Well funded. I was in it (well, the Intelligence-Industrial Complex) from the end of the Cold War, through the 90's drawdown, through 9/11 and the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Even though we were *technically* not at war after the first Gulf War, we were still the World's Policeman. We still had military actions in Haiti, the Balkans, and were policing Iraq. 9/11 gave the War Pigs an all-you-can-eat buffet.

to give us such things as radio, radar, jumbo jets, drones, medical advances, faster than we might otherwise have achieved (or needed), we don't seem to be capable of restraining ourselves and attempt to use that technology to "advance" further.

I am totally incapable of understanding why some people are so avaricious. Time after time game theory shows us that cooperation and empathy are far better paradigms than crushing and killing.

Every religion has an equivalent of "Thou shalt not kill", but for 5,000 years so-called leaders have exhorted idiots to do just that with the special (specious) exemption of "It's war".

As someone here noted yesterday the Russian - Ukraine is easily solved by Russia withdrawing from its original unwarranted and illegal attack.

If I had my druthers, ALL weapons would be illegal throughout the planet. And, yes, I know a carving knife can be used as a weapon. The corollary would be any attempt to use anything as a weapon would be illegal too, and subject to harsh sanctions.

I don't believe we can become a planet-hopping, or interstellar society without learning the peaceful path - we are killing too many innovators during our wars. Those naive and barely adult men and women wasted so cavalierly on the battlefield might have become the warp drive inventor - we'll never know. But every death in that manner sets us back 20 years or more IMHO.