Friday, February 24, 2012

war in Iraq ---has exceeded $800 billion

According to the Congressional Research Service, total war-related funding for Iraq has exceeded $800 billion. That's $100 billion per year.  Can we even count to one billion? No, we'll never live long enough. 
Does everyone know what a billion dollars looks like? 800 billion is almost a trillion. Figure 8/10s of the last picture here of a trillion:
Is it not the height of ethnocentrism to believe that we can convince a tribal culture that our way of government is better than theirs?  They are still fighting feuds that began in biblical times. What a waste of lives and capital.  Are we thanked for our sacrifices? Of course not. To the average Iraqi we are the invaders. Would we allow them to land on our shores to "help us out"?
What did we get in exchange? 
Our country is in bad shape.  We could have used that 800 billion.
Are we actually considering a war  now in Iran? N. Korea? Pakistan? Syria?  
For whose benefit?
And who will pay for it?
My heart goes out for the oppressed, but our role as the world's police force is bankrupting us, and it doesn't seem to accomplish much other than to cause more and more countries to dislike us.

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