January 04, 2006
Wednesday

My wife and I enjoy your on-line newspaper and we use it almost every day for local news and weather. We appreciate your presenting all views from all sides in your "Viewpoints" section and hope you will publish our opinion even if it is contra to yours and the prevailing local philosophy.

Mark Neckameyer and his family have obviously served the United States loyally in the U.S. military for the past century based on what we read in Sitnews today. Unfortunately the military tends to indoctrinate inductees. How else to get people to sacrifice their lives in dangerous missions? Soldiers, even former soldiers are exactly the people to not listen to when it comes to how our nation should proceed today in seeking peace. They have a jingoistic, America love it or leave it slant on things.

The time for nationalism has past. It is time for the United States to share its considerable wealth with the have-nots of the world. We are 10% of the world's population yet we have 40% of the world's wealth and we consume 25% of the world's energy. When we share
with the mostly poor Muslim world and the desperately poor people of South Asia we will be safer. With no military expenditures anywhere we may all live as well as we do today and we will be considerably safer.

Sooner or later there will be a World Government representing all mankind. We must all work towards the goal of hastening the formation of such an arrangement and the US military and military/industrial machine cannot be allowed to stand in the way of accommodations towards that goal. Sure we are strong. The US is too strong militarily for
its own good. Mark Neckameyer would have us stand up to every future threat with threats of force. It would be far better to make friends and share.

Bob and Miriam Harmon
Juneau, AK - USA

About: Bob is a retired teacher as is Miriam, his wife, of twenty-nine years. Bob was born and raised in Seattle and taught English most of his career in the Des Moines, Iowa schools. He wrote, "Although I have not ever been a candidate or official in any political party, my feelings have always been with Liberal causes and I have volunteered in a few Greens Party campaigns. I have always been what most people call "a Pacifist" and I strongly feel that someday, everyone will come to the conclusion that war and killing are
intrinsically wrong." The Harmons moved to Alaska to help Miriam's aging parents two years ago when they retired.

Related Viewpoint:

A Newspaper's responsibility to Protect Its Readers By Mark Neckameyer - Irvine, California - USA

 

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