Two guys with guns and tear gas

$30 Million for “Trump’s Vanity Military Parade” Nothing Compared to $5.6 Trillion Spent on Endless War Since 2001

A mere drop in the bucket in terms of wasteful spending by the U.S. military—which since 2001 includes an estimated $5.6 trillion spent on what the world has come to know as America's "Global War on Terror"—the Pentagon on Friday released details of the military parade ordered by President Trump that will take place on November 11, Veterans Day, later this year.

March 10, 2018 | Source: Common Dreams | by Jon Queally

‘The best way to show support for veterans is to stop war.’

A mere drop in the bucket in terms of wasteful spending by the U.S. military—which since 2001 includes an estimated $5.6 trillion spent on what the world has come to know as America’s “Global War on Terror”—the Pentagon on Friday released details of the military parade ordered by President Trump that will take place on November 11, Veterans Day, later this year—a spectacle described by anti-war critics as “a gross example of [the president’s] narcissism” and estimated to cost somewhere in the range of $30 million.

The Pentagon says there will be no tanks involved—”consideration must be given to minimize damage to local infrastructure”—but the parade, which will go from the White House to the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., will include large “wheeled vehicles,” a “heavy air component,” and the president himself (who infamously received multiple deferments, including one for bone spurs, to avoid serving in the Vietnam War) “surrounded” by decorated veterans in the reviewing area:

When the idea of the parade was first floated last year, peace advocates denounced it as “totally disgusting” and Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the peace group CodePink, said all efforts should be made “to stop this colossal waste of money and display of authoritarianism.”

While pro-war hawks and pundits at FOX News and elsewhere are downright giddy over the idea, veterans groups have actually been some of the loudest opponents of the parade.