Healing the Soul of America: on Homeland Security

Dwight Eisenhower: 1961: Permanent armaments industry has grave implications

"We have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence--economic, political, even spiritual--is felt in every city, every state house, every office of the Federal Government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society."

While Eisenhower's comments were made in the middle of the Cold War, we clearly did not heed his warnings, either then or later. Since that time, our military expenditures have steadily increased to the point where they are 54 percent of all discretionary federal funds.

Marianne Williamson: Remove pathological romanization of the military

We need a miracle of God to remove from us what has become an almost pathological romanization of the military. I have a great respect for the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, but their idealization as ultimate and exclusive saviors in times of national distress is a disservice to them and to us all. If America spent more time and resources waging peace, we would find ourselves waging far less war.

Marianne Williamson: Military expenditures are 54% of all discretionary funding

World military spending totaled more than $1.6 trillion in 2015, and the U.S. accounted for 37% of the total. The budget of our Defense Department, for instance is $600 billion, 24 times more than the $26.5 billion allotted to the Department of State.

Are we being served or are we being robbed? Are we being protected or are we being turned into a militaristic nation whose citizens are being led to believe that brute force rather than adherence to our values is the fulcrum of security?

In truth, our military budget is more an expression of the financial appetites of our military-industrial complex than it is a truly wise response to admittedly very real threats.