commentaries

Mr. Chapman, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Korean War is not over. No treaty ending the war has been signed, and so we are technically still at war with them. Our forces stand on the line separating the North from the South. Our forces keep international waters near Iran and other countries in that region of the world safe for the ships of the world that bring goods to us and take our goods to others. Were they to leave the Straights of Hormus would be mined with Iranian mines. Further, we have treaties with various nations to assist in their defense, and keeping troops on the soil of those countries is part of those treaties. We can't just stop honoring them, for to do so would be illegal. As long as the treaties are in force we are obligated to honor them. And they are there for a very good reason; countries like Iran and North Korea would attack the countries we help to protect if we brought every single soldier in a foreign land home. The United States is the only force for good in the world strong enough to give those countries a moment of pause who would try to do us or our friends harm. Until that situation changes there will always be a need for our armed forces to be stationed in other countries that want us there.

I agree

Couldn't agree more.

Someone once said, to know who has power, identify who you cannot criticize. Try taking the US military to task: Try arguing that the military is a self-serving nexus bleeding the country in its unending hunger for economic gain and geo-political power. Argue that the brass and their shadowy backers are cynically manipulating US soldiers as they grasp for assets and political control. Find out if the beast or its apologists bite back.

No, the nanny state that teaches hate of the nation's producers is killing America. The current national trend toward envy politics, so well honed by the Chicago Machine, is starting to take hold in a country that once believed in making the best your own abilities, not wrecking that of others in the name of equality of results. Let's be honest.

Well, no not really. Entitlements are bankrupting America. And the latest (Obamacare) will absolutely break the bank.

You can make an argument for leaving the troops in Korea. Their presence won't prevent the North Koreans from invading the south, but if the north were to attack the demise and capture of our troops would piss off the American public so much that we would counter invade.

I know it's not a strong argument, but it is an effective deterrent.

Japan and Germany though? The Cold War is long gone and WWII even longer. It's time to save a buck and dial back on our military. We can no longer afford to be the policemen for the world, especially in places that aren't likely to be invaded in the next hundred years.

"Defending the world." Said like a public relations professional.

"Defending the world"?? The majority of people outside of US think that we try to conquer the world and that's why US is one of the most hated country in the world. We should pull our troops and mind our own business, don't we have things to take care of in our own country???

Healthcare costs bankrupting the government, siphoning off profits for business owners (limiting hiring in the US), and reducing the standard of living for most families and seniors. Until we have a pragmatic conversation about how much we should spend on healthcare and ways to limit spending to reach that amount, the costs will continue to go up.