3/5/2024
JRB,
How’s the SOTU prep going? According to the Times of Israel, you will see 17 folks in the audience wearing yellow ribbons & dog tags as a reminder of their family members being held hostage in Gaza. NJ Rep Josh Gottheimer is hosting two guests from his district. I don’t know who the other Congress members hosting the other 15, but I encourage you to acknowledge them & express your solidarity.
I fantasize that you will take that opportunity to suggest the US retool itself by minimizing the war industry & maximizing the care industry. You could throw #s at people to help them understand. Using specifics about the companies that are profiting from selling parts of the bombs falling on Palestinian civilians would have a dramatic effect.
Here are some facts:
General Dynamics, manufacturer of MK82 bombs saw a 7.3% increase in revenue from 2022. They employ 106,500 people. Half of them could be redirected to schools to ameliorate the teacher shortage (55,000).
Boeing Defense, Space & Security maker of Joint Direct Attack Munitions saw revenues go up 8% last year. Their 17,000 employees could shift over to nursing. We need 275,000 of those so if those people became health care workers, it would be a drop in the bucket.
FMU-139 bomb fuses are made by Northrop Grumman with sales up 7% & 100,000 workers who could shift into childcare and elder care. We need millions of those folks.
This labor shift would require some macho men to get reoriented to let their loving sides emerge to do these new jobs. That would be good for everyone.
As long as we are dreaming of a more peaceful world, let’s imagine what Burma would be like if the junta stopped dropping bombs. The various factions would still have to work things out, but they could do so in a non-violent manner.
Even if you aren’t ready to declare the end of the military-industrial complex, I hope you will lay off the war rhetoric in your speech.
BYBS,
