[royster]

The U.S. just approved a military budget of a couple billion dollars. I'd like to know what enemy is such a threat as to warrant such expenditures without accountability.

Not meaning at all to derail the thread, but in fact to support a few peacenik posters, please allow me to post a letter to the editor I wrote some time ago. (Yes, it was published). The facts and figures have no doubt increased since its writing.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Northern Virginia Daily July 14, 2009
Sir:
Regarding Karen Hill’s July 10 letter;
The war machinery I refer to is also called the “Military Industrial Complex”. At this point in history, it is composed primarily of several huge corporations which provide goods and services to the Pentagon.
The U.S. owns 11 aircraft carriers at a cost of $45 billion each, a yearly operating cost of $160,000,000...that’s $438,356.00 per day, each. We have in service 89,129 military aircraft with an additional 29,700 helicopters, all needing fuel and maintenance. There are 8,800 tanks, depending on whose numbers you believe. All have parts that wear out. All of the above required research, development, testing, upgrading, transportation costs and yearly makeovers. America claims 737 military bases worldwide, but that number rises well past 1,000 when secret bases are taken into account. They had to be built, maintained, people fed and clothed (military), provided computers, desks and pencils. Regarding the secret bases; prison hardware, “interrogation facilities”, electricity and water, heating and cooling (for the interrogators).
Approximately 1,840,062 U.S. military personal worldwide make up the manpower of the above machinery. All must be fed, housed, clothed, transported, educated, trained, and some require bullets. Tomahawk missiles at $1.5 million each require expensive launchers. The research and development of weaponry alone is in the billions.
The electronic aspects are staggering, with NORAD and Global Hawk technology fed into several million computers and defense mechanisms. Infra-red gizmos and gadgets adorn our soldier’s lives in varying aspects, and then there are radar facilities and satellite manufacturing. A variety of simulators for a variety of training needs.
There are corporations who, like General Electric, have shifted entirely to the needs of the defense industry. Halliburton and Northrop are household words, and during the Bush years, privatization of military supplies increased.
World peace would bring this manufacturing to an abrupt end, irritating corporate interests.
If all this “defense” is designed to keep us safe, 24/7, under most any variant an enemy could possibly dream up, I have only one question, Ms. Hill:

Where was this Defense industry for two hours on the morning of September 11, 2001?

Roy A. Stokes