Star Wars, the Strategic Defence Initiative, costs billions of dollars. Will it save lives? Maybe. (You're better off being born under a lucky star.)
Body armor, on the other hand, costs far less—around $1,000 per soldier. Will it save lives? Undoubtedly.
Yet which does the Pentagon fund?
That's right. They'd rather fork over billions for space-aged "defensive shields" than spend a few bucks protecting the troops. You know, those same troops people claim they support by slapping those yellow magnetic ribbons on their bumpers. The bumpers of the SUVs they drive on their way to the polls to vote for George Bush.
The same George Bush whose Pentagon has still failed to reimburse families who buy their own body armor for their sons and daughters heading off to Iraq.
Maybe we should refer to body armor as the Strategery Defence Initiative.
