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Read other letters about this article
He needs to look at the very, very expensive "projection of power" otherwise known as USA military bases all over the world. These things cost money; real money.
Most of it, in fact:
Two-Thirds On Defense
On a per-capita basis, the average American in 2004 then did not pay $1,488 for defense but $2,605. In a word, the military ran on $217.08 per citizen per month, while the remainder of the federal government ran on $103.83 per citizen per month ...
Just keep in mind that when the press reports 19 cents for defense versus 81 cents for everything else, the split really is 68 cents versus 32 cents. Defense is not one-fifth of federal spending but two-thirds of it.
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2005/06/10/twothirds_on_defense.php
The word "defense" here is a euphemism for "imperial conquest". Neoconservatives have long operated on the premiss that the best defense is a good offense, and therefore the best national defence is global military hegemony. The goal of wormtongue-wannabe propagandists like Friedman and Hiatt is to get millions of people to fall for it.
Fifth, it institutes an elaborate governmental propaganda which swamps all subjects with news and opinions, with the end of securing allegiance, or at least acquiescence ...
Quoted in Totalitarian Neoconservatism
The methods of totalitarianism were established in the 19th century. Friedman hardly represents a refinement.
