Fort Hood Texas Shooting

All fine and dandy in theory, but if that were applied in the same spirit in the last decade, the minute our intelligence services informed our governments and the UN of impending disastrous crop failure in Sudan, western air and ground forces would have accompanied - and, if necessary, fought their way past those of African warlords in Somalia and Sudan, indeed past the actual government forces of other nations, to ensure that relief convoys, instead of being hijacked and cannibalised, actually reached the victims of famine. That SHOULD have happened, but didn't, and 70,000 people died in the following few weeks of hunger. Seems to me the US only drops food on people after they've dropped bombs on their homes/schools, and then only if they live in a sovereign nation whose location offers a strategic advantage for access to oil.

My disgust for the military is pretty well matched by my disgust for those who misuse them to prosecute unjust wars (and I'm aware of the irony that I share that same position with more than a few members OF the military). The difference is, I must occasionally interact with my government; I am under no such obligation with the military, thankfully.

I had actually thought that many buddhists were influenced by Maslow, and that what they called 'Enlightenment' is what he termed 'Self-actualisation'. Being all you can be - and yes, I'm aware the term is used by the grunts... . I too am a Christian, converted a decade back. I was always uncomfortable with the military, and since I found Him, that opposition, like many other views I hadn't fully thought out, and like my faith in Him in general, has only become stronger with the years - and can only continue to deepen. I am aware that pro-military Christians exist, but if you'll excuse me, that's a discussion I'd rather not have, for now at least.