Standing Firmly for Endless Wars

 I. Standing Firmly for Endless Wars

In the Oregon Peace Worker, Robert Koehler writes in the organization's newsletter, the PeaceWorker, that: "Yes, there are progressives, antiwar Democrats out there gaining power, getting elected to office, almost winning presidential primaries -- scaring the bejesus out of the Democratic establishment -- but the party itself still stands firmly in the middle of nowhere, fully in favor of empathy and compassion,and yet, somehow fully supportive of the endless wars most of its own voters hate and [are]utterly unwilling to challenge the bloated and ever-expanding defense budget. [1]

Citing the analysis of William Hartung and Many Smithberger, the Milwaukee Independent described that budget thus: 'As of 2019, the annual Pentagon base budget, plus war budget, plus nuclear weapons in the Department of Energy, plus military spending by the Department of Homeland Security, plus interest on deficit military spending, and other military spending totaled $1.25 trillion...' " Koehler says this is "untouchable money -- not just to Trump and the Republicans but to most congressional Democrats.

Indeed, as Alexander Sammon points out in the American Prospect, Democratic majorities were crucial this summer to the defeat of three separate bills introduced by progressive Democrats, to reduce military spending and/or undo the militarization of police departments. These included amendments in both the Senate and the House to the National Defense Authorization Act,diverting 10 percent of the Department of Defense budget to health care, education and jobs; as well as a Senate proposal to end the 1033 Program,which allow the the Pentagon to transfer military gear to the police.  The amendment's defeat in the House was especially an outrage,' Sammon notes,'is that the Dems hold a majority in the House and could have passed it.' " 

" 'If Democrats are going to enact anything that resembles their own agenda,' Sammon writes, 'they're going to aim higher than cutting defense to near Obama-era highs. Taking military spending not to pre-Trump but to pre-9/11 levels should be a starting point. Democratic voters after the War on Terror; it's what helped deliver Obama the presidency back in 2008. It's incumbent on Joe Biden to deliver on that preference, not just to end engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan but to bring an end to the bloated defense budgets of the War on Terror era. His silence on the proposal even in the thick of a campaign against Trump sends a troubling message.' "

II. The Militarism of Sports

William J. Astore, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, writes in the August 8, 2018 TomDispatch, that since 9/11, "sports and the military have become increasingly fused in this country. Even when taxpayers aren't footing the bill for displays of massive American flags or camoflage-printed uniforms, the melding of sports and military should be seen as inappropriate, if not insidious...

Nowadays,it seems as if professional sports simply couldn't occur without some notice of and celebration of the U.S. military, each game being transformed is some way into yet another Memorial Day or Veterans Day lite...

When I watched this year's version of the game,however, I didn't relive my youth; I relived my military career. As a start, the previous night featured a televised home-run derby. Before it even began, about 50 airmen paraded out in camoflage uniforms, setting the stage for everything that would follow. (As they weren't on duty, I couldn't help wondering why they found it appropriate to don such outfits.)"

"Highlighting the other pre-game ceremonies the next night was a celebration of Medal of Honor recipients. I have deep respect for such heroes,but what were they doing on a baseball diamond? The ceremony would have been appropriate on Veterans Day in November.These same pre-game festivities included a militaristic montage narrated by Bradley Cooper (star of 'American Sniper'), featuring war scenes and war monuments while highlighting the popular catchphrase 'freedom isn't free.' Martial music accompanied the montage along with a bevy of flag-waving images. It felt like watching a twisted version of the film 'Field of Dreams', reshot so that soldiers,not baseball players, emerged early on from these rows of Iowa corn stalks and stepped onto the playing field."

Footnote:

[1] Robert Koehler, "Listen Democratic Party: Your Supporters Want Military Budget Cuts," Oregon Peace Works, August 24, 2020.