Hillbilly wisdom: you cannot convince Americans they are not in imminent danger from our enemies. Since 1950, the United States has been in some type of conflict to the tune of 45 trillion when adjusted for inflation. That translates into a defense budget of 13 billion in 1950 to 966 billion in 2026. (Current request of 1.5 trillion for 2027). It cost to be safe in America. America spends roughly 95 billion to maintain our nuclear armaments per year. A total of 8.3 billion people on the planet. You can do the math but to a hillbilly it seems like a lot per head. Could we put the wars on hold- not a cease fire? One year of no fighting and we could save 85 billion from the upkeep of nuclear armaments. Not to mention the other associated cost of the war machine. Now that’s a plan. Course there is an element of danger. You know you can’t trust those people. They might attack while we are at the negotiating table.

What has the United States gained from the Iranian War. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon- they have never had one. The Strait of Hormuz will be open to international trade although not as open as it was at the beginning of the war. It will take a little time. But the strait was open to commerce before February 28. Iran’s ability to attack others has been reduced. The United States points of danger are the bases we maintain in the region which have suffered damage because of the war. From the perspective of an uninformed citizen, it appears we have not benefited greatly. Our president is attending the G7 meetings where he is touting the success of the actions against Iran.

There is hope that everyone will “keep quiet” as to the actual success of the mission. Let president Trump brag about his ability to control the situation. What does it hurt? But watch the level of acceptance from his partner in crime, Netanyahu. It is Israel’s turn to be the bad guy. The peace is perilous. There is danger in the Middle East. Who is the most dangerous country there?