Deals.Woot

Wow, this is awkward. On the one hand, I like the memorial. On the other hand, 28% of my tax dollars already go to the military for wars that I don't support. The percent is up to double that if you consider the full impact of previous military actions. It always is very striking when I hear about defense-related programs that have to resort to begging for donations. One less bomber could fund the memorial for a decade. Heck, the mere act of eliminating any no-bid government contracts could probably fully fund all military-related nonprofits that exist.

Is donating to the Arizona Memorial endorsing the current war? For that matter, is donating essentially making an endorsement of the prevalent jingoistic attitude that pushes us into more war and more military spending?

Military improvement is one of the few things that the Federal government SHOULD be spending money on, and before you complain about how big the US defense budget is, you should realize that both health care and welfare spent AS MUCH OR MORE THAN the Military budget in 2010. Each.

As far as "Jingoism" goes, every nation in the world thinks they're better than all the others, and the United States is among the most welcoming of foreigners, and the most generous nation as far as foreign aid goes, yet the United States is the ONLY nation for whom patriotism is equated with evil. The average Canadian is far more patriotic than the average US citizen, but EVERYBODY loves Canada.

No, continuing the current wars and starting new ones is not the best way to spend that money. Especially not when one of those wars was started unconstitutionally by a president who promised a change from the American war machine. Ending wars is good, but the best way to do that is to arm yourself.

@trypsin: Actually, 70%+ of federal income tax goes to greedy old folks and the lazy through medicare, medicaid, and social security. If those + military were slashed, I'd actually be able to afford to donate....

I'm the 24% ... The 24% of all Americans that actually pay federal income tax.

This post wasn't an endorsement of current or past military policies. It is a reminder of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, regardless of what anyone's opinions of war may or may not be. If you have never visited the memorial, you are expected to conduct yourself with the same reverence you would have in a place of worship. Here is an edited excerpt from Wikipedia.

"The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaiʻi, marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors killed on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 by Japanese imperial forces and commemorates the events of that day. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the action that led to United States involvement in World War II.

The memorial, dedicated in 1962, is visited by more than one million people annually. The sunken remains of the battleship were declared a National Historic Landmark on 5 May 1989."

We must never forget them...politics be damned.

OK. I have to say this. Our society is fixated on making everything a memorial. I have mixed feelings. We most stop making every accident a memorial, that belongs to grave yards. If it creates parks and open space, YES. But if it is too line the pockets of developers and so=called "Do GOODER'S", HELL NO! I always give money to sites that I visit that ask for donations, as long as I feel the money is being used correctly. Pearl Harbor is a day that will live in infamy. It is nice to see private funds pay for it, but if money runs out because of lack of support. So be it. Again, I hope it doesn't, but I can't give money to every cause anymore. Blame high taxes and government waste. My disposable income is non-existent thanks to the crooks we elect over and over.

@infernox
This is not intended to be political.

I wonder why this recent post (see below) didn't receive the same amount of attention...after all, they are both about donations for future generations.

http://deals.woot.com/deals/details/f2161686-8692-450f-a9ea-2dbf4cefab0d/marine-toys-for-tots-foundation#1

@aksman44: Maybe not, but it is turning out to be that way.

I am happy to have some memorial for Pearl Harbor, but I would like to see money go more to helping people, to progressive peace education and anti-war efforts, to cleaning up our political system from the corporate money corrupting it - you know, the democracy the people at Pearl Harbor fought for and would like to see the people today cherish. Too often these memorials are preservations of hate rather than something positive - including 9/11.

Whether I agree with the OP or not, whether I agree with the cause or not... I don't understand why this has made it to the front page. What's to stop anybody from asking for donations to their cause? Don't see how it fits with deals.woot. If anything, out this in the "ask the community" section.

@cmbarath: I see you don't understand how Social Security works. Those "lazy old folks" had money taken out from their paychecks for years specifically to fund their retirement. It's not a hand out, no matter what you may think.

@jmcachran: Not the first generation of social security recipients. They received benefits without paying into it. That is the reason it was doomed to fail.

@aksman44: The heading of the post just should have been:
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USS Arizona Memorial - Please Donate
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When you add the - Freedom is Not Free tagline/slogan it puts an entirely different politic spin on the message. It should have just been 'USS Arizona Memorial - Please Donate'.

@trypsin: +1 for using Jingoism. Jingoism is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy.