Well, I know I'm getting a bit bombastic, here. But what is it with all these posters who'll gratefully accept any nanny state stupidity that comes down the pipe? "Please sir, may I have another?" I've spent the Christmas break reading some shattering books on tyranny- Richard and Sabrina Wurmbrands' accounts, and Anne Applebaum's Gulag, amongst others. Not to draw too long a bow, but this 'the state is always right' mantra is how it all starts.
Not to mention the cost. Three hundred and fifty billion dollars, for crying out loud. Imagine if one-one hundredth of that had been spent showing the Afghans, for instance, the benefits of our way of life. Free enterprise, individual and property rights, and dare I say it, Christian values. Imagine if we were as keen to promote an enclave of Western-style success somewhere in the Middle East (or Africa) to show the neighbours how it's done?