I can see this is going no where so I will leave it with one final bit
of food for thought
. If it were not for the US defense budget and over a million American
lives, there would only be 2 languages spoken it all of Europe, German
and Russian. And all of Asia would be speaking Japanese. Oh How soon
they forget. Nuff said.
Keith Addison wrote:
Well, well...
I'm aware this will probably chuck the cat in with the pigeons but I'm
undeterred. It's not directed at anyone in particular.
This discussion could only happen in America, while the rest of us (that
is, most of us) look on bemused. An American list member who demands
respect for his views on the basis of his military service will not get
that respect from the majority of list members, and he ought to be aware
of that. From some he might get the very opposite of respect. For me,
it's simply not significant. It doesn't even mean he necessarily knows
better, on the contrary, it could as easily mean he's incapable of
seeing it straight.
Where else in the world is military service placed on such a pedestal of
pride? Where else is the military held in such high esteem? I don't wish
to be insulting, but the only possibilities that come to mind are
perhaps China, or North Korea, and maybe South Korea to an extent,
because of North Korea - but at least they have a real enemy (and the
last thing they want is to fight it out). Food for thought, no?
One then has to ask, where else in the world does the military get such
a grotesquely huge slice of the budget? (China? North Korea?) Especially
of such a huge budget. And why? The Cold War ended 15 years ago. Grotesque?
... U.S. military spending, in billions of dollars per day: 1.08
Ratio of U.S. military spending to the combined military budgets of
Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria: 26 to 1
Percentage of U.S. share of total global military spending in 1985: 31
Percentage of U.S. share of total global military spending in 2000: 36
Yes, grotesque. Is this something to be admired?
Look at these figures:
Debt relief for the 20 worst affected countries would cost between US
$5.5 billion to $7.7 billion, less than the cost of ONE stealth bomber.
Basic education for all would cost $6 billion a year;
- $8 billion is spent annually for cosmetics in the United States alone.
Installation of water and sanitation for all would cost $9 billion plus
some annual costs;
- $11 billion is spent annually on ice cream in Europe.
Reproductive health services for all women would cost $12 billion a year;
- $12 billion a year is spent on perfumes in Europe and the United States.
Basic health care and nutrition would cost $13 billion;
- $17 billion a year is spent on pet food in Europe and the United States.
$35 billion is spent on business entertainment in Japan;
$50 billion on cigarettes in Europe;
$105 billion on alcoholic drinks in Europe;
$400 billion on narcotic drugs around the world; and
$780 billion on the world's militaries.
-- From: Globalization Facts and Figures
http://learningpartnership.org/facts/global.phtml
It's not something to be admired. Yet Americans are so proud of it.
A majority of Americans thinks the US spends 24% of its budget on
foreign aid instead of the actual figure, less than 1% - and most of
that is "tied" to direct US benefit. And then there's this:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8888.htm
$1 trillion missing : Military waste under fire
05/18/05 "San Francisco Chronicle"
(Among other things, they LOST 56 airplanes, 32 tanks, and 36 Javelin
missile command launch-units.)
Grotesque and bizarre.
I'm not "bashing" the US, I'm not even trying to stop the discussion -
please, go ahead, thrash it out, no problem. But please be aware of how
peculiarly American it is. Pondering that a bit might add some
perspective which might otherwise be lacking.
A couple of other things to ponder. Vietnam vets, or some of them
anyway, seem to have a rather different view of military service. I'm
reminded of a previous discussion here involving Vietnam vets when one
of them boasted about the Purple Heart he'd won. Have a look in the
archives if you like.
Why are benefits for soldiers' families being cut, and those for
disabled soldiers too, IIRC, even as their numbers are soaring? Does the
government they serve accord them the same respect their fellow
Americans do? Are they perhaps just dispensable cannon-fodder, to be
cashed in for a few votes or for the sake of a suspect ideology or
perhaps for Haliburton's bottom line? Is all this respect perhaps making
such things a lot easier than they should be? Is it misplaced? Is the
military and military service a false sacred cow? How many US lawmakers
have sons or daughters serving with the military in Iraq? One, wasn't it?
Best wishes
Keith
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