Do Americans hold the military in too high regard?

[Indy Texas]

But the infantryman in Fallujah or Kandahar isn't defending my freedoms or keeping me safe and it would be foolish for either me or him to think that was the case.

Except that, he is, despite your fatuous complacency. If you think it's just a foreign war in a faraway country with no relevance to America, you're truly mistaken. Terrorism is global now, not just faraway darkies blowing up other faraway darkies. It would be foolish to think you can divorce yourself from it, or blame it all on Halliburton trying to make a buck, or whatever leftie trope plays well.

Number of Times Iraq Has Attacked the US: 0

[TNF]

But the infantryman in Fallujah or Kandahar isn't defending my freedoms or keeping me safe and it would be foolish for either me or him to think that was the case.

Except that, he is, despite your fatuous complacency. If you think it's just a foreign war in a faraway country with no relevance to America, you're truly mistaken. Terrorism is global now, not just faraway darkies blowing up other faraway darkies. It would be foolish to think you can divorce yourself from it, or blame it all on Halliburton trying to make a buck, or whatever leftie trope plays well.

Number of Times Iraq Has Attacked the US: 0

B-b-b-b-but muh wmd

[bedstuy]

It's a complicated question, but the idea that the military's only purpose is fighting wars is extremely myopic. 

There is a tremendous benefit to military hegemony by large, pluralistic cosmopolitan nations that subscribe to liberal principles.  If the United States and its allies did have that military power we could see either chaos or military hegemony by nations that are far, far worse than the United States.  The United States is not perfect obviously, but our influence is so much more benign than the influence of say, the Soviet Empire, the Japanese Empire or Nazi Germany that it's something to be respected, if not unambiguously celebrated. 

[ElectionsGuy]

Yes. I personally think that most people who join the military are misinformed and/or homicidal, and I don't see why we need a military in the first place, but I'm a leftist radical so most people would term me an evil communist. People who join the military really deserve no higher compensation or benefits than the average American who would never enlist.

This is really, really insulting.

[angus]

It's a complicated question, but the idea that the military's only purpose is fighting wars is extremely myopic...

Interesting take on the thread.  I hadn't thought of it, but now that you post it I have to say that I tend to agree, assuming I understand (which may or may not be a valid assumption.)

On the other hand, the logical conclusion to your philosophy--which is that mutually-assured destruction is a deterrent to violence--is a conclusion that I have always found distasteful. 

[dead0man]

It's a complicated question, but the idea that the military's only purpose is fighting wars is extremely myopic. 

There is a tremendous benefit to military hegemony by large, pluralistic cosmopolitan nations that subscribe to liberal principles.  If the United States and its allies did have that military power we could see either chaos or military hegemony by nations that are far, far worse than the United States.  The United States is not perfect obviously, but our influence is so much more benign than the influence of say, the Soviet Empire, the Japanese Empire or Nazi Germany that it's something to be respected, if not unambiguously celebrated. 

/thread

[Franzl]

It's a complicated question, but the idea that the military's only purpose is fighting wars is extremely myopic. 

There is a tremendous benefit to military hegemony by large, pluralistic cosmopolitan nations that subscribe to liberal principles.  If the United States and its allies did have that military power we could see either chaos or military hegemony by nations that are far, far worse than the United States.  The United States is not perfect obviously, but our influence is so much more benign than the influence of say, the Soviet Empire, the Japanese Empire or Nazi Germany that it's something to be respected, if not unambiguously celebrated. 

/thread

Not really. The fact that US military power is better used than by the former Soviet Union is nice, and shows that it's probably better than certain alternatives, but it doesn't answer this thread's question well.

[freefair]

It's a complicated question, but the idea that the military's only purpose is fighting wars is extremely myopic.  

There is a tremendous benefit to military hegemony by large, pluralistic cosmopolitan nations that subscribe to liberal principles.  If the United States and its allies did have that military power we could see either chaos or military hegemony by nations that are far, far worse than the United States.  The United States is not perfect obviously, but our influence is so much more benign than the influence of say, the Soviet Empire, the Japanese Empire or Nazi Germany that it's something to be respected, if not unambiguously celebrated.  

Indeed. Smug people forget that the US Defense budget is essentially a security subsidy for the whole of the liberal-democratic world and then some. People whine cynically about "World Police" but it's a very good Idea and someone needs to try to do it.
Also,some of all views need to stop making the perfect the enemy of the present best option, which is and will long be US hegemony.

[Repub242]

No, I think it is a good thing that we hold our military in high regard.