Shawn Curry wrote:

Wow! How can you get off the ground with that chip on your shoulder.

Hey, I'm not the one that "coulda, woulda, shoulda" and takes cheap
shots at those who did.

Perhaps one might now realize that there is at least one person
perusing this public forum that will not let tactless jabs against the
U.S. Air Force Academy, its soaring program, its Cadets, or its
graduates go unchecked. The Academy's soaring program is generally a
good, safe operation (especially considering the fleet count, number
of sorties, and variation in flying) that, by far, cranks out more new
glider pilots and potential long term participants in the sport than
any other program in this country and most probably in the world.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect
Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defense [sic], ..."
Looks like defense is #4

The use of commas to separate items in series does not denote any
weighting or degree of importance as to any one item's placement
within the series. The commas used in such a series can be
interpreted as "and".
Use of semicolons would denote a greater degree of separation to
convey the idea of an order of precedence or importance.

If your logic held true, then defence [the British variation of the
word as it is spelled in the preamble] would take priority over
promoting the general Welfare and securing the Blessings of Liberty.

I must therefore respectfully disagree with your assumption that
providing for the defense of our nation is any more or less important
that any other Constitutional directive.

My apology to those international users of this forum for the
tangential domestic politico-philosophical discussion.

RD