Here is some info about which every American should be concerned. This story, titled Demands on Army Exceed Supply, is most troublesome. We are living in a dangerous world where it is imperative that we have a national defense that is ready for anything. It appears that our army has been weakened to a point where we are ready for very little. President Bush always talks about keeping our country safe. It seems to me that having a strong national defense would be a part of this. Here is some of the disturbing information from the story.

The Army chief now says that if the United States were to take part in another conflict, he probably wouldn't have the troops to carry out the mission.

The current demand for our forces exceeds the sustainable supply. We're consumed with meeting the demands of the current fight and are unable to provide ready forces as rapidly as necessary for other contingencies.

And the Army, stretched to the breaking point, can't maintain a strategic reserve of troops at home that might be needed to protect the U.S. or U.S. interests abroad, should that need arise.

All these statements indicate that we are not prepared if America were to be attacked. I'm sure we could pull together and overcome anything, but we shouldn't be in this position. To make matters worse, the story also mentions that the military has lowered its recruiting standards and that the best people are leaving. This is a problem that must be addressed. As I've asked before, why isn't President Bush asking for volunteers? As we found out well after the Iraq war began, there were many reasons for not going in the first place. I wonder if anyone predicted that it would leave America in a sad state of national defense.