It seems we are in perpetual war, just like Oceania and Eastasia, the allies fighting Eurasia in 1984. Without missing a beat, they ended up fighting each other, with Oceania and Eurasia allied against Eastasia. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter  authorized the United States Central Intelligence Agency to conduct Operation Cyclone. That was the code name to arm and finance the mujaheddin so they could fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan. These are the same mujaheddin we are fighting now, with the same forces – on our side – that  the Soviets had fighting on their side.

The good news is, I guess, because war promotes innovation on a grand scale – see a 1938 fighter below and a 1948 fighter below that –

our permanent state of war has given us all sorts of great innovations. Two of favorites are MRE’s – Meal, ready to eat – which feature meat infused with caffeine to help keep our combatants awake, and Kevlar underwear to help keep their reproductive parts safe.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were willing to spend that kind of money on education.