The current savagery with Iran is only the headline conflict—having displaced the proxy missions in Ukraine and Gaza—but many more are quietly underway or waiting in the wings. No declaration of war, of course, since declarations require Congress to act in accordance with a set of rules nobody can agree on. In war, according to Sun Tzu, if the goal is victory, the only rule is winning as quickly as possible. But in a world governed by bankers and politicians, too much haste can be unprofitable.

The US, with its military prowess that comprises approximately 37 percent of all global military spending and exceeds the combined defense budgets of the next nine largest spenders, no longer worries about winning or losing wars. The point is to get them started—let the death and destruction begin. That's where the money is—initially. Later, profits are made from rebuilding countries the attackers have demolished.

But there's a looming question: Does the American state have the funds to pick on any country it chooses? The answer: As long as the Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve remains functional and Americans remain ignorant of its work, the sky's the limit, at least until people wise up or the ink runs dry on its printing press.

As for President Trump's request for $200 billion more in Iran war funding, Mother Jones asked what else could that amount deliver? Given the leftist source, many suggestions were leftist projects such as "378 years of federal public broadcasting funding," but others showed more imagination such as:

500 more White House ballrooms

2 million Kash Patel trips to Milan by private jet

2,666 Melania sequels

182 million miniature busts of Mount Rushmore with Trump's face added

2,341 Trump heads on the real Mount Rushmore, space permitting

100 Pentagon name changes

And of course,

Approximately 1 tank of gas, when this is all over.

But war itself is anything but funny—especially wars that could be avoided. Looking back, almost every war was one of choice rather than defensive, including Lincoln's war that began with his baiting of the South at Fort Sumter. His goal of saving the Union meant redefining the Union as "indivisible."

Later, the Spanish-American War—inaugurated by McKinley with the battleship Maine blowing up—set the pattern for imperial wars.

Subsequent diplomatic failures to resolve the Maine matter, coupled with United States indignation over Spain's brutal suppression of the Cuban rebellion [sound familiar?] and continued losses to American investment, led to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in April 1898.