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...this parallel universe in America. We civilians are largely clueless about it, and yet it's the most significant institution in our country. You can make fun of it, but it knows more about the real world than you do.
Every significant piece of technology which makes our lives comfortable and entertaining was born from military spending. Corporations aren't really that innovative. They only see out to the next fiscal quarter. They're risk adverse, and research by nature is very risky. When military research fails to pan out, we call it "wasteful", but corporations are more than happy to make a buck on military research which hits pay dirt (Internet, GPS, computers, cell phones, satellites, etc.)
Though deployed soldiers only have a limited view of a foreign country, at least they're there to witness what most of us are clueless about: that most of the world is horribly poor and we're freakin lucky to be living in America. The world is full of death and suffering. Most of us have never seen a person killed, or simply die of natural causes. Most of us have never seen an animal slaughtered, to fill our bellies. Soldiers don't know it intellectually; they see it, smell it, and taste it.
The Internet is a pale shadow of the real global network: intermodal cargo shipping. Planes, ships, and trucks form an endless conveyor belt which relentlessly moves real, solid things. Our military is the master of logistics. It knows how to ride this super highway, and comes knocking on a foreign country's door before they know it. Sadly, Wikipedia has no clue what a CONEX container is, but Global Security sure as hell does.
Every significant piece of technology which makes our lives comfortable and entertaining was born from military spending. Corporations aren't really that innovative. They only see out to the next fiscal quarter. They're risk adverse, and research by nature is very risky. When military research fails to pan out, we call it "wasteful", but corporations are more than happy to make a buck on military research which hits pay dirt (Internet, GPS, computers, cell phones, satellites, etc.)
Though deployed soldiers only have a limited view of a foreign country, at least they're there to witness what most of us are clueless about: that most of the world is horribly poor and we're freakin lucky to be living in America. The world is full of death and suffering. Most of us have never seen a person killed, or simply die of natural causes. Most of us have never seen an animal slaughtered, to fill our bellies. Soldiers don't know it intellectually; they see it, smell it, and taste it.
The Internet is a pale shadow of the real global network: intermodal cargo shipping. Planes, ships, and trucks form an endless conveyor belt which relentlessly moves real, solid things. Our military is the master of logistics. It knows how to ride this super highway, and comes knocking on a foreign country's door before they know it. Sadly, Wikipedia has no clue what a CONEX container is, but Global Security sure as hell does.
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