BRATTLEBORO — Brattleboro Solidarity is hosting a weekend of film and discussion around perpetual war.
On Friday, March 8, the group will screen the 2006 film Why We Fight at 6 p.m., and on Saturday, March 9, they will continue the discussion with a study from 2 to 5 p.m. Both events will be held in the Community Room at the Brooks Memorial Library.
What does perpetual war mean? What is the purpose of these current wars and interventions? How does it connect to our lives here in Brattleboro? How are our children being taught about these events and about the world and the human community? These are the questions that, in a news release, Brattleboro Solidarity says they will be discussing.
According to Brattleboro Solidarity, “the media are teaching people, including our young, that war is inevitable, normal, and necessary for 'freedom' and 'democracy,'” however, “the consequence of war is violence, disease, death, families ripped apart, children separated, and societal infrastructures destroyed.”
According to an unclassified White House report obtained in early 2018 by The New York Times, the U.S. is currently officially fighting in seven countries - Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and Niger.
The U.S. maintains 800 military bases in more than 70 countries and is the largest exporter of arms, sending weapons to over 100 countries. Then, there are those that profit from war, namely defense contractors, Hollywood, the video game industry, and the tech industry of Silicon Valley.
“'Spreading democracy' and 'humanitarian aid' has been used as justifications for U.S. military intervention,” according to Brattleboro Solidarity. “The dangerous rhetoric is seen again today around Venezuela, as President Trump says 'all options are on the table.'”