Use resources thoughtfully

In his Aug. 21 letter to the editor, “Strong leadership brings respect,” Joe Schauble writes: “Strong leadership and a strong military with the best weapons available are a must to be respected by our enemy.”

In 1955, Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein wrote the Russell-Einstein Peace Manifesto. They asked the question: “Shall we put an end to the human race; or shall mankind renounce war?” They also stated: “We have to learn to think in a new way. We have to learn to ask ourselves, not what steps can be taken to give military victory to whatever group we prefer, for there no longer are such steps, the question we have to ask ourselves is: what steps can be taken to prevent a military contest of which the issue must be disastrous to all parties.”

The roots of extremism are poverty and illiteracy. Rather than more billions into the military, use our resources to help peoples of problem nations help themselves. Deal with the cause. Eliminate the fertile soil in which extremism grows. What we are doing is not working and is not sustainable. It may garner fear and hate, but hardly respect.

Mikel Stevenson

Newman Lake