Military

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauds global youth campaign to rid world of nuclear weapons

4 October 2010 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today hailed a civil society initiative that aims to raise awareness about the importance of reducing military spending and ridding the world of nuclear weapons.

“This impressive petition from more than five million young people of faith from all regions is testament to a groundswell of civil society backing for these goals,” Mr. Ban told participants at the meeting in New York of Religions for Peace.

In a message delivered by Sergio Duarte, UN High Representative for Disarmament, the Secretary-General noted that world military expenditure has risen by 50 per cent since 2000 to more than $1.5 trillion.

“This money could surely have been much better spent on poverty reduction, climate change mitigation and adaptation, food and nutrition security, women’s and children’s health, and other global development challenges,” he stated.

Mr. Ban welcomed the contribution that the group’s “Arms Down! Global Youth Campaign for Shared Security” is making to raising awareness about the importance of cutting military expenditure and promoting a nuclear-weapons-free world.

Increasing momentum on these issues has been among the Secretary-General’s key priorities since taking office in 2007.

In October 2008, the UN chief presented an action plan on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation that begins with a call for the parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to pursue negotiations on nuclear disarmament, either through a new convention or through a series of mutually reinforcing instruments backed by a credible system of verification.

In addition, the plan is based on the following key principles: that disarmament must enhance security; be reliably verified; be rooted in legal obligations; be visible to the public; and must anticipate emerging dangers from other weapons.

“Disarmament and non-proliferation are essential not simply for international peace and security, but across the international agenda,” he noted today.

“They can foster confidence among nations and strengthen regional and international stability. They are integral to realizing the vision of the United Nations Charter.”

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Posted at 1 pm (PST)

Series 5 / Day 4 of 6

It’s All About: How we’ve let in the war and if we’ll ever, again, want to say “Nevermore”?

You say ‘Goodbye’, and I say…

http://www.youtube.com/user/InUrfacetoast

Yesterday, it was the Counter Culture. Today… it’s
Tuesday, September 21, 2010

More Here @ 3 pm (PST)

Est. 1964 Re-Incarnated by Public Demand

This is the original, 60’s, counter culture, LA Free Press. Today’s Best Alternative View & Our Old Hippie Headlines, Too! A Head Trip for Smart Minds.

(This article refers directly to today’s issue of the Los Angeles Free Press. If you have not yet seen today’s issue, click HERE.  But FIRST you should click HERE to see the beginning of this Series.)

Yesterday, it was the Counter Culture. Today it’s…

…all about: How we’ve let in the war and, if we’ll ever, again, want to say “Nevermore”?

by Steven M. Finger

As I’ve said in different ways and to a certain degree, I pretty much had my mind made up when I first began this Series; there’s a concerted effort to sell us (the grown-ups) and our children on the ‘benefits’ of fighting a war, and I wanted to take that train right off its track.

My plan wasn’t to aim for the highest ground; no argument was going to be made for spirituality that objects to the killing of our fellow man.  While that may seem likely an easy vote, experience has shown me that it is anything but.  Too many people have too many reasons, and readily available, as to why it’s just so darn necessary to annihilate one group or another.

I was, instead, going to provide, first, the evidence that the campaign to ‘sell’ teens on getting behind the military was active – which I think I have with the display of the recruiting commercials and the info on the popularity of the video war games, and the recruitment enticements.  There was also a case to be made about how jobs created by military needs sway our opinion… food on the table does that.  More information about how many jobs, pay, and such should have been posted.  We need to go back and do that.

And we do want the best for our kids so hearing that training and education is offered also moves us to the side of supporting the growth of the military.  Particularly as tuitions are costly, and with our home mortgages in jeopardy because of unemployment, someone else picking up that cost… well, that’s great.  And we have moved from our no war is a good war position to it’s not like anyone is really going to get hurt position.

And it was right there that I was going to strike… yes, fatal shot or not, war leaves a deadly impression.  From the new mode of thinking of separating ourselves from the consequences of our actions (i.e. a ‘desk job’ doesn’t really kill anybody) to post traumatic stress that is going to be carried into our home and right into our families, separation anxiety as our spouse goes off to war, even mere disappointment of thinking we signed up for one thing – or one tour – and wound up with something wholly different.  And, sure, there’s that loss of limb thing, too.

Point is, these are all ‘costs of war’ that have to be considered as well.  And that is what has gone up into the paper today.  And I did stay away, purposefully, from whole videos of the graveyard markers, draped coffins, handicapped lives and such, though such scenes must, inevitably, be mentioned or the picture of what war brings simply would not be complete.

Once known, do the thoughts go away?  Not likely.  Not with the better job the college benefit secured, there is no way to ‘catch up’ on that missed birthday party (though one might Photo Shop oneself into the pictures), or to regain respect for oneself after it turns out that the cause fought for was just more or less non-existent, and/or lose that feeling that the last time you saw someone might be the last you will ever see them.  Again.

