The above article brings up some interesting points about cutting military spending. As with any government run entity, there is, no doubt, spending that could be cut. The United States does try to defend the world and keep the trade lanes open.
After World War II we (the Allied Forces which included the Soviets) signed an occupation treaty with Japan that forbade them to engage in any type of war or to maintain any type of armed forces. In order for them to remain without an army the allied forces agreed to house troops in Okinawa and other territories that were once under their control.
It was not until 1952 that a peace treaty was signed and Japan's Self Defense Force was established in 1954. The Self Defense Force consists of Ground, Maritime and Air Defenses. The post-war constitution forbids Japan from settling international disputes through the use of military means.
How much money do you think that the Japanese have not spent on military matters while they have been forbidden from maintaining a war machine?
My view is becoming more border-centered as it is becoming increasingly more obvious that whatever we do for these other countries to liberate them from their backward ways and spread democracy to the unwashed masses is basically unwanted by those masses.
What would be wrong with taking a break from making sure that people are free (which I am not too sure that they want said freedom in the first place). Have you noticed that many of the countries that we are now leaving will shortly be returning to a slightly modified version of what they had before we spent all that blood, sweat and tears there?
Let us look at the muslim countries that we have helped. How much do we really know about Islam?
The following is an excerpt form http://muslim-canada.org/Islam_myths.htm. This is the list of most serious crimes of the qur'an. Once we remove all our troops and the locals are able to sort out what they actually want, how many moderates do you think there will actually be?
Hadd Crimes
Hadd crimes are those which are punishable by a pre-established punishment found in the Qur’an. These most serious of all crimes are found by an exact reference in the Qur’an to a specific act and a specific punishment for that act. There is no plea-bargaining or reducing the punishment for a Hadd crime. Hadd crimes have no minimum or maximum punishments attached to them. The punishment system is comparable to the determinate sentence imposed by some judges in the United States. If you commit a crime, you know what your punishment will be. There is no flexibility in the U.S. determinate model or in the punishment for Hadd crimes of Islamic Law. No judge can change or reduce the punishment for these serious crimes. The Hadd crimes are:1. Murder;The first four Hadd crimes have a specific punishment in the Qur’an. The last three crimes are mentioned but no specific punishment is found (Schmalleger, p.603). Some more liberal Islamic judges do not consider apostasy from Islam or wine drinking as Hadd crimes. The more liberal Islamic nations treat these crimes as Tazir or a lesser crime.
2. Apostasy from Islam 1. (making war upon Allah and His messengers)
1. Theft
2. Adultery
3. Defamation
2. (false accusation of adultery or fornication)
1. Robbery
2. Alcohol-drinking [any intoxicants]
Hadd crimes have fixed punishments because they are set by God and are found in the Qur’an. Hadd crimes are crimes against God's law and Tazir crimes are crimes against society. There are some safeguards for Hadd crimes that many in the media fail to mention. Some in the media only mention that if you steal, your hand is cut off. The Islamic judge must look at a higher level of proof and reasons why the person committed the crime. A judge can only impose the Hadd punishment when a person confesses to the crime or there are enough witnesses to the crime. The usual number of witnesses is two, but in the case of adultery four witnesses are required. The media often leaves the public with the impression that all are punished with flimsy evidence or limited proof. Islamic law has a very high level of proof for the most serious crimes and punishments. When there is doubt about the guilt of a Hadd crime, the judge must treat the crime as a lesser Tazir crime. If there is no confession to a crime or not enough witnesses to the crime, Islamic law requires the Hadd crime to be punished as a Tazir crime.
How long did it take for Iran to go from a moderately free society to being ruled by the taliban? And the United States was a friend to Iran. We had a great deal invested there. Not so much anymore.
I believe in a strong military force. The maintenance of such a force is vital to our defense, but how much defense do we actually have of our own borders? Our National Guard is the first to be sent to hot-spots, which is beyond my meager understanding. Why is it we have no money to spend on border patrols?
Why is it we are so afraid of a little protectionism? Protecting one's own borders is not an indefensible position and I do not understand why we cannot do more of it.
Is it so difficult for politicians to understand that us pampered, prima donna, Americans who are privileged beyond belief are still worthy of support and protection from their own government? Apparently they are more concerned with redistribution of wealth in order to level the playing field and have us live like third world countries. That probably would not be a bad idea if it were our choice. The President and Congress is making that decision for us with new laws and regulations and a failure to control the borders. When will we wake up and smell the poverty?
The government has already begun taxing us into oblivion and wants more from us. Did you know that Obama feels that the government should be able to tax the citizens at a 100% rate as long as we get the services we require? The government wants to control every aspect of our life from the cradle to the grave and we stand by and watch it happen. The President and his cohorts have already said that they can do a better job of spending our money than we can. That is why we have higher taxes. It is no wonder that we (the United States citizens) garner no respect from nations with much less per capita than we have. We are arrogant and lazy and through apathy we are being overcome by the noxious fumes of government out of control.
We do need to change, but we need to do it as individuals not as mandated by some socialist bureaucrat within our own government.
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