There is danger in inaction. Note that US soil isn't often annexed.

This damned thread has triggered all my pent up jingoism.

"America makes prodigious mistakes, America has colossal faults, but one thing cannot be denied: America is always on the move. She may be going to Hell, of course, but at least she isn't standing still. " -- e.e. cummings

If you take orders for a living, your job is to be on the move. Not to be right. Ain't no one who matters who has time for being 100% in the right.

Everybody who is not self employed takes orders for a living.

The problem is that "being 100% in the right" doesn't seem to be their goal, not even a secondary one.

Let us not blame the military. The military just works for the government. And the government works for we the people.

They are however killing people. Lets not skip over that part as nice and cuddly as "just doing their job" sounds. I highly doubt the dead would care that their murderers were paid to do it.

It's nice to displace the guilt for democratically electing a government that orders your military to kill people by blaming the military instead of yourself.

I wouldnt assume that you could displace that.

But why would you assume an either or to begin with? Soldiers are certainly responsible for their actions like anyone else, no matter their orders. Just as people giving the orders are responsible for whats done on their behalf. I also dont think it would be to controversial to also see responsibility of the people who voted them into office.

I would have hoped, that the excuse of just following orders had died with the end of WW2.

>The military just works for the government.

The military is part of the government (executive branch).

"in a decent society taking 56% of grant money should put some people in jail."

A decent society made this a law because it makes the separation between "Money spent directly on research" and "Money spent on things like the copy machine, internet, keeping the lights on, etc." transparent - unlike how it works in most private industry.

Trust me, universities would love to be able to get rid of the concept of indirect costs. It's mandated by the government, and negotiated with them (at my university, at a slight loss sometimes).