The US is the world's military arms whore

Sure, the title is to shock and get readers but I only put it up there--can only put it up there--because it's so true.

The United States, addicted as we are to letting all "business" do whatever it wants, virtually, is the world's military arms whore.

There, I said it again.

Years ago, when it was found that civilians--men, women and children--were having arms and legs blown off after mines were "found" in formerly war-torn countries, there was a push by organizations to have the countries of the world ban mines.

Who was the holdout?

Why, the United States of America, of course.

What? And lose that manufacturing sector?

We'd have nothing of it.

That's but one example. This is another.

The new "go to" military tool--and we created it, really--is the drone.

We're using them everywhere. We love these things, as a country.

We began by using them for strictly military purposes, spying on our enemies, to see where they were and what they were doing.

Now?

Now we use them on the US-Mexican border to see just whatever is down there and, to an extent, I guess that makes sense.

But it's when we started using them on us--US citizens--that it started getting ugly.

First the Federal Government wanted to use them and now states are getting into the act. It ain't pretty.

Now, check this out. I saw this article today:

Iraq Buys US Drones to Police Oil Reserves

Two of America's favorite things--oil and weapons of war, all in one big, happy transaction.

At least with these drones, we're not directly killing anyone. Well, not yet anyway.

And you can expect there will be a HUGE proliferation of these things, in time to come, too.

Face it, the US so outspends the rest of the world on arms, war and war machines of all types, there is no way we'll want to tear down all that spending and all that business the way we need, for the benefit and actual strengthening of the nation. We need to get away from defense spending--spending on bombs and war--and back to investing in our people and country.

Just don't look for it to take place without a fight.

It won't be easy or any time soon.

Link: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/21-1