Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rosanne Greco, a former member and former chair of the South Burlington City Council and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, having served for more than 29 years.
[A]s a child I believed most of the Bible stories I was taught. But there was one story I found hard to believe … until recently, that is. The story was of people (the Israelites) building a statue of a golden calf from their riches (their melted jewelry), which they then worshiped as a god and to which they sacrificed. The Israelites believed this idol would save them from their enemies. They revered those who created and paraded their idol, and criticized those who dared to doubt the idol or its high priests. How could individuals be so enamored of an inanimate object? It was difficult for me to believe that rational people actually believed something built by human beings was a god.
However, over the past few years, I’ve seen Vermonters come to worship an object made by human beings. Devotees adorn their vehicles with images of their idol and post phrases claiming that their idol will save Vermont. They contribute their riches to create their golden calf, to promote its presence, and to proselytize its message. And, they are willing to sacrifice to their god.
What is Vermont’s golden calf? It is the F-35 joint strike fighter. People across the state worship this military machine. Their tax dollars pay to build and operate it – at a cost of $1.4 trillion. Anyone who dares question this weapon idol or the military associated with it are accused of being unpatriotic. And the people who will be negatively affected by its presence are casually sacrificed. The idol, which has been made into Vermont’s god, has become more important than the people it was built to save.
Like the Israelites, the devotees of Vermont’s golden calf belittle the non-believers who refuse to adore their F-35 god. Questioning the F-35 god is considered sacrilegious behavior. Like the people in the biblical story, the devotees of Vermont’s golden calf revere the people associated with the F-35 idol. Challenging the idol’s military high priests’ words or actions is considered heresy.
But, Vermont’s golden calf is far more dangerous than the Israelites’ idol, which was just a statue made of gold. Vermont’s god is a complex weapon system made with highly toxic materials – and — its purpose is to kill.
Decades ago, Eisenhower warned us of the military-industrial-political complex taking over our country. It’s happened.
The Israelites sacrificed their jewelry to build their god. We sacrifice our health care, education, infrastructure maintenance and more, since our tax dollars go to the idol not real human needs. In Vermont, the sacrifice is intensely personal, as it directly harms our neighbors and friends. Thousands of Vermonters, many of whom are people of color or economically challenged, will likely have their homes devalued, the health and learning ability of their children impaired, their health and the quality of their daily lives ruined. As much as the Israelites adored and sacrificed to their golden calf, they never harmed each other. In this respect, Vermonters differ from the Israelites. Vermonters are more than willing to sacrifice the lives of their neighbors at the altar of their F-35 god.
Recently, Joe Randazzo wrote a “My Turn” in which he talked about the U.S. culture of violence, saying “Our national ethos is based on military dominance. … The NRA and our military/industrial/government complex are too powerful.” I agree. If our god is a military weapon system, then violence is the way we pray.
Decades ago, Eisenhower warned us of the military-industrial-political complex taking over our country. It’s happened. Large portions of our economic system are based on military weapon production. Endless wars have replaced peacekeeping pursuits. There is an almost religious fervor toward protecting our weapons.
I excused the Israelites’ behavior as the actions of primitive people who were raised on myths and had no access to scientific information. What is our excuse today? Moses came down from the mountain and stopped the Israelites’ idolatrous behavior. We need a Moses in Vermont to destroy the F-35 god we have created and to stop our idolatrous worship of it before it kills us.
The behavior of the Israelites thousands of years ago is no longer surprising to me. Would that Vermont’s golden calf were only a statue.
