War and Militarism Ruin Everything -- a song

Wars kill lots of people, especially civilians. Brown University's Costs of War project estimates that 4.5 million people died since 9/11 due to U.S. wars. The war in Ukraine has killed hundreds of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians.

Wars costs a lot of money: Post-9/11 wars cost the country 8 trillion dollars. The U.S. spends over a trillion dollars a year on its military -- over half the discretionary budget.

Wars cause migration. The War on Terror caused 38 million migrants to search for new homes.

U.S. wars in the Middle East caused mass migrations into Europe, destabilizing European politics and leading to the rise of far right political parties.

U.S. proxy wars, sanctions, and regime change operations in South America caused millions of desperate migrants to stream north, destabilizing American politics.

To sell wars and to hide wrongdoing, the government and compliant media tell lies and institute obsessive secrecy. Whistleblowers are prosecuted. The repeated lying reduces trust in the government and in the media -- which opens the door to demagogues such as Trump.

To win wars, the U.S. often allies with extremist groups, replacing bad governments with worse governments.

Wars destroy many veterans' lives, injuring them both physically and mentally.

Wars and preparations for wars are environmentally destructive, both by direct emissions of carbon and other pollutants, and by despoiling landscapes in battles, during training, and during the construction and maintenance of military bases.

Wars and militarism corrupt our lawmakers, by making them dependent on campaign contributions and military pork spending and jobs in their districts.

War and an aggressive foreign policy create enemies. Al Qaeda wasn't in Iraq until the U.S. invasion.

Regime change operations and arming of proxy militias provoke wars, such as the war in Ukraine.

Wars and militarism risk ending life on earth due to nuclear war. The U.S. withdrew from multiple nuclear treaties with Russia and Iran.

Wars are a major contributor to inflation. The war in Ukraine and U.S. sanctions on Russian energy caused inflation, which was one of the main reasons for Trump's victory.

Wars and militarism cause glorification of soldiers and killing. The Pentagon has funded and censored many Hollywood blockbuster films.

But war is profitable for arms merchants and for the millions of Americans who work for the military-industrial complex.

The opportunity costs of military spending deprive people of things they need -- for example healthcare, housing, infrastructure, research, and climate amelioration.

The U.S.-provoked war in Ukraine ruined European economies, due to sanctions and to the diversion of spending to military buildups.

Wars are are used to justify suppression of human rights and dismantling of social services.

War is the biggest sin. Yet some of the most ardent supporters of wars and militarism are religious fundamentalists.

War is the biggest sin.