Whew, for a moment there I thought you supported the State.

"I adamantly oppose the reconstruction of any oil refinery, factory, or even one golf shack with money taken from me without my consent."

What if I oppose money taken from me to fund a military intervention to rid the world of those "motherfuckers"? You are utilizing collectivism to justify such actions as removing a threat to _America_" or destroying "terrorism." By collectively blaming the _states_ of Iran and North Korea, you suffer from the very problem you attempt to avoid. These societies -- whom you clearly _collectively_ blame for terrorism -- are the same societies whom Ayn Rand claimed cannot be labelled as things that act or have values. In fact, she maintained that it was only _individuals_ that are responsible, have values and use reason. How then can "Iran" or "North Korea" deserve the plight of US nukes or military intervention? Would that not be collectivism in action?

If you so whole-heartedly believe that stolen tax-money shouldn't be used for reconstruction, how do you differentiate between "removing a dictator" and "nation-building"? I suspect that you believe that Saddam was a "threat." To whom? "America"? --Collectivism! "Democracy"? Collectivism!!! You _cannot_, I repeat, _cannot_ avoid collectivism while supporting tax-funded State actions. Therefore, individualists much shun all State actions.

I think you have to consider this as an investment just as we invested in Japan. Not only did it provide better security so that you don't have the "welcome the new boss, same as the old boss" effect in another terrorist-supporting regime that you have to wipe out later on, but a valuable trading partner in the future.

"I think you have to consider this as an investment just as we invested in Japan. Not only did it provide better security so that you don't have the "welcome the new boss, same as the old boss" effect in another terrorist-supporting regime that you have to wipe out later on, but a valuable trading partner in the future."

Pure Collectivism.

Feel free to do what you want, but please don't do something "for my own good" that I have not asked for.

And Japan turned out to be a great puppet, why can't everyone think like "us"?!?

Additionally, you really haven't changed anything -- just like the individuals that clamor for "regime change at home" all you effectively did was replace one State with another, the State still exists and it still aggresses.