[jessaustin]

Blaming the military for stupid shit that the military does is like blaming police for stupid shit that police do. It might make us feel better, but it ignores the root of the problem, and therefore perpetuates the stupid shit. That is, we, the society that puts the military into impossible situations ("topple governments in the Middle East, and then hang around a couple of years to make sure that ends in order, peace, and prosperity for all") and the police into impossible situations ("you seem to have violence under control, here are three or four more basic human drives we'd like you to thwart in capricious fashion") are the root of the problem. So long as we allow ourselves to be distracted from that, we can expect more stupid shit.

...and yes, of course the military-industrial complex is complicit in our ongoing distraction, but they only hire the pundits and media personalities. We're the ones who listen to them.