Now that we have brought this to the fore – poorly or adequately – what is it that we can do to ensure a finer, more noble choice is made than to participate in when our own life and liberty is not, in fact, threatened?  And so we go onto tomorrow.

Here are the keywords to our thinking today: Changing Society, Self-Improvement, Social Change, Society & Culture

Here are links to today’s items:

[1] The Army Changed My Life

[2] You say ‘Goodbye’, and I say…

[3] Before You Enlist

For Your Downloading Pleasure: “Nevermore”

.

"Nevermore" by John Williams

.

.

Yesterday, it was the Counter Culture. Today… it’s
Monday, September 13, 2010

More Here @ 3 pm (PST)

Est. 1964 Re-Incarnated by Public Demand

This is the original, 60’s, counter culture, LA Free Press. Today’s Best Alternative View & Our Old Hippie Headlines, Too! A Head Trip for Smart Minds.

(This article refers directly to today’s issue of the Los Angeles Free Press. If you have not begun at the beginning of the series, please click HERE. If you have, but have not yet seen today’s issue, click HERE.)

Yesterday, it was the Counter Culture. Today it’s…

…all about: How we’ve let the war in and, if we’ll ever, again, want to say “Nevermore”?

by Steven M. Finger

On Tuesday of last week, right on schedule, we began a new Series.  As you can see, it was not about the war at our door but, rather, how it came to find a welcome mat there.  And, now that it’s in, if we’re likely to ever say “Nevermore” and kick it right back out.

As it happened, there was an occasion to take a holiday – reflect on this past year, perhaps reconsider decisions, certainly an opportunity to make new ones.  And so I did.  I remembered Art saying that what I am trying to do here is to put together a full feature here twice a week, six to eight Items a day, and commentary – and that was a lot of work, maybe more than people want to read.

It IS a lot of work, but I see that you, the readers, spend almost 4 times the amount of time here as is usually spent on other sites.  That seems to say that what we’re doing is worth your while.  So I resolved to keep at this new format, but I did not arrive back refreshed and ready to go.

And the reason was more than thinking that there was much to do.  I’ll start by saying that, like always, I entered into this Series with a point of view… in this case, just as the many of us who are anti-war grow more tired of the push to have yet more war,  I was thinking that I would soon be joined in an outcry for peace.

Some several things had made me fairly certain of this – notably, though not yet explored here, is the growing musical wave promoting peace, as well as the constant, though most often under-reported protests at conferences and events that have enabling war as a major part of their agenda.

But it just so happened that as I collected more and more information, it appeared that my viewpoint wasn’t the way of the world.  That, instead, slick commercials offering adventure, brotherhood, unlimited education and career opportunities have tickled the fancy of more than our teenagers.  Indeed, I’ve found parents – many of whom are those way too cautious types who need to meet the other parents before they let their children just go on over to a friend’s – who, now, are all for these benefits.

The children see the parents struggle for a job – having lost one, now looking for another, see the pain of confusion because of ever-changing rules, how economics cause brothers to argue and the lack of goals taking the luster from life.

And the parents are turning a blind eye to the violence of the video ‘war games’ that consist of little more than killing, and serve as one of the best recruiting tool- adventure and immortality, too.  Worse, they seemed to have put aside the thought of what war – in principle – is, and why it shouldn’t ever be.

And when they tell me that the military has about as much risk as any other profession, well, I know then, for sure, that peace is not on their mind.

Today’s news of the booming ‘drone’ business is seen as a very welcome financial boost – as are the other military productions; It is no wonder that Cindy Sheehan is finding that she is marching alone.

If we can just keep the shelling somewhere else, and the paycheck here… will this be something we can afford?:  the Lord of War, the Raven, that said “Nevermore’ but, in truth, meant “Always War”?  Puzzle this over the gift from one of our readers; please don’t hesitate to print his poster.

Besides, it makes a nice match to the poem text we also invited you to print, and can hear Mr. Price recite.  Perhaps the phrase “sorrow for the lost Lenore — For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore — Nameless here for evermore.” will color your thoughts as never before.

P.s. In case you forgot, or maybe missed it entirely, there is a secret ‘conversion’ key for the poem in this Item here – wherein its hidden meaning can be found.  And, too, there is a newly added Item:  a link at the bottom of the text of the Raven that provides a more colorful print of it.

Here are the keywords to our thinking today: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, John Williams, The Raven, Military Casualties, Military deaths, Military Personnel, NIMH, National Institute of Mental Health, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, Computer War Games, Military Recruitment, U.S. Army military recruitment, Family, Community, Public Service, Military Service, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corp, U.S. Air Force,  Changing Society, Self-Improvement, Social Change, Society & Culture

Here are links to today’s items:

[1] For Your Downloading Pleasure:  “Nevermore”

[2] And for Us Grown-Ups… Here Comes the Money!

[3] Number and Rate of Fatal Occupational Injuries, by Industry Sector

[4] Deaths per 100,000 of Military Personnel by Branch, 1980-1999