this is one of those things where you simply have to decide if your understanding of reality, let alone your moral calculus, includes some large % of the ~800B/

this is one of those things where you simply have to decide if your understanding of reality, let alone your moral calculus, includes some large % of the ~800B/yr 'defense' budget. the thing we 'defend' are 'our interests' and top of those are secure shipping lanes, pipelines, and cooperative regimes for the smooth, stable supply (and therefore pricing) of the oil that fuels our emp^H^Hconomy.