# Books Not Bombs By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2023-06-14 In a bookstore, a tote bag for sale had the phrase “Books Not Bombs” screen printed on it. In addition, there was a book flying in the air like a plane dropping a bomb. The bag and its message were simple and thought-provoking. What does a society value? How does a society invest its finite resources? America certainly has a strong defense posture. America has a questionable education posture. The thing about military spending is that one can always imagine a new threat that needs to be countered. In short, no defense spending is ever enough if one lives in perpetual fear that somebody will attack at some place and some time. It could happen. Sadly, it has happened. Oddly, when it does, that is used as justification for even more military spending rather than indicating that these things can and will still occur for all the defense spending. After all, adversaries tend to attack one’s weaknesses, not strengths. Things are inherently ambiguous. Societies, sadly, need bombs and books. The question isn’t either/or, but how much of both? Determining the right amount is a socio-political decision. These are precisely the type that America is decreasingly good at making. #### Related Items [[War]] [[Book]] [[Education]] [[Defense]] [[Society]] [[Culture]] [[Decision-making]]