Never would I have thought that someone would have the audacity to apply the term "bully" to the men and women of our armed forces who are willing to sacrifice their lives to defend the freedoms we so often take for granted. It is clear that you have very little understanding of the people who serve our nation and choose to denigrate them for your own agenda.

Bruce: Try a remedial reading comprehension class and MAYBE you would understand the point of the article.

...maybe you folks should join the military...then have the audacity to ask that question.

Guys, I reread my words. I'm not sure how you came up with the idea that I called the current armed forces bullies. Can you explain? Thanks, Peggy

...the mere thought or idea that may denegrate these folks to the level of a common street thug sets a lot of folks off. Its been 60 years since growing up as a navy brat and 40 since flying Hueys.....and this is just plain insulting. I fought for your right to say anything...but consider the Dixie Chicks, and tread careful with fighting words like this. I was in Saigon when hanoi Jane sat on her 37MM gun, and some things just dont heal to quickly. Military Troops are well trained to do what they do, but to many folks forget its a war, and not a picnic.

Jimmy Carter cut the Military and so did Slick Willie. What happened to the so called Peace Dividend? It was squandered by Congress....and I dare say Colin Powell is not an ill-educated warrior.

Joe, you are putting your thoughts into my words. Where do I compare military personnel to "the level of a common street thug".

...you asked the question "Warriors or Bullies"....thats your thoughts, not mine. A bully IS a common street thug, no matter where he terrorizes.

Joe and Bruce, thank you for responding. The title warriors or bullies applies to our country as a whole, not the individuals in the military. I have the utmost respect for those who serve.
We, as Americans must decide what we want our country to be. If we continue down the road of decreasing education spending while increasing military we (all Americans) will be seen as just warriors and/or bullies by the rest of the world.

Peggy....in the matter of how much is spent on a military budget, do a little homework....how many ships are there today, compared to 10, 20 or 30 years ago...how many aircraft, troops, squadrons, divisions, etc.
My Social Security money is paying for non citizens educations and will never be returned to me as it was meant to.
But the military will pick up your tab for college.....just look these things up, dont take my word for it.

Joe ... The military pays limited amounts for college based on years of service as part of the compensation for joining the military.
I don't know what point you are trying to make with your first point. Of course there are more ships/aircraft than 10 years ago. We have enough military power to wipe out every human on the planet. My question is why do we need more?

What a shame to didnt look into it more...the VA program pays a dollar amount which depending on program, can pay for a 4 year program...I am living proof of that.
Right now the USAF and USN have far fewer ships afloat then any time since Jimmy Carter.....and all of what Ronald Reagan tried to do...the 600 ship fleet...is long gone.
Try Norman Polmars Ships and Aircraft of the US Fleet. The Air Force has a hard time keeping aircraft in the air...age and supply.
I now see you were just trying to stir something up with no solid facts behind your thoughts. Good Luck to you.

One last thought...the Federal Government was formed to do two things...Collect the Tariff, and Secure the Borders....14 Billion debt and an invasion from the south. Hows that Hopey Changey thing going for you?

Hi Joe, thanks, I hope to always be the optimist. I used solid facts in my blog. My point is that the US already spends much much more than any other country on military while at the same time reducing education funding for the general public. If we continue in this direction the country will be left ignorant and heavily armed.... bullies

There is some factual information in your article, but the Huffington Post and talking points from MoveOn.org are not unbiased. Do a web search on "Moveon.org military" and see what comes up.
The US has the highest tech weapons and that costs money. How much do the Russians and Chinese spend on pay, housing, education and healthcare for active duty / veterans when compared with the US? We need to realistically examine what our defense needs should be. Do we really need forces in Germany, Japan and the UK? If we cut the defense budget in half tomorrow, it would still take 20+ years to pay off the national debt, assuming that we have a balanced budget every year! The US has not PASSED a federal budget in 4 years. Using defense savings for education is a good idea, if we allow school choice. Throwing money at failing schools does not work and never will work. If it did, half the children in failing districts like Camden and Newark (where fortunes have been spent for decades) would be attending Ivy League universities, instead of dropping out of school. The military is the best option for many young people to get training and have a shot at a good high paying civilian job.

...its not the best source of information, but in yesterdays HuffingtonPost, it was reported thru Panetas office that the US Air Force MIGHT be going out of business....its worth a read.

@Publicola – Part of the problem with failing school districts like Camden and Newark is that kids know they can’t afford college. Unless a child wants to be a tradesperson, carpenter, plumber. electrician etc, a college education is a must. These kids see no future in school. Education scores would rise significantly in these districts if children knew college was in their reach. And, unless everyone must risk their lives by joining the military to get a college education, telling poor kids they can get a college education, if they don’t die, isn’t really a great option.
@Joe – I didn’t find the Huffington Post article but I did find one that said the air force would go out of business if the budget cuts that were signed into law by congress last year see fruition. Even with these budget cuts, the US still spends much much more than any other country. This is the point of my article. Now, Republicans are looking to delay the cuts they passed just last year. There’s a much bigger question I have if this article is correct: where is all the money going?

I'm trying to find articles on how the military spends our tax dollar. This posting shows 36% - current military, 18% - Past Military, 30% - Human Resources, 11% - General Government, 5% - Physical Resources – so 46% of military spending is administrative – WOW! (http://www.warresisters.org/pages/piechart.htm)
I’d love to see other analysis!

Check with the US Naval Institute (USNI.org)...they will have tons of that.

Thanks Joe, will do!