Build For Life

Letter to the Editor – Bangor Daily News

April 2. 2019
On April 27 th , the third Zumwalt destroyer built at Bath Iron Works (BIW) will be “christened”. The USS
LBJ joins a warship fleet larger than the next 13 fleets combined. Indeed, the US outmatches the next 20
largest navies in firepower and spends more on the military than the next seven biggest spending
countries. Our military budget has skyrocketed since 9/11, when President Bush declared the global
“War on Terror”. But can we honestly say that we’ve become safer as a result? Have our lives
improved? Have we become better citizens of the world?
The Costs of War project housed at the Watson Institute of Public Affairs at Brown University has
researched and collected data since 2011 with a goal of detailing the overall costs of the United States’
decision to respond militarily to the 9/11 attacks. Their findings can be found at
https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/about. They are disturbing and shocking to say the least, but as
responsible citizens of this country we need to be aware of what is being done in our names: more than
480,000 dead; 244,000 civilians killed; 21 million war refugees and displaced persons.
Equally devastating are the direct and indirect effects of war on our planet. For we are in the midst of a
climate crisis that is fueled by U.S. foreign policy. The scientific community has helped us understand
that a major cause of global warming is burning fossil fuels. And the Pentagon itself has stated that
climate change poses “immediate risks” to national security and is a “threat multiplier.” Yet at the same
time, the Pentagon has the largest carbon footprint on the planet. It generates more than 70% of total
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and it uses more oil than all the oil consumed by 175 countries
combined.
Sadly, the warships built at BIW contribute to the upheaval and destruction of human communities and
of our planet. In her letter of 3/28/19, Carolyn Coe writes “Converting BIW from building weapons of
war to green technologies would benefit BIW workers and people worldwide.” I couldn’t agree more.
We are so fortunate to have here in Maine the highly skilled men and women who work at BIW.
Imagine what they could accomplish if they were able to build for life and not for death.

Connie Jenkins, East Blue Hill
Pax Christi Maine member