Ego Parade

My nuclear button is bigger than your nuclear button, and my army is stronger than yours.

   After traveling to Paris and watching a Bastille Day parade, America's president decided that it would be a good idea for the U.S. to launch something similar, only bigger, as a way to "prove" military might and, he says, to show gratitude to veterans and those still in service.
   But typically, most heroes don't want or need spectacles to praise what they did. Most don't even want to talk about their ventures. There was a job to be done, they did it, and just want to move on with their lives, quietly and without fanfare.
   Some, however, who have never been in battle or have even done any military service, often are greedy for praise, whether deserved or not.
   Commentators have pointed out that dictators in other countries are fond of putting on massive shows of military might, including displays of artillery, tanks, missiles and aircraft, as well as battalions of infantry, all marching in precision steps.
   The U.S. military certainly has all of those elements of warfare potential, and is capable of putting on impressive parades when and where appropriate.
   That, however, is the crucial question: When and where is it appropriate?

   To do it just because a political leader was impressed with a military parade in another country and wants to indulge in one-upmanship under the guise of showing gratitude for those who serve is not a good enough reason, since most people, especially those who have fought heroically for American values, are embarrassed by such displays.
   Besides, there is the issue of expense. How much would a massive military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington cost, and why spend all that money in the face of multiple cries for cutbacks in so many other areas of government spending?
   Meanwhile, despite the demands for cost reductions, the current White House leadership also wants major increases in military spending even as it enacts huge tax reductions that primarily benefit the wealthy.
   And speaking of cost, what will be the cost of repairing damage to the pavement along the streets of the nation's capital inflicted by the enormous weight of tanks rumbling along just to satisfy a draft-dodging politician's ego?
   Better to spend taxpayer money on welfare programs for injured veterans and their families. That's a much better show of gratitude for military service.