Will Miller Green Mountain Veterans For Peace

Articles, Letters, and Statements by Will Miller Green Mountain VFP

The F35 – Wrong Equipment for the Wrong War

(Commentary, Vermont Digger, January 3, 2019)

In all the controversy and discussion about the F35s coming to Burlington (jobs, noise, dangers to surrounding homes, schools and businesses, reliability, need, cost, to name a few), the real question has not yet been asked – How will the F35s foster peace? And will these planes really be a good defense?

The best war, from everyone’s standpoint, is the war that is not fought. So the real question is how do we avoid war and foster peace? We have heard it said that the best defense is a good offense. However, in the present world of nuclear weapons proliferation, this adage is no longer true, if it ever was. A nuclear first strike, or a lethal mistake, assures certain retaliatory strikes and the result is Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

What is truly bizarre about the weapons game we are playing is that we keep upping the ante when we know that a much smaller percentage of the nuclear weapons than exist now would still ensure MAD.

That the F35s with nuclear capability are to be stationed in Burlington, means, quite frankly, that Burlington becomes a first strike or a retaliatory target by foreign powers to take out the nuclear weapons and the F35s to prevent a counterstrike. The hope is that it never comes to such a nightmare. Increasing our nuclear capability when there already are more than enough nuclear weapons ready to fire makes no common, strategic or economic, sense.

In fact, the economic and human resources lost by building and maintaining the F35s (100 million dollars or more each, plus ongoing maintenance and operational costs) could be spent on diplomacy to reduce tension and to help reduce the conditions that are causing the tensions and problems, namely climate change and the refugee crisis being caused by climate change and war. And, more practically and more effectively for our defense, the resources wasted on the F35s could be used to build our defense where it is sorely lacking – cyber defense.

For example, only a small part of the funds for one F35 could be used to hire and keep the best cyber security personnel. Currently, the US military pays a salary of about $86,000 for cyber experts while their civilian counterparts receive $200,000 and more. This is not building a good defense against the new type of warfare – “cyber warfare.”

How will the F35s foster peace? This is the prime question because the world can no longer afford war, the costs are too great. In my opinion, the F35s will not foster peace, but instead will do the opposite.

I hope that our Congressional delegation, all three of whom were for the basing the F35s in Burlington, would admit their mistake. This decision is not about jobs. It’s not about defense. It’s about money going to the wrong places. It’s the wrong decision and the F35s won’t be of any help In fighting the new war, cyber war, and those resources won’t be available to help meet the challenges and impacts of climate change.

The decision to base the F35s in Burlington should be reconsidered and reversed. I sincerely hope that the powers that be can admit to such mistakes and keep such decisions from being made in the future. If we keep “upping the ante” for an outdated defense, it is literally a dead end.

We cannot be enemies anymore amongst ourselves and against nature. We have a large, serious and fast moving common enemy in climate change. It is fueled by non-other than ourselves. Climate change will not call a truce until and unless we get our act together for peace and mobilize our resources for our common good.

Richard Czaplinski, President

Will Miller Green Mountain Veterans For Peace, Chapter 57

What Kind of Peace?

“I’m for peace, but not your kind of peace.”

So said a man as he came up close to me while I led the Vermont Veterans For Peace (VFP) “Budget Banner” down State Street during the July 3, 2018, Montpelier Parade. My mind went somewhat blank, not even thinking of responding. As we continued down the street, my mind began working again, thinking, questioning; “Hmm! Different kinds of peace? What kind of peace is he for? What kind of peace does he think VFP is for? What kind of peace is VFP for?”

Is peace simply the absence of war? Is it a kind of peace when a truce is called yet an “official” end of the war has not been negotiated, like the “Korean Conflict.”

Is it a kind of peace where the world bristles with nuclear weapons ready to be launched at a moment’s notice? Where nations are afraid to start this “all out” war because of the dire consequences, ending of the world as we know it, in few hours?

Is it a kind of peace that somehow prevails after many are killed, wounded and displaced? Where communities are destroyed, the environment damaged, millions of refugees are created and everyone is exhausted and fearful?

It seems that ever since humans beings have been on the planet, they have battled each other over hunting and grazing grounds, over territories and boundaries. And now, with so many of us (over 7 billion and steadily growing) maybe peace in not possible, at least under the past and present human behaviors and cultural rules that run our societies.

As a veteran (1964-1969) during the “Vietnam Era” assisting in waging that ill begotten war, and now, on the front line of fostering peace with Veterans For Peace, I am convinced that fostering peace is much, much harder than waging war. This being the case, more resources are required for fostering peace than for defense and waging war. This is why the Will Miller Green Mountain Veterans For Peace (Chapter 57) is marching in parades this year with a message about how unbalanced the 2019 US budget is in this regard. Here are the numbers (taken from https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/budget-fy2019.pdf) that are displayed in vivid color in a 50 foot long banner:

Defense (and War): $686 Billion, Up 13 % from 2017 43.5 feet of 50

Veterans Affairs (The Human

Costs of Defense and War): $76 Billion, Up 12 % from 2017 4.8 feet of 50

Dept. of State (Diplomacy/Peace): $26 Billion, Down 26 % from 2017 1.7 feet of 50

Restoration of Communities

And Environment: $00 Billion 0 feet of 50

With our steadily increasing human numbers and the huge problems arising due to those numbers, I’m convinced that we don’t have a chance of avoiding war much less finding a way to lasting peace and abolishing war unless these portions of the 2019 US budget are radically revised to support diplomacy and to foster peace.

This is why we march this year with this message. We need to hear each other, try to understand each other and work with each other to foster peace and avoid war. We need to learn how to foster peace.

Please join us and support us in delivering this message and in fostering peace.

Richard Czaplinski, President

Will Miller Green Mountain Veterans For Peace (Chapter 57)

Warren, Vermont

rczaplinski@madriver.com

Letter to the Editor, Vermont Digger July 6, 2018

Letter: On the Need to Demilitarize State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies in Vermont

12 March 2015 - Submitted to the Vermont State Legislature

Let Cops Be Cops

By J.M.Turner

Posted by the Vermont Peace & Justice Center

Commentary: And the big fool said to push on