Following October's peace demonstrations, November brings us Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, celebrating the conclusion of the "war to end all wars."
Once again we are bogged down in another war, with many questioning if we should be in Afghanistan at all -- just what our purpose is. Is it worth the price we are paying?Most have little doubt about our presence in Iraq: It should never have been. Our military presence in other parts of the world, little noticed by the majority in our nation, has earned us the reputation of an imperialistic empire.We may not be in shooting wars in these places, but our uniformed presence is keenly felt. The United States is rightfully blamed for the failure of the League of Nations conceived by our President Wilson following that "war to end all wars." Likewise, we are often reluctant players in the United Nations born in the U.S. to solve differences without war.What we do speaks so loudly, the world can't hear what we say. We insist on special protection for our military, and even our contractors, from the laws of the nations where they are stationed.We build huge compounds with the accouterments of home for our citizens in foreign territory. We show little respect for their cultures, failing to learn from history. Diplomacy takes a back seat to the military for achieving foreign policy objectives.My perspective is not intended as anti-military. I speak as a veteran, which relatively few women and an ever smaller percentage of men can do with no draft. In fact, relatively few have any military connection. It is precisely because I do support the military that I question how this nation is deploying it.It has long been said that old men send the young to war, but President Carter, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, is a leading peace advocate. President Eisenhower -- well-versed in the ways of war -- warned us about the military-industrial complex promoting weapons of war.A bedrock principle of this nation has been civilian control of the military. Yet we have a commanding general, departing from his role as adviser on the military mission, publicly urging the president, who must consider his responsibility to the entire nation, to send additional troops to Afghanistan.The U.S. currently has 865 bases in more than 40 countries. More than a half century since the end of World War II, almost 100,000, including 48,000 dependents and civilian employees, are in Japan alone.In May, the Office of Management and Budget projected a deficit of $1.75 trillion, not counting the Pentagon's $640 billion, plus the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Given our current economy, this is not sustainable, fiscally or morally. Nor does it serve us or the planet well in other respects.Chalmers Johnson writing for TomDispatch.com has 10 points necessary to move us from the Imperialistic Empire to the peace-loving nation we consider ourselves. However, they can be summed up by No. 10: Give up our inappropriate reliance on military force as the chief means of attempting to achieve foreign policy objectives.Our economy is in tatters, plainly evident in our community. The death count is going up in Afghanistan -- for both our military and their citizens. Our air is polluted. Water is in dire shortage. We have many homeless citizens, overcrowded prisons and on and on. By no means should we, nor can we, turn isolationist, but there are better ways than fighting.On Veterans Day, let us think about the sacrifices made by our military and how our resources, both human and material, could be better used protecting our environment and providing for the less fortunates of the planet. Let us make the promise of President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize a reality.