ISRAEL - IRAN - SYRIA - HAMAS - HEZBOLLAH - WWWIII?

what would we and all those other countries be facing if we were not spending massive amounts of money on the military?

What the hell are you talking about? Our military spending is taking us to the poor house, and it is hugely wasteful. The last time I looked, we were spending more than the next 26 countries in spending combined. How many more countries must we invade? Are we trying to be another Roman Empire?

Richer.

And by the same token...how many other countries were NOT invaded because we were willing to spend massive amounts of money on the military?

And by the same token...how many other countries were NOT invaded because we were willing to spend massive amounts of money on the military?

May 11, 2009
Pope under fire for Yad Vashem speech
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS AND JPOST STAFF

Pope Benedict XVI on Monday paid tribute to the memory of six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, pledging to work tirelessly to prevent such hatred from recurring in the hearts of mankind again.

Benedict says, "Church feels deep compassion for the victims."
But the pontiff's closely-watched speech at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial stopped short of an apology on behalf of the Catholic Church, producing palpable disappointment among those Israelis who had expected a historic address from the German-born pope on the first day of his visit here.

"We're talking about the pope, who is also a representative of the Holy See, which has a lot to ask forgiveness from our people for," Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said during an interview on Israel Radio on Tuesday. "And he is also a German, whose country and people have asked forgiveness. But he himself comes and speaks to us like a historian, as an observer, as a man who expresses his opinion about things that should never happen, and he was - what can you do? - a part of them."

"If we let this go, in the end they'll say, 'the Jewish people can manage,'" the Knesset speaker said.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1242029498309&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

I think the world is a lot less safe for our invasion of Nam and Iraq. Also, it is less safe because of our occupation of Afghan. We are less safe having so many troops stationed abroad, which puts us on the front line in the case of a conflict. Diverting so much of our treasury for military, for which there is no economic payoff, deprives very important domestic demands from needed funding. There is going to be a steep price to us for allowing our infrastructire to decay, having a health care system that is the worst in the developed world, etc.

http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/islam_unbelievers.html
Islam and Non-believers
...
By Abdul Shaitan Vexen Crabtree, 2006 Sep 27
1. Conversion, Subjugation, or Death
2. Apostasy
3. Moderate Muslims and the West
4. Blasphemy and Islam

Conversion, Subjugation, or Death
The Qur'an contains detailed instructions and examples of how to meet unbelievers. The first instruction is that they should be called to Islam; in fact, the Qur'an says you cannot wage war against unbelievers until you have preached to them. The second instruction is that if they do not convert to Islam, then, they must be fought. The third instruction is that if they surrender, or convert, then you must stop waging war. The final instruction is that if they do not convert or surrender, then they must be killed. This is the optimum route for Islamist expansion: A tidal wave of war, subjugation and conversion.

There is another provision in the Qur'an though, because sometimes Muslims aren't in a position to wage war. In this occasion, the examples and teachings of the Qur'an are that Muslims may make deals with their enemies, with unbelievers, engage in truces and the like in order to recuperate and gain strength. The overriding concern is the fight against unbelievers; if this can't be achieved then it is ok to strategically lay low. To achieve more sneaky victories, it is acceptable to deceive, double-cross and break deals. Deals with unbelievers are not real deals, anyway, and are to be broken as soon as more aggressive moves can be made.
...

Pope says Bethlehem wall "can be taken down"
Pope Benedict on Wednesday said the fortified Israeli wall dividing Bethlehem from Jerusalem could be taken down, if Israel and the Palestinians could remove the walls around their hearts.