Bread Not Stones Bus Opens Redirection Effort
by Bill SlavickThe first stage in Bread Not Stones: A National Catholic Campaign to Redirect Military Spending stopped in Portland on Halloween and Burlington VT two days later when the cross-country Moneymobile bus tour was completed.
Unfortunately, 25-knot winds and rain foreclosed the planned programs in Monument Square, but press interviews with the articulate young troupe resulted in good media coverage of the tour.
The Pax Christi USA campaign, co-sponsored here by Peace Action Maine and Maine Veterans for Peace grew out of a statement by 50-odd PCUSA bishops:
"In a time of unprecedented economic prosperity and budget surpluses, our political leaders cannot find the resources to provide a good education and reliable health care for tens of millions of our nation's children, and we are told that we cannot afford targeted tax relief for millions of struggling families. We view the federal budget as a moral document that must reflect our degree of compassion for those who are poor and suffering in our society. During this budget and election cycle we must marshal our resources and summon our moral courage to say 'no' to a bloated military budget, which robs those who are poor and vulnerable and 'yes' to a budget which helps lift people out of poverty."
The Moneymobile, lent by Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, founded by Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, stopped in 30 cities. Using giant, dramatic inflatables (some as high as 27 feet), charts, and theatrics, the tour presented the story of U.S. military spending, and revealed the consequences of spending too much on the military and not enough on health insurance.
The single inflatable that was blown up in Portland showed that in Spain, Italy, Great Britain and Japan all children have health insurance, whereas in the United States, 11 million children are uninsured. We now rank thirteenth in infant mortality and eighteenth in student test scores. Unsurprisingly, the defense industry spends millions in political campaigns.
The Disarmament Committee of Peace Action Maine is looking into the possiblity of using some of the inflatables for our tax day rally in April.
Bill Slavick is chair of Pax Christi Maine and a member of the Disarmament Committee of Peace Action Maine.
Back to Peace Talk Index, December 2000