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Comments of Richard Czaplinski at the Poor Peoples’ Rally, May 14, 2018, Montpelier, VT.

 

I wrote the following lines while I was preparing a message to present at the Vermont Peace Conference in Burlington last Saturday called “Building a World Without War.” The message brings attention to the distorted 2019 US Budget. These numbers tell the story:

 

For Defense and War, $686Billion, UP13 % from 2017

 

For Veterans Affairs (The human costs of War), $76Billion, UP12% from 2017

 

For Dept. of State (Diplomacy and Peace), $26billion, DOWN26%

 

For Restoration of the Environment and Communities, $00  

 

    &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&          

 

WAR AND PEACE

 

The world can no longer afford war

 

The costs are too great

 

Veterans killed

 

Veterans wounded

Civilians killed

 

Civilians wounded

 

Communities destroyed

 

Land, forests, air and water polluted or destroyed

 

Little or no money to care for the wounded

 

No money to rebuild destroyed communities

 

No money to restore the land, forests, air and water

 

War makes us all, every one of us, poor people

 

There is no alternative

 

We must foster peace every day

 

In every way

 

Learn to be at peace within yourself

 

Foster peace in your family

 

In your community

 

In your nation

 

In the world

 

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