war, environment & Peace Tax idea

Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 12:18:10 -0400
To: sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca
From: jan@TartanNET.ns.ca (Jan Slakov)
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <sust-mar-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>

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Dear Sust-mar,

Shortly before Christmas Pat Kipping sent out a request over this list for
info on the environmental costs of militarism. 

As one can easily guess, these costs are extremely high. (David Suzuki once
wrote in a note to a friend who is very concerned about (severe pollution
from) Gagetown base in NB: "I've always maintained that we should keep our
Department of National Defence but it should be National Department of
Environmental Defence. Our soldiers should be battling pollution and fires
and replanting trees, restoring the Earth. Right now they are at war with
the planet.")

I hope the excerpts from an article I wrote about 4 years ago and a more
recent letter to the editor will help others on this list find useful ways
to move us towards common security and away from militarism/destruction of
the Earth.

all the best, Jan Slakov, Weymouth, NS B0W 3T0, (902) 837-4980
PS I have lots more information and am happy to do my best to share it. 
*********************************************
>Lest We Forget: Our #1 Polluter
>
>It's not everybody that sees the similarities between the arms race and 
>an alcoholic addiction. But noted author, scientist and Grey Nun, Sister 
>Rosalie Bertell, does. She suggests that we look at the world as a family 
>where most of the members go without, so that a few can feed their 
>addiction -- to arms.  
<snip>
>Slakov draws our attention to the following facts compiled by the 
>Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT): 
>
>(Dots)		The Pentagon generates more toxic waste each year than 
>the five largest chemical companies combined.

> 	An F-16 fighter plane burns more fuel in one hour than the 
>average U.S. car does in one year.  
>
>	·
> 	The world's militaries use as much energy as the economy of 
>Japan, or about six percent of total use world-wide.  
>
>For those suspecting bias in COAT's perspective, Slakov points out that  
> TIME magazine has also labelled the military "the nation's No. 1 
>polluter," and "TIME can hardly be called a publication of the peace 
>movement!"                 
><snip>
>"One thing we must definitely stop doing is selling arms and equipment 
>which could have a military use to repressive dictators," she stresses." 
>This is tantamount to selling handguns to the Mafia."  
>
>Despite the federal government's claim that it "closely controls the 
>export of military goods and technology" (quoted in the 1995 Annual 
>Report on Export of Military Goods from Canada), Slakov observes 
>that Canada allows the sale of arms to a host of repressive regimes, 
>including Indonesia, China, and Saudi Arabia. 
>
>"Not only do we permit these sales, we encourage them," says Slakov. As 
>Murray Thomson, executive secretary of Peacefund Canada has pointed out, 
>"an entire branch of External Affairs -- the Defence Programs Bureau --  
>is dedicated to expanding Canada's part of this lucrative business."
>
>Of particular concern to environmentalists was last fall's sale of CANDU 
>reactors to China. "These reactors are not, strictly speaking, military 
>equipment," says Slakov, "although the plutonium they produce can be used 
>to make bombs. As we all know, plutonium is only one of the types of 
>radioactive waste produced, and China is notorious for dumping its 
>nuclear waste in Tibet, which it invaded shortly after WWII and continues 
>to occupy. In order to go ahead with the sale, our government 
>circumvented its own environmental legislation."  
<snip
>
Sidebar
>
>We should be reminded  that peace is something we can foster in the very 
> way we go about building a better world. Humility and humour can do 
>wonders, where ranting and raving might only pull us down. With this on 
>my mind one day, I thought of a little riddle:  Why doesn't the military 
>have to pay the GST? (Believe it or not, they are indeed exempt from 
>paying the GST.) Well you see, it's not buying "goods" but "bads" and 
>it's not providing a "service," but a "disservice"....(My apologies to 
>the people in the armed forces who are doing something positive for 
>peace.) 
>
>Jan Slakov
****************************************************************
Dear Editor,

As the January 8 _Regional_ informs us, Canadian troops are off to Afghanistan.
I hope they will come back sane and healthy. But I wish most of all they
were not going at all.

