Reuters Reports Pentagon Waste Worse Than You think

            A recent report from Reuters details the amount of fraud that we know about in the Pentagon. We have to specify “that we know of” because the story details just how much book doctoring the military does to hide the huge discrepancies. They even have a name for the made up expenses they use to fill in the areas where they cannot account for funds spent – they call them “plugs”. The supervisors were required to approve the fabricated numbers and workers tried to make things add up as best they could.

            The totals for a single year of “plugs” were in excess of $9 Billion. This at the same time that we are seeing cuts to benefits for veterans and pay for military personnel and their families. For a comparison, the cuts to veterans benefits could be restored for a paltry $6 Billion – leaving another $3 Billion for other important causes – such as stimulating the economy, restoring food stamps to feed the hungry and housing homeless persons. Realistically – how many would expect that the Pentagon would be willing to give up the funds that it cannot account for? The story is also rife with accounts of military waste from purchases of weapons and munitions that are either out-of-date or hopelessly redundant, driving home the point that $9 Billion is just the starting poin, we may never know the total cost of military waste.

            This story reminds one of the Veterans For Peace question – “how is the war economy working for you?”

IT Research Firm Predicts Protests in 2014 Bigger Than Occupy Wall Street

The IT research firm Gartner which seems to specialize in research related to “cloud computing trends” and “IT metrics” is also making predictions regarding public protest movements “larger than Occupy Wall Street”. Unsurprisingly, they state that this is directly related to negative reactions to economic disparity and unfairness. These predictions are not able to specify specific tactics but do predict the likelihood of growth in the underground economic sectors with increased bartering.

These predictions from an apparently staid firm not known to be politically oriented are particularly interesting to organizers of resistance to the current power structure. Those invested with the responsibility of being organized and capable of organizing others must be ready to offer their services at such key moments. The goal is not to “coopt” an existing movement but to serve and assist in keeping it on track and providing key services. VFP has served the OWS movement in the past as witnessed by members who were injured by police while inserting themselves between “civilian” and less experienced protesters and militarized police.

As Saul Alinsky said “tactics is doing what you can with what you have”. Often the organizer is faced working with mere wisps of resources preparing for the time when public discontent gives rise to the motivation needed for large numbers to take action. We may be facing an imminent recurrence of public outrage leading to action on the part of large numbers of the discontented. This makes it all the more vital that we continue working to prepare for that moment, educating the public on the evils of war and it’s costs and serving popular movements that can lead to the change that is needed in our current system.

US Military Uniforms Being Made Overseas and in Prisons

The New York Times is reporting that the US Military is currently acquiring the uniforms worn by soldiers, airmen, sailors and even TSA agents, are being made in either Third World sweat shops or US prisons. This is in direct violation of US laws requiring significant proportions o US Military supplies to come from the domestic market. At the same time that President Obama is trying to convince companies to research where their clothing comes from to insure it is not being manufactured under unsafe conditions, the Pentagon is buying from substandard dangerous workplaces. Of the supplies manufactured in the US, prisoners paid as little as a couple dollars a day make a large portion.   

  

This is a stunning commentary on the state of US morals, or rather the lack thereof. At the same time that there is shock and outrage over disasters in textile manufacturing centers resulting in mass death, it turns out the US itself is getting the clothes on the backs of it’s soldiers from the same sources. Would our “patriots” who claim such pride in America’s uniform if they realized that those uniforms were made by children and workers who must labor in unsafe conditions.

Using US prisoners to manufacture our troop’s uniforms speaks to an even deeper level of depravity. We must realize that the tools used by our military to “protect freedom” are being manufactured by persons who are being held against their will, often for drug crimes, and paid a pittance for long dangerous hours. Little concern is given to the well-being or safety of prisoners who are “employed” in prison industry.

Just an acknowledgement of another organization that is encouraging peace. We have been blessed with many forms of entertainment over the years which celebrates peace. Society seems to think that is ok once or maybe twice a year. Let us continue making it true every day of the year!

http://www.stjohndivine.org/programs/music/new-year-concert

A personal view

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what membership in the local chapter (Chapter 61 in Saint Louis if you were wondering) has meant for me and my motivations in participating.

Background:
I have never served in combat, although I am a service connected disabled veteran. The work was on Pershing missiles - a nuclear missile now long relegated to the dustbin of history - and not missed by anyone this writer knows of. The memory of standing guard duty over weapons of mass destruction, which could easily have wiped several cities off of the map, as the snow softly drifted down on Christmas Eve night will never leave me. There was a mixture of wonder at the enormous destructive potential sitting a few feet from me as the German winter countryside looked so scenic and peaceful - except for the nuclear warheads of course. A soldier must believe in his cause to perform his duties, and at the time I did believe strongly in American ideals and the positive effects of American war efforts on the world, though there was some doubt about Vietnam (surely we would not make that mistake again).

Doubts arise:
Once injured and out of the military (I fell off a missile) it began to sink in with me that not everything we had been told about the US military's history, mission and role in the world were not what we had been led to believe. I began to struggle with educating myself by seeking alternative sources of information. This is a process that shall occur for as long as I am able - there is always more to learn, but it quickly became clear that knowledge alone was not enough.
It seemed logical enough to seek out others of a like mind.

