e-Action Report
April, 2008
Vol.1 No. 5
PDF format.

A Note from Peter Deccy, STIMULATE The Opposition
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1. Another Cold War?
2. $495 Billion Spent in Iraq Occupation
3. Peace Action Promotes Peaceful Budget Priorities
4. Election in Focus: The Candidates on the Military Budget
5. Military Budget Breakdown by Department.

Another Cold War?
As the U.S. economy descends into crisis the Bush administration continues to waste tax payer dollars on aggressive military posturing reminiscent of the Regan era Space Wars. Then, Peace Action was part of a nationwide coalition against nuclear weapons and interstellar missiles which halted Regan’s newest Cold War plans before the program was fully implemented. Today, we must again unite our efforts to combat a new space war with the potential to spur another major U.S. recession.
FULL ARTICLE

$495 Billion Spent in Iraq Occupation
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) admonished the DOD’s “Global War on Terrorism” (GWOT), for the 3rd year, citing a lack of transparency and accountability for the over $495 billion appropriated to this program so far. “Operation Iraqi Freedom” represents over $300 billion of that Federal spending; but according to their own report, “problems with the processes for recording and reporting GWOT costs raise concerns that these data may not accurately reflect the true dollar value of war-related costs.”
FULL ARTICLE

Peace Action Promotes Peaceful Budget Priorities
In the pursuit of a more peaceful Federal budget Peace Action has been a leader among those organizations calling for better diplomatic ties with Iran. Currently, our tax dollars are spent on veiled attempts at regime change, aggressive missile defense in Iran’s northern boarders and Navy aircraft carriers stationed off the Iranian coast.
FULL ARTICLE

Election in Focus: The Candidates on the Military Budget
Read more at the Peace Voter Website

Clinton stated that the military budget could be cut and better spent on re-building the American infrastructure and getting U.S. troops out of Iraq.

Question: Can we reallocate some of that (defense) money and throw it into health, education, welfare, environment?
Response: Senator McCain said, “The first pork barrel bill that comes my desk as president, I will veto it and make the authors of that bill famous.”

He wants to add 65,000 troops to the Army and recruit 27,000 more Marines to fight terrorism. He wants the American military to "stay on the offense, from Djibouti to Kandahar," and he believes that "the ability to put boots on the ground will be critical in eliminating the shadowy terrorist networks we now face." He wants to ensure that we continue to have "the strongest, best-equipped military in the world."