The current "war on terror" is undermining our democracy (through bills like
C-36 and c-35) and it is spreading terror to one of the most impoverished
areas of the world. The bombing will not bring justice to those responsible
for the Sept. 11 attacks but, as some people are joking, the incredible
carpet bombing of Afghanistan "was part of the contract": The US Air Force
is preparing the groundwork/roadbed for the Unocal pipeline, at American
taxpayers' expense! They won't "find bin Laden" until their work is done.

A letter-to-the-editor in the Jan. 9 Digby Courier pointed out that Veterans
Affairs Minister Ron Duhamel recently expressed "regret" for the 23 Canadian
soldiers who were executed for desertion during WW 1 (while Australian & New
Zealand deserters were not executed). Following one's conscience should be
honoured, not punished. There is a group, Conscience Canada (Box 8601,
Victoria Central PO, BC V8V 3S2 <peacetax@islandnet.com>), which works to
enable taxpayers to redirect their military taxes towards real
security-building efforts, rather than the immoral and illegal "war on
terror". One of its pamphlets highlights a Graham Green quote which is worth
reflecting on:

"Perhaps to the soldier, the civilian is the man who employs him to kill,
who includes the guilt of murder in the pay-envelope and escapes
responsibility."

Sincerely, Jan Slakov
*********************************************************
Here is a list of URLs to provide much-needed info about the so-called "war
on terror":

http://www.infowars.com/resources.html

Who is Osama Bin Laden?  
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO109C.html
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO110A.html

Who created and funded the Al Qaeda Network?  
http://www.communitycurrency.org/vital.html

What is the relationship between Bin Laden, his family and
the Bush family? 
http://www.copvcia.com/stories/sept_2001/bushbin.html
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/LAZ112A.html

Why were no fighter planes dispatched to intercept the four
hijacked planes on September 11th? 
http://www.nypress.com/14/50/taki/bunker.cfm
http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/indict-1.htm
http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/indict-2.htm

What role did Pakistani Intelligence play on September 11th?
 http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO111A.html#c

Did the CIA have foreknowledge of the attack, who tried to
profit with put options on American, United, Merrill
Lynch... stock just before the attack?? 
http://www.copvcia.com/stories/oct_2001/krongard.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=99402

Why were the FBI told to not investigate the Bin Laden
family links in the US? 
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/BBC111A.html
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/HIN111A.html
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/MAR111A.html

If the CIA met with Bin Laden last July, why didn't they try
to arrest him? 
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/RIC111B.html

If the US is serious about ridding the world of terrorism,
why do we continue to fund and train terrorists?
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/PAS111A.html
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/MAR111A.html

IF CIA AND THE GOVERNMENT WERENíT INVOLVED IN THE SEPTEMBER
11 ATTACKS, WHAT WERE THEY DOING?
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/RUP112A.html

Why are we bombing Afghanistan, when none of the alleged
bombers actually came from there, could there be another
reason for our presence in that region? 
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/RUP111B.html
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/PIL111B.html

Is this war illegal?  When will the FBI, the CIA and the
National Security Agency start to turn their new powers
(that they have under the Ashcroft police state bill)
against American citizens?
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/BOY111C.html

What are Bush, Cheney and Rice's connections to the oil
industry? http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CAV111A.html

Has the US government ever thought to mislead the public to
justify a war against another country?
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/jointchiefs_010501.html
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20010430/

Who was responsible for the Anthrax attacks, and why were
Democrats and the media the targets? 
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO111D.html
http://www.observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,582222,00.html

Why seal Presidential records?  Why intimidate professors
from speaking out against this war?
http://www.tompaine.com/features/2001/11/30/3.html
http://globalresearch.ca/articles//GON112A.html
http://globalresearch.ca/articles//MCM112A.html
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/VIN111A.html



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