Letter to Senators Cardin and Van Hollen, and to Representatives Sarbanes, Raskin, and Mfume

Dear Senators and Representatives:

We at Our Revolution Maryland are writing to express our heartfelt appreciation for your recent vote in favor of cutting the defense budget by 10%. At the best of times, our rapidly spiraling spending on military endeavors presents grave contradictions between our self-styled image as a country of peace and diplomacy, and the seemingly unending forever wars we are engaged in across the globe.

As the most prosperous nation in history, we have often been able to ignore the sage words of President Eisenhower who warned us, “every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed,” and we might add today, those who are sick and cannot afford healthcare.

It is clearer than ever, that our military spending has not made us safer, or even prepared us for the true dangers we face today, and in the coming decades. As Congresswoman Jayapal so eloquently stated, “Every handout to defense contractors in a $740 billion Pentagon budget is money that could have been spent on ending this pandemic, getting urgent relief to families, and keeping businesses afloat. It all comes down to priorities.” Thank you for having your priorities in the right place.

While the bill tragically did not pass, your vote was meaningful, especially when so many of your Democratic colleagues did not stand with you! It takes great courage to stand for peace in a country all too often consumed by fear, and dominated by those who profit from conflict. We will not forget the courage and moral fortitude you displayed.

Your ally in the struggle for peace,

Chair Bob Muehlenkamp
On behalf of the Our Revolution Maryland State Organizing Committee