letter “False gods of Metal” letter printed in the 3/11/22 Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Letter as printed
Expensive fighter jets are false gods of metal
It is impossible not to notice an increased number of flights of military aircraft, including several F-22 Raptor jets. Each one of these “false gods of metal” F-22s costs $334 million and $70,000 per hour to fly.
This year’s U.S. military budget is $778 billion. That’s $24 billion more than President Joe Biden requested in the midst of growing human needs, including responding to a global pandemic, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and war refugees, and averting climate disaster.
Remember the words of former president and general Dwight Eisenhower: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.”
Stop glorifying war and weapons of mass destruction and get back to basics: Honor the Earth and respect and love one another as a human family.
Jim Albertini
Kurtistown, Hawaii island
letter sent.
Several F-22 Raptors flew over the Friday, March 4, 2022 Hilo Peace vigil
False gods of metal
It is impossible not to notice recently, the increased military flights, including several F-22 Raptor jets. Each one of these “False gods of metal” F-22s costs $334 million and $70,000 per hour to fly.
This year’s US military budget is $778 Billion. That’s $24 Billion more than Biden requested in the midst of growing human needs — responding to a global pandemic, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and war refugees, averting climate disaster, etc.
Each time we hear the roar of these military jets, desecrating the heavens and the earth, remember the words of former President, and General, Dwight Eisenhower more than 60 years ago: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world of ours is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, and the hopes of its children.”
It’s time we stop glorifying war and weapons of mass destruction and get back to basics: honor the earth, and respect and love one another as a human family.
Jim Albertini
— Jim Albertini Malu ‘Aina Center For Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box 489 Ola’a (Kurtistown) Hawai’i 96760 Phone 808-966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.org Visit us on the web at www.malu-aina.org
