In doing so, our first priority must be to keep America safe and secure, to prevent terrorists and rogue nations from attempting to attack us from within or without. But, with this in mind, let's ask ourselves if we need the following elements of this nation's far flung empire:
Do we need an annual budget of nearly $1.3 trillion for this nation's military operations and national security?
Do we need more than 800 military bases and installation in the world with more than 250,000 troops and personnel deployed in 130 different countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K., South Korea, Japan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Afghanistan, Guam, Okinawa, Kosovo, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and scores of other nations? We need to ask ourselves why we need thousands of troops deployed in nations that are our allies, nations that have armies and defense systems of their own.
Do we need to continue military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan? Iraq was an illegal, unjustifiable war that this nation never should have started and now our leaders want troops to remain there indefinitely. Should we continue fighting an unwinnable war in Afghanistan, in a nation that has been called the "graveyard of empires?" Should we be extending that war into Pakistan, a nuclear power, using deadly drones to kill supposed enemies, along with innocent men, women and children?
This situation is very reminiscent of the Vietnam War that lasted from 1959 to 1975; sixteen years of a misguided war originally intended to prevent the spread of communism. In that war the American presidents, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon poured hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops into an unwinnable military quagmire and all for naught as the mightiest military force of that time was summarily ejected from that nation in total defeat.
Here is the main point that we Americans need to consider. If the leadership of our government continues to allocate such an inordinate portion of our national spending to the already bloated defense budget then this nation will never recover from its current economic crisis and massive national debt. Are these same leaders willing to gamble the entire wealth of America and its future to maintain and expand this aggressive military presence across the world?
Speaking of gambling, smart gamblers who are on a losing run know when it is time to cut their losses and walk away. But those we have entrusted to lead our government are very poor gamblers at best. They have plans to retain reduced levels of troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan after the planned withdrawals are made. But those remaining troops will be asked to operate in a living hell as they will be ready targets for those powerful forces in those countries that will resist any attempt to make them into colonies of the empire.
Americans must, at some point, come to understand that when the wealth of the nation is being wastefully invested in the proliferation of war, then it cannot be invested in creating jobs, restoring our manufacturing sector, repairing our infrastructure and improving our education systems. It's impossible to do both; to attempt to do that is a formula designed for certain failure and that's exactly where we are headed unless we come to our senses. What is really maddening is the fact that this situation could be remedied and turned in the right direction if those who we have elected would simply use common sense, logic and rational thinking instead of selling their souls to this nation's special interests.
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