*The pernicious and lucrative aspects of military madness are personified in the favorite to be Biden’s Defense Secretary,* Michele Flournoy.

*The militarization of American society and the "thank-you-for-your-service" fetishization of American soldiers will continue to thrive.*

Americans who join the US military typically wish to serve their country. There are scenarios in which they might be called upon to do that. But what they are more often ordered to do is wreak suffering on some other country.

Rather than passing the buck to an imaginary deity to "protect our troops," the president ought to make sure not to endanger them for bad reasons.