An unending war

To the editor:

Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher, wrote “War is the father of all things.”  A prime example is the political, economic and moral price the country has paid for 78 years of a National Security State, including 23 years of an endless war against terrorism.  The Costs of War project found 20 years of post-9/11 wars cost the U.S. an estimated $8 trillion dollars and killed over 900,000 people.

Since World War II the National Security State, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, has repeatedly lied, told half-truths, and acted deceptively about its foreign interventions, covert actions and proxy wars. In 1975 Frank Church held Senate hearings that exposed abuses of power by the executive branch, including the CIA, the NSA and the FBI.  In the wake of 9/11, however, the reforms put in place by Congress were ignored, undermined or subverted by the Bush-Cheney administration, future administrations, and a compliant Congress. 

One legacy of efforts to root out terrorism in the Middle East has been the Biden administration’s unconditional military and diplomatic support for Israel after the Hamas attack last year.  During the following ten months, the U.S. sent over 50,000 tons of military equipment and arms.  The Watson Institute at Brown University reported that from Oct. 7, 2023 to September 30, 2024, “…the U.S. … spent at least 22.76 billion dollars on military aid to Israel and related U.S. operations in the region.” 

In its war against Hamas, the Israeli government has carried out gross human rights abuses in Gaza, as well as in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Lebanon.  The Biden administration arms Israel, and Israel continues to indiscriminately bomb Gaza, despite our claim that Israel had already dismantled Hamas’s military capacity.  A few weeks ago, the UN Security Council, in a 14 to 1 vote, called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza.  The lone opposition was the veto cast by the U.S.

Howard Elterman