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       #Post#: 27--------------------------------------------------
       DRIFT: THE UNMOORING OF AMERICAN MILITARY POWER by Rachel Maddow
        (2012)
       By: agate Date: November 28, 2013, 8:52 pm
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       Rachel Maddow, DRIFT: THE UNMOORING OF AMERICAN MILITARY POWER
       (2012)
       This short but well constructed book makes a very persuasive
       case for putting far less emphasis on the military in the US
       today.  Maddow argues that going to war has become much too
       easy, and people are not only suffering from the consequences of
       this extreme militarization of our country but are also being
       endangered by the reckless inattention to human life exemplified
       in our slipshod handling of nuclear weapons.
       She cites instance after horrifying instance of lamebrained
       decisions and policies over the last 50 years.  There was the
       time when six nuclear warheads were flown 1400 miles across the
       US, and no one knew their whereabouts for over 36 hours:
  HTML http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/02/12/us-usa-military-nuclear-idUSN1255936420080212
  HTML http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/02/12/us-usa-military-nuclear-idUSN1255936420080212
       She comments on the material she has unearthed with biting
       humor. There is no doubt about where she stands on these issues.
       She is alert to the problems that arise when the populace is
       less literate than it should be, too:
       [quote]Others told investigators, without a hint of shame, that
       they weren't sure that verifying meant "like, actually
       physically checking something."[/quote]
       However, although there is an extensive list of sources at the
       end of the book, there are no footnotes or other indications of
       the exact sources for each person quoted or incident mentioned.
       Although the lack of precise references makes for a much more
       readable book, in a work on a topic as controversial as the US
       military, I believe that the author could have enhanced her
       credibility greatly if she had included them.
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