The resources pumped into building and maintaining our military are both staggering and profoundly worrying.
Something like $4.2 trillion has been budgeted from 2006 through 2010. This of course does not include interest being paid on the debt this has generated.
I'm sorry but I cannot see any logical justification in spending as much as the rest of the planet put together. Notwithstanding that I think that other nations are grossly overspending as well.
The environmental damage caused by this race to arm has been severe. From exploding nuclear weapons at White Sands to the heavy industry churning out armour plating to the rotting nuclear fleet of the USSR. The sheer waste of natural resources has been horrific.
This is not the objective of this diary however, a small step has been taken to repair some of this damage:
The ship, 523ft long (160m), settled on the bottom of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Officials hope the reef will attract divers, boosting the economy by $8m (£5m). They also say fish, coral and other marine life will be drawn to it.
"The sinking of the Vandenberg is the best thing to happen in Key West in years," said Mark Rossi, a local businessman who serves as Key West's city commissioner.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/...
The ship has been thoroughly decontaminated and will eventually look like this.
One day I hope we find another use for all the weapons of war as peaceful as this.