Paying for War

An article I recently came across by Richard Vandwater brings up several important points that Catholic critics of war frequently overlook. Fr. Vandwater serves Christians in the Holy Land. His work is no doubt riddled with difficulties and danger. But some of his observations struck me as somewhat off kilter. For starters, there was this assertion:

The substantial increase in military support for Israel will undoubtedly face criticism here and abroad. US taxpayers are being asked to donate $30 billion in weapons to Israel (almost $8 billion of which we end up buying for them from their own companies!) at a time when our own nation's financial resources are stretched thin. According to a June 28, 2007 Congressional Research Service report, the US has spent $611 billion on the "war on terror" ($567 billion of that in Iraq alone) since Sept. 11, 2001. As a result of the financial drain, our own economy, schools, and health care programs are currently in shambles.

Our nation's financial resources are not "stretched thin." The government is swimming in money. The federal government has more (of our) money than it knows what to do with. Vandwater focuses on the large sum of money spent on the war on terror but that amount is but a drop in the bucket when compared to how much the government has spent over the past several decades on failed social programs: The New Deal, The Great Society, The War on Poverty, etc. The pathetic condition of our health care system, schools and economy is not the result of the defense budget, as Vandwater suggests, but of the worn-out machinations of a bloated government that's trying to run our lives. (I might add that Vandwater's assertion that our economy is "in shambles" is open for debate. Many economic indicators point to a surging, robust economy.) Vandwater's underlying assumption here is that spending less money on war and more on remedying social ills is the answer to our problems. But experience proves otherwise.

Vandwater then discusses cluster bombs and falls back on a statement made by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Catholic moral teaching on just war insists that noncombatant immunity be respected and that the use of force be discriminate. The indiscriminate nature of failed cluster bomb "duds" makes them akin to landmines. Cluster munitions pose serious risks to civilians in conflict and post-conflict situations...The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops stands with the Holy See in its call to address the harmful effects of cluster munitions. This commitment flows from the Church's teaching on the protection of human life and dignity...The Conference supports restrictions on the use or export of existing, inaccurate stockpiles of cluster munitions. Additionally, we support restricting the use of these weapons in civilian areas.

With all due respect, the last line appears to highlight just how out of touch many moralists and theologians are when it comes to passing judgement on modern warfare. Muslim extremists specifically target "civilian areas" as ideal locals to stage their attacks. Now, to be certain, I'm not suggesting that cluster bombs are the answer. But if we are going to win this war, while at the same time adhering to principle, we will have to adapt to real life situations and develop our tactics accordingly, otherwise we stand no chance.

http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/64813