Posted with permission. Read their Alternet post here.

Our nation’s obsession with militarism is tearing us apart. Our loved ones return in coffins or with trauma from wars and other military operations. Wasted resources on war and weapons means fewer jobs. War industry executives get rich from lucrative contracts at our expense. Our bloated war budget and military empire are wrecking our country and hurting others around the world.

The congressional commission created by the debt ceiling deal (as painful as it was) provides a major opportunity, so we’re working overtime to launch a new campaign, War Costs, to push for real cuts to war spending. The debt deal makes possible around $1 trillion in war spending cuts over 10 years. These cuts can help save our economy, but military contractors plan to dump lobbying and campaign money on committee members to protect their profits. In fact, committee members have already taken around $1 million from the companies since 2007. To counter them, we must:

1.    Demand that committee members fully disclose any meetings held with military contractors and that they stop taking financial contributions from these companies as long as they serve on the committee. Please sign our petition to congressional leaders on this topic.

2.    Expose military contractors’ spokespeople and false information as the committee is pressured on possible cuts.

Then, we’ll expand our campaign. We’ll document the massive war spending, mayhem caused by pursuit of empire, and the racket run by big military contractors to keep the spending going. We’ll also focus on how to stop it.

You stood with us on other critical issues–fake journalism at FOX News, the ugly truth about WalMart, rethinking the Afghanistan War. We need you with us again to show Washington, D.C. that lobbyists aren’t the only ones who can apply pressure.

Please be a leader for change by visiting WarCosts.com to sign our petition. You can also sign up to participate in our future actions in the fight against the war industry and their allies who are profiting at the people’s expense.  This is time sensitive, so please join today.

Sincerely,

Derrick Crowe, Robert Greenwald
and the Brave New Foundation team