Robert Gates:  Too few Americans bear the burden of war

 Banterrific:  Too many Americans bear the burden of war.

Robert Gates is basically saying 1% of our  population are professional soldiers and to the rest war in Afganistan and Iraq are abstractions...

Gates is saying this a bad thing, and I partially agree... I agree that for too many the wars in the middle east are an abstraction and not thought about on a day to day basis.  I dont know why he is complaining however, it is this apathetic, abstract attitude to war that keeps him and the military industrial complex in business.  If the average American thought every day about the loss of innocent Iraqi and Afghan life, American life, and a trillion or so dollars for these endless wars... I think the average American would rebel against them and tell the government to shove it up their ass when they beg for more American young people to give their lives in a desert half way across the world.   

I disagree with Robert Gates that 1% of our nation as professional Muslim occupation force it too little of a number.  I think our military is bloated and could stand to be cut in half.  Even if we cut it in half we would still spend more money than anyone else in the world on our military. 

Too many Americans bear the burden of war.... we all bear the financial burden and sadly many of us bear the burden of family members overseas in constant danger for years on end, only to come back with PTSD or in body bags... sorry Robert Gates, too many are bearing the burden... you need to concentrate on reducing the number of people who are burdened, not increasing it.