I think your brain is too mushy from eating too many pumpkins for me to spend any more time on A USELESS DISCUSSION.

I maybe should wait to respond to your brilliant insight that many will say, how can that be an insight? Ceasing wars is not the insight. Having the political courage to say there is no longer a need in this flat, globalized world for the most powerful nation in the world to use military force to impose its will, except as a last resort, is.

It was clear well before 1989 that communism was crumbling because its people were tired of living in fear, poverty and denied liberties. We had a chance then to pursue a new path away from cold war thinking and unfortunately we didn’t do that. If we had started down the peace path, it doesn’t mean we could have immediately and drastically reduced our military. It would have had to be gradual as Clinton started to do.

Military leaders, especially in the Army, were too tied to the past to realize that coming to the aid of oppressed people to prevent slaughters like Serbia and Rwanda should be the primary mission to prepare for. What I am still perplexed about is what to do in a situation like Kuwait when their sovereignty and freedom has been lost through an invasion by another country. The Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force that became U.S. Central Command, which I was a member of, was created to protect our oil interests. In hindsight, I now believe that protecting overseas commerce through force does not represent the kind of American values I cherish. Keeping people from being oppressed does.

So I think the use of force comes down to human values not money. Jimmy Carter was authentic in his values about the inherent rights of man and belief in the need to reduce our dependence on oil by developing alternate energy sources. Carter’s peace mission since he left the presidency shows he was authentic. Reagan pretended to care about values, but he obviously believed in using force and CIA adventurism to get his way and rationalized his values into the garbage bin of history. I got assigned to the RDJTF to promote his view. I value the memories of the fine people I served with. I now question the mission because it aided the Neocons in invading Iraq.

If we use force when it is absolutely necessary as a last resort to protect life, it meets my criteria. If it’s to ease business burdens in lieu of using our ingenuity and scientific skills to compete, it doesn’t. We don’t have an “empire” worth protecting if all we have is force to maintain it.

I have always believed that our “empire” was intended to serve as an example of how wonderful life can be when you have a fair chance to compete and the goal of your competition is to better yourself while not hurting others. I know many will label me as a foolish peacenik who would let anyone run over me. You know, that is not what I am saying. Using force first before trying other alternatives is just pouring fuel on a fire whether you were responsible for starting it or not.

There is no question that the size of our military-industrial complex feeds on itself and if we redirected those resources and our national budget to making life more equal and fair for our citizens and people around the world, those involved in that process would feel a lot better about their job and life. Many posters say corporatism and ideologues have already won. I don’t believe that and I know you don’t either.

A brave Democratic candidate could inspire us to examine our present values and challenge us to once again be a beacon to the world. Of course that candidate would be unfairly attacked like Carter was on so many things he was right about. I hope our next president has the values and courage of Carter and my idol Harry Truman. We need that authentic quality of character if we want to keep our “empire.”

That’s my initial thoughts about a challenging insight.

Please drop the words in parentheses in my third sentence. “Having the political courage to say there is no longer a need in this flat, globalized world for the most powerful nation in the world to use military force to impose its will, (except as a last resort,) is.”