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The Maui News Opinion page cartoon Sept. 3 raises a question about the end of our "endless" war in Afghanistan.
It asks, "Who said this war was a failure?" It answers with an image of fat cats carrying off sacks of money labeled "military contractors" and "profits."
The implication is plain. It was a win for the military-industrial complex.
We should remember this in the present moment when we all feel the heartbreak of people who believed in us and will lose everything.
The important question is what comes next.
Can we expect to avoid endless wars if we continue to increase military spending? Or should we redirect our spending to non-military uses? The second choice is more realistic, but more challenging. It's not just military contractors and fat cats who benefit. Many of us benefit directly or indirectly, especially in a state so highly dependent on military spending.
The endless wars began as prospects for a "peace dividend" failed at the end of the Cold War. Military spending was reduced in the U.S. until 1993 and remained flat until the 9/11 attacks.
Since then, it increased substantially. We should revive the peace dividend.
Biden's military budget request, $715 billion, which allowed for ending the "forever wars," was a bid to keep spending flat. Last week, however, Congress passed an amendment to increase this budget by $24 billion.
It saddens me that Kai Kahele joined 12 moderate Democrats and the Republicans to push it through.
Charles M. Carletta
Pukalani