War Watch Wednesdays, #118, March 22, 2023

 

War Watch Wednesdays, #118, March 22, 2023

“Talkin’ Desert Storm”  by Kelly Mulhollan.
AFSC, Weekend Reading.  
Brett Wilkins.  “US Increases Dominance as World's Top Arms Exporter.” 

I hope my readers will someday hear Kelly sing his impelling song about our warrior president Bush II and one of his wars, written “the very day we started the first Gulf War.”  Here are the lyrics.   --D Talkin’ Desert Storm  by Kelly Mulhollan Who would have guessed how the whole world’s fate woulda’ changed when Saddam Invaded Kuwait? They’ll forever be arguing the circumstances but it seems the Amir’d been takin’ chances – Fixin’ prices, and doing a little slant drilling   And, where there’s oil you’ll always find that Uncle Sam has found the time To make a few friends and reserve some places for Airforce runways and Army bases Well, just in case, you never know, Gotta’ keep your eyes on free enterprise   With the Russians consumed by their own shrinking borders Bush thought  he’d claim him a new world order He’d show all the world all his fabulous toys and just for good measure, add a half a million boys The New World Police!  Gonna’ liberate the Amir!   So Bush set off on heart felt mission, had to pay off the leaders of a world coalition Make us look like the world defender cause some Americans can still remember - Vietnam, didn’t go so well We’d need good relations, he even bought off the United Nations   But he still couldn’t sell it, not for jobs, not for freedom, he’s a rackin’ his a brain for a line that he could feed em’ And appealing to our hearts from the pit of his soul he finally found one that would fly in the polls And it was Hitler!  Now that one flew. And this time, He’s Nuclear.    And so it goes, that a dead broke nation billions in debt with a looming recession Like a mad dog cornered and rearin’ to fight our F -18s scream off in the night and the war had begun Stay tuned to your TV sets!   And if it ever ends it may come to be by the loaded dice of history That with all our connections, sooner or later we’ll find them Iraqis another dictator And there we’ll stand, on our new claimed soil talkin’ democracy and selling all their oil For millions, and billions Till it’s all, Gone   AFSC, Weekend Reading, 3-18-23 Dear Dick, March 19 marks the 20th anniversary of the [2ND] Iraq War. Today, it’s clear as ever that the U.S. cannot solve the world’s problems with war and military responses. Instead, we must invest in peace, diplomacy, and nonviolent solutions that benefit all people and communities. Read more from AFSC’s Mike Merryman-Lotze, Beth Hallowell, and Mary Zerkel. And join us on March 28 for our webinar “Remembrance and Accountability: The Iraq War at 20” to discuss what we’ve learned and how we can build a different future. Register today.   [You might recall that OMNI’s founding Mission Statement was copied from the AFSC and FCNL.]   BRETT WILKINS.  “US Increases Dominance as World's Top Arms Exporter.”   Common Dreams (3-14-23).   https://www.commondreams.org/news/arms-trade   "The impacts of the global arms trade aren't just about the volume of weapons delivered," said one expert, citing "a few examples of how U.S. arms deliveries can make the world a more dangerous place." A Sweden-based research institute published a report Monday showing that the United States accounted for 40% of the world's weapons exports in the years 2018-22, selling armaments to more than 100 countries while increasing its dominance of the global arms trade. The report—entitled Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2022—was published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and listed the United States, Russia, France, China, and Germany as the world's top five arms exporters from 2018-22. The five nations accounted for 76% of worldwide weapons exports during that period. The five biggest arms importers over those five years were India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia, and China.  "The country is sprinting towards a trillion-dollar budget for weapons and war," the groups wrote in a new letter. "We cannot continue down this morally bankrupt path."   MORE    https://www.commondreams.org/news/arms-trade       [I have recently added Common Dreams to my abundant  sources on US warmaking.  –D]