Voices Flyers

Flyer - Keep the Guard Home

A flyer on the scheduled deployment to Iraq of the Wisconsin National Guard’s 32nd Brigade Combat Team in 2009.

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Flyer -- Growth of Supplemental War Spending, 2003 to 2007

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Flyer on Military Spending vs. Domestic Spending: 2001 - 2008

By Jeff Leys

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How Much Money for War?

In 2001, the U.S. spent $306 billion on the military. President Bush is asking for $481 billion for FY 2008 (fiscal years begin on October 1).
That’s a 58% increase in military spending-and does NOT include spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
That’s also a $52 billion increase over what Congress approved for military spending for this year-or a 12% increase in just one year.
$170 billion will be authorized for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for this year alone. That includes the $70 billion authorized last fall as well as the approximately $100 billion in the pending supplemental spending bill.
President Bush has requested $142 billion in military spending for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for next year.
51% of the federal government’s discretionary spending goes towards the military (discretionary spending does not include such items as Social Security and Medicare which are financed through payroll taxes and other non-income tax sources of revenue).
With spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, military spending will consume 58% of federal discretionary spending next year.

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More Than Three Years After: The Iraq War Drags On, And Gets Deadlier

December 18, 2006

Those who will not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Vietnam 1963-1975	Iraq 2003-2006
An illegal act of pre-emptive aggression unsanctioned by international law or world opinion.	An illegal act of pre-emptive aggression unsanctioned by international law or world opinion.
Fabricated “Gulf Of Tonkin Attack” fools Congress.	“Weapons of Mass Destruction” claims fool Congress.
Sold as a war to promote democracy, and to fight communism, actually an imperial war for rubber and manganese.	Sold as a war to promote democracy, a battle in the “war on terror,” actually an imperial war to control pricing and flow of oil.
Upwards of 2 Million Vietnamese civilians die. (Lots of images on TV screen).	Estimates of Iraqi deaths range from 45,000 to 655,000 and counting. (TV images suppressed).
55,000 American soldiers die.	Over 2,804 American soldiers dead, so far.
Tens of thousands of U.S. service members wounded, physically and mentally; treatment inadequate.	Over 20,000 U.S. service members wounded, so far; veterans’ benefits cut.
Agent Orange health effects denied.	Depleted uranium health effects denied.
Government lies to press called “credibility gaps.”	Government lies accepted as “information warfare.”
US media celebrate start of war, question war as protests increase, some coverage from north’s point of view.	US media celebrate start of war, question war as protests increase, reporters are stuck in the green zone.
Flag draped coffins come home. Johnson, McNamara, Nixon attended funerals.	Flag draped coffins concealed from view. Bush, Rumsfeld ignore funerals, media follow suit.
Arrogant Defense Secretary McNamara sees “light at the end of the tunnel.”	Arrogant Defense Secretary Rumsfeld sees “long hard slog” to victory.
Demonstration elections held in Vietnam, “Free Elections” celebrated by press.	Press credits Bush with securing “Free Elections” in Iraq, Voter insistence on US withdrawal ignored.
Resistance and casualties keep growing.	Resistance and casualties keep growing.
President Johnson’s domestic “War On Poverty” lost to military spending.	Bush throws up hands: can’t fund health care and other urgent social needs.
U.S. allies angry and alienated.	U.S. allies angry and alienated.
“Vietnamization” plan to train South Vietnam Army, and gradually withdraw U.S. troops.	Attempts to train Iraqi Army to take brunt for fighting (permanently backed up by U.S. Military bases) countered vigorously by Iraqi resistance.
Prisoners in south tortured and held in “tiger cages,” U.S. POW’s tortured and killed in the north.	Iraqi prisoners tortured at Abu Ghraib, U.S. troops tortured and killed.
U.S. troops first to reveal war crimes, such as the My Lai Massacre.	U.S. troops leak images from Abu Ghraib.
Use of illegal munitions, napalm, cluster bombs and Agent Orange used on civilians.	Use of illegal munitions, cluster bombs, napalm-like firebombs and depleted uranium used on civilians.
U.S. troops finally withdrawn after 11 years.	U.S. builds permanent military bases in Iraq and, in the Green Zone, the largest embassy in the world.