Deepak To Barack: How To Convert To A Peace Economy

Posted by | January 1, 2009 12:46 | Filed under: Top Stories


 

Michael Lerner’s Tikkun has published a letter from Deepak Chopra to President-elect Obama with the premise that if peace can’t make as much money as war, it doesn’t stand a chance.  Here are some ways to ameliorate that situation:

 

1. Scale out arms dealing and make it illegal by the year 2020.

2. Write into every defense contract a requirement for a peacetime project.

3. Subsidize conversion of military companies to peaceful uses with tax incentives and direct funding.

4. Convert military bases to housing for the poor.

5. Phase out all foreign military bases.

6. Require military personnel to devote part of their time to rebuilding infrastructure.

7. Call a moratorium on future weapons technologies.

8. Reduce armaments like destroyers and submarines that have no use against terrorism and were intended to defend against a superpower enemy that no longer exists.

9. Fully fund social services and take the balance out of the defense and homeland security budgets.

 

We want peace (or so we claim), and we want the perception that we are a nation that promotes peace.  But because, as Deepak says, “empire follows the dollar,” Obama must back up his vision of change with economic reality.  This is something yet to be accomplished by any other president.  Here is a chance to truly make history.

 

Individually, one can take a personal vow for non-violence in thoughts, speech and actions.  Chopra has created this global movement in his role as President and Founder of  the Alliance for a New Humanity.

 

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Copyright 2009 Liberaland
By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.

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