In my opinion, this is a myopic and way too narrow view of security, which surely ought to include the ability to make our own weapons of war. I realize we're all way global now, but think a minute--if we outsource most of our electronic manufacture to China, what are we going to do if we go to war with China? If only Germany (or whoever) is tooled up and ready to manufacture critical parts of our air fleet, how does that make us secure?
Personally, I am not in favor of spending the bulk of our budget on ever-more-expensive weapons for war. But if you are going to argue that we need them, then we surely need to be able to make them.
I believe real security is more complicated than owning the biggest arsenal. Real security includes an educated, capable and patriotic citizenry, able and willing to support, enhance and defend our country.
* * *
Speaking of an educated citizenry, I wish the slavering cable networks could summon up a tenth of the outrage they bring to the New York governor's allegedly tawdry personal choices and focus it on the ongoing trashing of the Constitution and the rule of law by that moron in the White House and his gang of sleazy enablers.
I really don't care who any man I am not related to sleeps with, though if the allegations are true I am sorry for his wife and family. (Nor do I care whether or not Roger Clemens injects, snorts or swallows "performance-enhancing" drugs.) I do care that the president has claimed the right to eavesdrop on anything that strikes his fancy, use the Justice Department (now there's an ironic title these days) to pursue political enemies and led us to unnecessary war on a lie. And that's not even mentioning the drowning of a great American city, or the absolute (perhaps driven by incompetence, perhaps by ideology and greed) regulatory failure that is giving us economic chaos.
I really would like the national discussion to reflect a little more recognition of what are important problems and what are basically gossip items.
I am not holding my breath.