The soon-to-be Joint Chief of Staff (General Martin Dempsey) is saying that Admiral Mullen is wrong in his assertion that a 14 trillion dollar deficit is a matter of National Security.  This man must be thinking only from an operational stand point (Or maybe he’s a Roman).  Senator McCain added to the General’s rhetoric by saying that military spending “is not the cause of the economic crisis.”  How many billion dollars a day is this nation spending on the wars?  I’m pretty sure we can all agree that this man cannot be “all there.” 

     I was on active duty during both the Clinton and Bush administrations’.  There were threats during all of those years.  When Mr. Bush sent us to war there was an inevitable increase in military spending.  Hey fear pays the Republican bills!  Though, invading Iraq created more risk to the United States than any Afghan campaign would ever do.  People may use the terrorism angle to favor Bush, the Wars, Private Security Companies, etc., but they are simply wrong.   That is fear mongering at its normal intensity.  During his 8 years in office, President Clinton presided over a comparatively less spending tendency for the military, and our nation was still as safe as it could reasonably be. 

     I served in an Anti-Terrorism Unit before, during, and after September 11, 2001.   We were aware of Bin Laden, and other groups well before that tragedy happened.  The Navy, Army, and Marine Corps were all actively operating over-seas to create “hard targets”, and to remain vigilant of any such terrorists’ without ever going to war.  There were warning signals sent to politicians’, whether or not they heeded the warnings in another issue.  I believe that people need to understand what terrorism is, and that it has been in existence since before Christ.  It will always remain.  Our country was not spending militarily at record numbers, and the country – though taking a huge blow on 9/11, had only one other such attack on its soil (Pearl Harbor).  As devastating as those events were, I think that they can still be considered isolated. 

     There is no reason for – as General Dempsey puts it “our current strategy for protecting US interests” to be spending us into oblivion.  It hasn’t worked with any major civilization throughout history, yet it seems to be repeated over and over again.  I am a military man, and for many progressives’ that is almost a cardinal sin.  Be that as it may, I will always believe in a strong military; and, as a Veteran I will never turn my back on my brothers’ and sisters’ in arms.  Still, I do believe the US is always in a position to be absolutely magnanimous in its policies and its tactical missions.  We can have a strong military to protect OUR citizens’ and vested interests, without waging war on impoverished nations.  I think it is wrong to consider this General (whom will be advising the President) for the Joint Chief of Staff if it is his belief is to continue down a road of peril.  This is just ridiculous.