Gary O, you have it exactly right. “Just” wars with evenly matched opponents burn up a lot of lives. Wars that are over quickly because they are so unevenly matched, save lives. That is why saving money by cutting back the defense budget is a false economy.

We seem to have entered one of those periods where the elites have decided that they can thoroughly redesign a fiendishly complex system of human interaction and account for every effect of the changes. Right up there with “We’re from the government and we’re here to help.” is, “I have a brilliant Idea. It will solve all our problems. Don’t worry, I’ve thought of everything.”