I have recently discussed the cost of going to war with Iraq. Estimates of the human costs are unknown, but estimates of the number of Americans soldiers that could be involved range from 25,000 to 250,000.

Estimates of the direct costs for the proposed new war with Iraq range from $80 billion (80 thousand million dollars) to $120 billion of which this time our allies may pay nothing. Then there are the indirect costs such as 1) the effect of the war on the stock market, 2) the increase in cost of oil during the war, 3) the potential cost of putting out oil well fires, if the Iraqis torch the oil fields as they did in Kuwait in 1991, 4) the medical and psychological costs of the American war casualties, 5) the financial and emotional costs to the families of the combatants, 6) the risk the war could spread–Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Etc., Etc., 7) the risk that while at war with Iraq, we might be attacked elsewhere including here in the United States, the risk that the war might go nuclear, 9) the damage to the environment, and 10) other risks we may not have thought of or even imagined, etc., etc., etc..

The administration of President George W. Bush is requesting $396.1 billion (396 thousand million dollars) for the military in fiscal year 2003 ($379.3 billion for the Defense Department and $16.8 billion for the nuclear weapons functions of the Department of Energy). … In all, the administration plans to spend $2.1 TRILLION on the military over the next five years. The budget plans, if approved by Congress, would lead the nation back into deficit spending in FY’03 – for the first time in four years.

So the total costs to American, including both the direct and indirect expenses of a new war with Iraq, might exceed $1 trillion ( 1 million million dollars) plus the unquantified suffering of the American combatants their families, and the rest of us.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports there are 287,703,916 Americans as of this morning. Subtracting children, the retired and unemployed that leaves about ~130 million paying taxes. The dollar cost of a war with Iraq to these Americans could be $7, 700. Please get out your checkbooks.

Beyond War

Timothy Wilken, MD

We are Time-binders and the mark of human power is everywhere. When knowledge is incorporated into matter-energy, it becomes a tool. As Galambos explained:

ìHumans develop evermore powerful knowledge and therefore evermore powerful tools. When tools are used to harm other humans they are called weapons. Since human knowledge can grow without limit then tools themselves can be made without limit. And limitless tools can will produce limitless weapons.”

–Andrew J. Galambos 

And, limitless weapons (progress) combined with leveraged adversity (warfare) must by all definitions and understanding of science produce human extinction.

The evolution of the weapon is linked to the evolution of Time-binding. Humans create knowledge, when knowledge is embedded in matter-energy is becomes a tool. When tools are used to hurt others they become weapons. For most of our human history, our tools have been simple.

For most of our human history our weapons have been equally as simple. With the explosion of Time-binding released by Institutional Neutrality, our tools have become evermore powerful, and so have our weapons.

Infinite Weapons

In the 1983 movie WARGAMES, NORAD´s computer – Joshua makes a discovery after playing out all possible outcomes for Global Thermonuclear War. His conclusion, ìA strange game, the only winning move is not to play.”

Let us assume for the sake of this discussion that magically all nuclear weapons were suddenly nonexistent on planet Earth. Let us further assume that through some agent of sanity the very concept of nuclear weapons is so repugnant to humans as to make their re- creation unthinkable. Would we then be safe?

As my brother discovered on the battlegrounds of Viet Nam there was no safe ground. Even with the best weapons the United States could make and never an empty Ammo bag, there was no safe ground.

Would we be safe without nuclear weapons? Again, I must answer, no we would not be safe. We humans can produce weapons without limit. Weapons of infinite destructive capacity. If these weapons are produced, sooner or later, such weapons will be used and sooner or later such use will destroy humankind.

Progress + warfare = human extinction.

The solution to war does not require more powerful weapons. It requires the elimination of weapons.

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