World's worst bang for the billions

Any American who wants to know what really ails their country should look first at our defense establishment. In a word, it stinks, and in a phrase, it's destroying America.

Our 1,000 bases around the globe, our trillion dollar failed wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, our touted ousting of Libyan dictator Gaddafi only to have the victorious rebels oversee the assassination of our Ambassador, are all signs that endless militarism on auto pilot is the problem, not the cure for rebuilding and re-energizing America. We slaughter thousands of innocent civilians in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere; heinous acts which guarantee recruitment of jihadists and sympathizers to doing America harm. Soldiers, canon fodder, more accurately, are killing themselves at an increasing record rate every year as they succumb to the madness of insane, meaningless warfare. Female soldiers face an epidemic of "friendly" rape by their male colleagues. The sons and the daughters of the affluent avoid the military like plague it is, knowing full well that there are endless deceived souls to enlist who have no chance and no prospects in a disintegrating domestic economy.

There is no check on this rampant militarism, whatsoever. It is off the table as a campaign issue, except for the challenger's promise to promote and fund a more muscular foreign policy and defense establishment; this from a near billionaire who never served and boasts that his five sons "service" to their country, is helping their daddy get elected to tout more war.

As America declines the folks in the Military-Industrial Complex enjoy riches beyond measure. No, we're sure not getting the bang for our billions. But the hapless folks on the receiving end sure are...they're getting banged to oblivion.