Letters: America must cut its military spending

I want to support the op-ed by Rev. William Barber II and Phyllis Bennis in last Wednesday’s Tribune. If we ever want to go forward as a nation we must cut the incredible amounts we spend on the military in all its aspects, from the obscene amounts spent to wage endless wars in the Middle East, to the maintenance of hundreds of overseas military bases, to the purchase of incredibly expensive weaponry which will very probably never be used.

The figures given by Barber and Bennis are in line with what I have seen elsewhere: About 800 military bases around the world, roughly 170,000 troops deployed in more than 80 countries. This is much more in the nature of a futile attempt to control the world than to defend the United States.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which generates reliable figures each year, U.S. military spending last year was greater than that of the next seven countries combined (China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, India, Germany, United Kingdom, France).

There’s much more to say. Look into it yourself, and call the presidential candidates to account on this question!

John Stevenson

Niles

Interesting

I just finished reading the front page article in the Feb. 11 Tribune, “They were flying, man.” I found it interesting that almost the entire article brought forth all the different ways that the law enforcement agencies involved could have handled this, instead of focusing on the criminal act that took place.

This article attempts to focus the blame, if you will, on the Indiana State Police officers involved instead of on the criminals involved in taking an innocent person’s life and seriously injuring his passenger. Down near the end, the names of the passengers were noted, along with the past criminal charges against them. Nowhere is there any mention of a vehicular homicide charge against these people being issued, even though they are all accessories to the subsequent death.

Michael Jaworski

South Bend

A slogan

I have a slogan that Pete Buttigieg could use for hats or T-shirts. MACA ... Make America Care Again. This slogan could be used for Pete or any other candidate who wins the Democratic presidential nomination.

America wearing hate is not a good look for us. Hate is not the first image I want the world to think of when thinking of what America stands for. America used to stand for heart, love, compassion and caring, not hate. It’s about time we Make America Care Again.

James Livengood

South Bend