Finding Veterans For Peace:
To be truthful, I was attracted to the idea of Veterans For Peace (VFP) almost from the moment I heard the name. It was during Bush's decision to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq and the news media about Cindy Sheehan and her protests at Crawford Texas. When it was reported that Veterans For Peace was supporting her efforts, it was clear that was where I needed to be. The rest was details - finding the local chapter and getting in touch.

What we do:
Since I have been a member of VFP, we have participated in protests, not just on sunny days, but in the depths of winter with bone chilling temperatures. We have reached out to help other like minded organizations, seeking to protest against war and educate the public on it's costs. We have also reached out to our fellow veterans, seeking to mitigate some of the worst effects of war, through events like "Stand Down" and "Stand Up". Our local Chapter is always on the lookout for more and better ways to get the word out.

The rewards:
Although I always feel that I should do more, my participation in VFP keeps me from feeling that I have totally acquiesced to the ruling class's decision to take us to war. It is a positive outlet for my desires to influence our nation's actions in a positive and useful manner. No, we have not "succeeded" if success is measured only as ending the war. However, we have kept alive the voice of dissent. We have educated our fellow citizens on the need to end war. We are daily giving the lie to the idea that war is necessary to advance our desires. Even if no one listened, we would still educate ourselves and each other on the options to and realities of war. We are a success.

Meeting Minutes for December 9, 2013

Members of VFP-chapter 61,

  Below and attached are the minutes for the December 9 meeting.

  My thanks to Kim for taking notes and passing them on to me.

                     Ron

      Veterans for Peace - Don Conners Chapter 61   -     Meeting 9 December 2013

Present:  Tom Abeln, Michael Davis, Linda Davis, Reese Forbes, Kim Jayne, Tim Kaminski, Michael-Louis Medvik, Doug Parker, Woody Powell, Joan Powell, and Catie Shinn.

Tom Abeln opened the meeting with a discussion about relationships and how important it is to get to know one another. It is also important to be able to express our concerns and voice our anger in a way that does not destroy the group or discourage others from participating. He suggested we support activities that allow members to develop positive working relationships and recognize that we are all dealing with issues in our personal lives which may affect the work we do in VFP. 

Tom discussed the death of Nelson Mendella and any memories or quotes from his life. Several discussed the fact that as of 2008, Nelson Mendela was on the terrorist list of the U.S. and said that today's terrorists may be tomorrow's hero.  Tim discussed Mandela's similarity to Martin Luther King and talked about how they both "ruffled feathers" and spoke out about the hypocrisy of the U.S. government in terms of wars and killing people.

Kim and Tim discussed the showing of "Unmanned: America's Drone War" at Carpenter Branch Library last Saturday. Not many people showed up but the discussion was good.  There will be another showing Thursday, January 9th at 7:00 at the Schlafly Branch Library.

Mike discussed his work on the website and suggested we move to a blog format which will allow him to better advertise upcoming events. He is having trouble getting the calendar to work on the website. There will be a link to the blog from the website. He requested all events be sent to him at Mikemusicdreams@charter.net. 

Tim discussed the Human Rights Day event tomorrow night, December 10 at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. Ron Glossop is involved and also is speaking tonight at the Ethical Society, which is why he isn't here.  Tim reported that New Life Evangelistic Center will have a march to City hall beginning at 12:00 tomorrow. The hearing at the Board of Aldermen to try to close down NLEC will be at 1:30. 

Kim reported that early registration to table at Earth Day in April is January 9 and the registration fee is $85.00. Doug Parker contributed the registration fee.  All agreed we should pay the fee. 

Joan Powell announced that the AKA Bridge Sorority invited VFP to participate in their MLK activities on Monday, January 20 from 11:00 - 5:00.  They are also requesting donations of coats & jackets.  Seven members volunteered to participate sometime during that time period. Several members will attend the MLK march with the VFP banner and then attend the sorority event which includes volunteering and participating in a dinner.

No one was clear on the dates for the next Stand Down or Stand UP, so it will be announced at the next meeting.

Katie announced that there is an execution scheduled for Tuesday, December 10th.  If there is not a stay, there will be a prayer service & vigil at College church on Grand & Lindell at 7:15 (prayer) and vigil from 8:00-9:00. 

Tom ended the meeting with information from the Regional Conference which focused on the importance of relationships in order to build the organization and move the work of VFP forward.   It was decided to hold a potluck and movie night on Saturday, February 15 at the church. Tom will contact the pastor.  It was also agreed to contribute $50.00 to the church for Christmas.  Tim asked about VFP supporting/sponsoring a speaker if she comes into town, a nun from Syria (Mother Agnes) to speak.  Everyone agreed that more information is needed on Syria and that we would sponsor that.  Tim will contact people about when and where. 

          Respectfully submitted,

          Kim Jayne, Secretary Pro Tem

Movie Showing "Unmanned: America's Drone War"

Join the international effort to expose the financial & humane costs of the U.S. military industrial complex.

Veterans For Peace will be screening the important new documentary by Robert Greenwald. This film focuses attention on "signature strikes" with drones, which the President has publicly joked about, while many innocent civilians have died as a result. Please join us in finding out more about this important topic.

New Blog

This is the new Blog for Veterans For Peace Chapter 61 (Don Connors chapter). We will be posting articles of interest to members of the chapter, members from other chapters of Veterans For Peace (VFP) and to others interested in the Peace movement in the Saint Louis Area. All are welcome at VFP Chapter 61 meetings, and we will update regularly on this blog where and when we will be meeting, as well as what is going on in our group.