[Buddha-l] query to the list (JKirkpatrick)

[Mitchell Ginsberg]

Hello all, 
Joanna writes in part: 
Aside from this being a holiday today, what bugs my dharma
sensibilities every year is the maudlin media sentimentality
about our fallen military guys accompanied by nothing--zero--
said about why they were inveigled into the recent wars in the
first place, nor about the weapons industry being one of our
biggest. And no mention of the statistics on the very seriously
maimed vets coming out of the Iraq fiasco as compared to other
wars. Best wishes
Joanna


A recent report indicates that in these past two years, there have 
been more US Vets who committed suicide than there were 
military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Part of the 
casualties that usually overlooked when gathering statistics 
and other data about the cost of wars. 
And the military expenditures (not only those in the Budget but
special allotments, as to the wars or is it non-wars, in Iraq, 
Afghanistan and/or elsewhere) ... are not in the forelight when 
discussing cutting back on federal spending. Which in one 
light is most curious. 
On an explicitly Buddhist note, watching a film of scenes 
smuggled out of Burma (aka Myanmar) of the Saffron Revolution, 
the 2007 activities against the brutal militarized government there, 
Burma VJ (VJ=video journalist), makes it clear that a Buddhist
sangha and or its spirit can reach a point where it feels it 
appropriate to speak out against violence against human beings! 
Mitchell ==========
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