Mr. Shedlock belongs to the group that the Commies used to call “useful idiots.”

First off, SDI did and does work. Given what is happening in the Far East, I sure hope it continues to work.

Anyone who has studied history knows that if the dominant superpower begins to disarm, another power will rise to take its place. The Soviet Union collapsed under an unsustainable government, China has stepped in – even buying old Soviet technology to try to work their way into becoming the new superpower in the East. Today China, and some in the Islamic countries, are trying to establish a new superpower, controlled by them.

I prefer a democratically elected superpower government to one controlled by religious or political extremists. History is not kind to Theocracies – they tend to fall apart, the same way that Communism did.

Should the military suppliers be allowed to lobby congress? Probably not, but the people who work for those corporations also have a stake in the defense department’s purchases. Like it or not, they have the right to contact their Congressmen and Senators in support of or opposition to anything that comes before the congress, it is their constitutional right and I know of no one who would lobby Congress to eliminate their job!

Unfortunately, the United States has always had a streak of isolationalism running through the populace.

This Isolational thought led to our being sucked into the First World War when we were not ready, an extension of the policies that exacerbated the 1929 Crash (higher tariffs), the conditions that led to the total surprise at Pearl Harbor and even the events that led to 9-11.

Frank Zappa had a song on an early album, “It Can’t Happen Here.”

Too many people sit at home, watching the network news cover disaster after disaster and say to themselves, “That could never happen in our town.”

Tell that to the folks in Houston or New Orleans. Tell that to the folks in Missouri or Oklahoma.

While I don’t agree with all of his policies, Teddy Roosevelt did have one thing right – “Speak Softly, and carry a Big Stick.”

Mr Shedlock belongs to the group that would rather, "Speak Loudly, and wave your fingers."