Talking to a Repub about spending money on weapons

[Doohickie]

...and wondering out loud whether it is morally justifiable to spend as much as we do on military expenditures.

He asked me, "If we didn't have weapons, what would happen if an evil force rears its head? How would we fight evil?"

I answered, "Vote him out of office on November 2." His jaw just dropped. I turned on my heel and walked out of his office.

[Cerridwen]

1. ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!............n/t

[cheshire]

2. Damn your quick. That is a must use.

[Doohickie]

3. The line popped into my head before he stopped talking

There wasn't even a quarter of a second pause. He was floored.

[punpirate]

4. Good reply...

... but, next time, remind him that there's a profound difference between a military geared up for defense, and one which has been groomed for foreign wars.

If the government's and military's focus had been on defending home territory, the attacks of 9/11 would have been thwarted before or as they occurred. They were not.

We spend huge amounts of money on weapons systems promoted by contractors and their supporters in the military and government which have nothing to do with defense of the people, but have a great deal to do with our ability to fight wars elsewhere.

Cheers.

[Doohickie]

6. In a way, I can see why they geared the military that way.

And it never bothered me. Because in the end, I have felt my whole life that the military was in the hands of a moral government, even with Nixon, Reagan and Bush I.

I can no longer say that. Have you seen the F-16 video going around where the pilot casually discusses taking out a crowd of people that looks like unarmed civilians?

IS THAT WHAT OUR FORCES ARE ROUTINELY DOING?

I think there are more severe abuses going on than Abu Graib. And the buck should stop with Bush. I am starting to think that pursuing charges of treason against top admin officials is not such a bad idea.

[punpirate]

10. It never bothered you because...

... you've lived your entire life with the military headed in that direction. Nixon used the weight of the military-industrial complex to fight a foreign war against people who were wholly incapable of invading us or threatening us in any way. Reagan used Star Wars to prop up the two major industries in his home state--aerospace defense and computers, and Bush the First suckered (remember April Glaspie) Hussein into invading Kuwait so he could use the war to try to kill Hussein, in much the same way as he used the invasion of Panama to try to kill Noriega, a rogue CIA informant who could potentially embarrass the US, the CIA and Bush.

Nothing Bush I, Nixon or Reagan did measurably improved the safety of United States citizens (in fact, Reagan and Bush I gave Hussein loans, dual-use materials and intelligence).

Since before WWII, the right wing, defense contractors and the administration of liberal doses of fear have combined to make the American public think that offensive use of the military constitutes defense of the country....

And, yes, I saw the F-16 video. Didn't like it a bit. But, it's not much different than what the military has been doing around the world ever since the end of WWII. *sigh*

[txindy]

5. There can be only one response to your story

:toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast:
:toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast:
:toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast:
:toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast::toast:

[Doohickie]

7. txindy: You may appreciate

that this exchanged took place in TEXAS.

;- )

[txindy]

9. BWAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

Yes, that makes it even better!!!

Thank you!!

[crispini]

8. BRAVO!

Best. Comeback. Evah!