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To the editor:
Given a recent bill passed by Congress and signed by President Biden, it’s “A Grand Night for Singing!” (Rodgers and Hammerstein) if you’re a supporter of the National Security State. Other Americans, though, might feel trapped on “A Ship Without a Sail” (Rodgers and Hart).
A case in point is a $95.3 billion foreign and military aid bill to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan (the latter an example of the new Cold War with China). These billions of dollars are in addition to the military budget for the 2025 fiscal year. A War Resisters League analysis finds current military expenditures are $1,191 trillion, and past military expenditures are $1,337 trillion.
Senator Chuck Schumer claims the $61 billion earmarked for Ukraine will be the difference between victory and defeat.
A more realistic, but still problematic objective, is that this aid will result in battlefield victories that put Ukraine in a stronger negotiating position. Biden said that “within hours” Ukraine would receive weapons. Biden calls it “a good day for world peace.”
A more accurate description is that it’s an unnecessary prolonging of both our proxy war and the killing fields.
Howard Elterman
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