Perhaps the present US government should have heeded this statement from one of their Republican predecessors, Dwight D. Eisenhower when he warned 40 years ago:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted, only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."

I personally considered the man a bit of a boffo because he thought that using nuclear bombs to blast the St. Lawrence Seaway back in the fifties might be a good idea, but the old General was right about some things.