An honest look at military spending. Looking at the raw numbers just doesn’t do the job.

Not to say it isn’t important, but perceptions can be wrong when just saying we spend more on tanks than does Country X.

Case in point. China has the biggest military on Earth.

It also has the biggest total population. Put that into perspective and:

Interesting stuff.

Here’s another damn good story representative of what I’d like to see NPR doing. It’s the story of the WWII-era WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) who served our nation and are just now getting the recognition they deserve.

I remember reading some on them as a kid but not so much in recent years. Great article on some great ladies. Give it a listen.

This is pretty cool actually.

Apparently some English pilots were allowed to train on our B-2 bombers. This reporter got to tag along and blog about the experience.

Here is his actual reporting on the subject as well.

The Talibangelicals are really going out of their way to get our troops killed in some Bizarro World 21st Century Crusades.

Trijicom, a defense contractor who makes night vision gear for the Marines, is likely in violation of federal law for inserting bible verses into their serial numbers.

I mean, yeah, my In-and-Out cups and fry boats have verses on them, but we aren’t importing Double-Doubles to feed Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nor are we buying them with federal monies.

The gall of these Talibangelicals to create a situation that just feeds into the al-Qaeda/Taliban message that we are out to convert those we are purportedly protecting would be pathetic if it wasn’t so dangerous. They really probably think they are doing God’s work. Why placing the Christian God’s words on a weapon meant to kill supposed Muslims is supposed to make other people want to give up Islam is beyond me.

Then again, most things Talibangelicals think are good idea just make my skin crawl.

Just wanted to throw this out there in the interests of fair play.

But seriously, why do Republicans hate the troops more than they do health care reform?

I seriously hope someone runs against the GOP with this question. At this stage, all those asshats are playing games and I sincerely hope they get called out on it.

Here’s something that would make the family values idiots’ heads explode. A single mom (strike one) can’t deploy to Afghanistan (strike two) because there is no one to take care of her baby. Oh what to do? Granted, if she refused to serve because of a “bad back” or “I just didn’t want to learn to fly that plane” she’d be a conservative hero.

Instead she’s just a mom in a bad place and looking at jail time or putting her kid in court-ordered foster care so she can get shot at in the Kandahar ‘burbs.

I’m not saying I can’t see the army’s point of view, but damn, come on people!

Subtitled: “You’d never know it from the MSM, but he deserves high grades for his work so far in Iran, Iraq and Pakistan”

Read this and feel better about having an adult in charge of this country. There are WAY too many Rethug talking heads screaming that the President isn’t running headlong into throwing soldiers into harm’s way on just a gut feeling.

I normally don’t wish too much ill on even cretins, but I hope any kids those Republicans have in service get a mild case of bullet in the leg for all their gung-ho idiot bullshit.

Oh wait, Republicans don’t serve in the military, they just pretend to do it and cheer from the sidelines. I don’t mind Obama actually thinking through a problem that may require American soldiers to die. And I don’t mind him finding ways to not resolve every problem with conflict.