France and Russia combined, and the "defense" budget now costs U.S. taxpayers about $700 billion annually. We now spend more on the military than any nation in the world, yet pundits and politicians wonder why our infrastructure is in shambles and our economic problems seem intractable. A 2007 report by the Congressional Budget Office said that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could cost American taxpayers well over $2 trillion by 2017.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz is even more pessimistic in his new book, "The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict."

The scourge of war continues and the Pentagon cracks the whip. Writer Bob Herbert summarized the situation well in his farewell column in The New York Times last month: "Overwhelming imbalances in wealth and income inevitably result in enormous imbalances of political power. So the corporations and the wealthy continue to do well. The employment crisis never gets addressed. The wars never end. And nation-building never gets a foothold here at home. New ideas and new leadership have seldom been more urgently needed."
_______

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/ed-tant/35714/funding-3-wars-costing-america-too-much

So if I may, You voted for Obama and he dragged us into Libya without congressional blessing. On top of that we fire 200 Tomahawk cruise missiles and commit our military assets at a tie of 12 million each and the UN paid us how much for our involvement in their fight?

Likewise WHY are we still in Iraq? Two promises made by Obama, No new war and out of Iraq?

So about all this war now, who is responsible?

Obama? he was the one who got us into Libya in the first place...

Him and Hillary Clinton and the UN.

Why are we at war in Libya now? It is not over Democracy like the Liberals like to spin it. It is so Italy and France can have cheap Libyan oil!

So how is your boy Barrak Obama doing these days? Hope he didn't get too drunk at his last party!

TIP TOE, ON THE MINE FIELD!

Sung to the tune of tip toe toe through the tulips!

hey, we have Syria next, coming right up folks... that could be a few 100 billion to waste to

Its more like giveing up on arguing with a person who abandons reasone and logic.

BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

The evil Moderate Strikes again!

So about Obama dragging us into Libya...

You could read the original post. Its pretty much says it all.

No it doesn't. Who got us into Libya without congressional blessing?

nuff said!

The silence is deafening!

Yep, consensus is Obama sucks!

He probably disagrees with you. I am sure it is Bush's fault. He used his money to make an Obama clone who is now in the white house. That has to be the answer right?

it's always bushes fault... that is the libs answer for everything, a "one answer fits all" type deal...

The fact that it was a non partisen post, posted durring the Obama administrations term a reasonable person would assume that Obama is also guilty of wasteing tax payer money on wars. The article pretty much says that.

Obama isnt perfect and cant please everyone but he was the best man for the job and I still think he is. He dealt with Egypt like a pro, he did show some backbone in Libya, unfortunatly we cant afford it.

No one is seriouse about reduceing the debt or the Military would be cut as well as the tax breaks to those who do not need then ( The extremely well to do.)

I am going to make some assumptions.

I assume many of you critics have crappy healthcare and havent been able to save for retirenment. If you vote republican your social security will be in jepordy as well as medicare its pretty simple.


The republicans would rather bankrupt the country and destroy medicare and social security than stop feeding the military industrial establishment.

They would rather you work till your 70 than roll back the tax breaks on the rich to the same level as 1970.

Its realy pretty simple if your not rich and vote republicans your being foolish.

Actually my work history is with a military contractor and they offer great med and retirement benefits. So more military money is win win for me. XD

hahahaha

This is good...

You realize that all the stuff the military uses is probably made by an American worker?

So we should cut military spending and add to the unemployment lines?

I thought you leftists were for the working man?

Its ok to bailout a failed company like GM so your union brothers can keep their cushy jobs, but lets cut off the people that aren't because you don't like what they make..

Brilliant strategy..

Ok if its true, good for you. I am glad you admit how you personaly profit from our debt, at least your looking after your own self interest.

But our collective self interest requires some sacrafice from everyone not just the poor and middle class.

Its far past time for military cut backs. We have no real chalenges anywere in the world and if things go as they are we wont have a country worth defending.

Yes it is brilliant for once we agree. Your not being verry logical, how many defence companies would be in business without government contracts? Cost plus clauses? Love to see how much they would spend on RD without any taxpayer assistance.

GM was chump change compared to the military, you know it and I know it.

If I profit from our debt so does anyone whose job Is paid with government money. Hell the president himself. Social workers too. That's like saying your babysitter profits from your debt because you pay her to do her job. It's not the employees fault you can't budget. If I don't do the job someone else will. The job doesn't disappear because I don't do it. Sorry if I take pride in having worked on things that have kept our soldiers and citizens safe. The helicopters I helped build are the same type of helicopters that were used to rescue people after Katrina.

Did they actualy rescue people from Katrina? I havent heard about that....... You can have the last word for today I am out.

Pave Hawks from various Air Force commands participated in rescue operations of Hurricane Katrina survivors, rescuing thousands of stranded people

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_HH-60_Pave_Hawk