We have been critics of the military for a long time. We’ve been critical of the endless wars the military is sent to fight, and of the inhumane weapons and methods the military uses against people around the world.

Perhaps most of all, we’ve been critical of the bloated military spending—$738 billion this year—that distorts our nation’s priorities. While 53 cents of every discretionary tax dollar goes to the Pentagon, we’re told there’s just no money to pay for Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, ending college debt, or a new jobs program.

The military has long been the biggest, best-funded institution of our entire government. And right now, while we’re struggling against a deadly pandemic, we’re not using it for anything close to the right reasons.

Read the full article at Newsweek.

Rev. Dr. William Barber II is the president of Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A Call for Moral Revival. Phyllis Bennis directs the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies. Follow her on Twitter @PhyllisBennis.

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