Military budget busting

I received a flier this morning from NJ Citizen Action announcing a march and vigil to take place Thursday in New Brunswick calling for the military budget to be cut by 25 percent and for that money to be used to help struggling families.

The march, which is being organized by 30 social justice groups, including NJ Citizen Action and NJ Peace Action, is timed to play off the sixth anniversary of the Iraq War to dramatize the war’s cost and the cost of the American military overall.

The vigils will take place at “seven symbolic locations” to “highlight the need to cut the military budget and increase investment in health care, housing, education, jobs, social services and infrastructure,” the release said.

“With America continuing to struggle from a deep recession, the 6th Anniversary of Iraq is the perfect opportunity to illustrate Washington’s need to shift priorities. American’s know that the security of our families does rest on wasteful military spending nor obsolete Cold War weapons – our security instead depends on Washington making real investments that will Rebuild & Renew America Now,” said Atif Malik, New Jersey Citizen Action.

I’d like to get to the vigils, but I’m kind of stuck at home this week with a couple of recuperating dogs.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet