One could reasonably conclude that Christine Cribb had not even read Kirk Boxleitner’s well-done article about AG Bob Ferguson suing the Navy — for violating the law. The Navy has been acting with intentional and reckless disregard of legal requirements that others are bound to. This behavior is not at all inconsistent with U.S. military self-assigned exceptionalism in general. The list of illegal wars it has incited around the globe is long and dates from the nation’s very inception to the present day. Why should training for those wars be any different?

The rallying cry of ‘jobs’ is the adhesive that binds the omnipresent military-industrial complex. Whether it’s closing unnecessary bases or ending multi-million-dollar debacle programs like the F-35, responsible action is prohibited due to the potential loss of jobs.

Profit is rarely admitted to, but that’s the other prime driver. America is number one in the manufacture and export of armaments. The American people have become virtual slaves to the racket of war, with so-called ‘defense’ related items and activities chewing up more than half of every tax dollar, to the detriment of the basic needs of the commons.

In truth, however, it’s not about ‘defense.’ It’s about offense. The U.S. government employs economic warfare to fiscally crush sovereign nations, then sends in our children and the death machines to physically destroy the non-compliers. It’s an old, effective and totally immoral game plan. “The Sound of Freedom” is purely a propaganda term. In reality, the jets are the sound of our slavery to the military master. Bombs away, our cities pay. No to a perpetual war economy.

Annette Huenke
Port Townsend