HOW MANY OF THEM?

War, they say, is big business. It pushes up the prices of some metals. It spells more profit for the manufacturers of armaments, and in the past, it was used as a means to economic ends, such as the conquest of markets or sources of raw materials. But it is the twisted mind of those motivated by greed that pursues a policy of war for profit.

We would like to believe that peace also means big business for the many because it creates the stability for long term investments. The minimal condition for regional peace and stability is mutual trust between the two superpowers. And the atmosphere for mutual trust is created when there are no threats hiding behind the deceptive words of security and deterrence, threats that are in the form of nuclear arms stored in overseas bases, and the overseas bases themselves.

"... How many of these millionaires shouldered a rifle? How many of them dug a trench? How many of them knew what it meant to go hungry in a rat-infested dug out? How many of them spent sleepless, frightened nights, ducking shells and shrapnel and machine gun bullets? How many of them parried a bayonet thrust of an enemy? How many of them were wounded or killed in battle?..."

Major General Smedley D. Butler, USMC Retired
Two-time Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient