When will the wars end?

[flowerseverywhere]

as I think about it it brings tears to my eyes.

War (or military action) is all about money.

but a death is a death. every soldier killed is a soul on the earth, not matter which side they represent. That is the hardest thing for me to swallow. You can rally against abortion or the death penalty but put a gun in someones hand with a military uniform on and all of a sudden it is OK to kill. It doesn't make sense.

[lizii]

as I think about it it brings tears to my eyes.

War (or military action) is all about money.

but a death is a death. every soldier killed is a soul on the earth, not matter which side they represent. That is the hardest thing for me to swallow. You can rally against abortion or the death penalty but put a gun in someones hand with a military uniform on and all of a sudden it is OK to kill. It doesn't make sense.

I totally agree with the remarks about too many wars.

I am a proud Canadian, but feel I do have the right to state my point of view here, since our Canadian forces have troops working along with US forces.

We are removing our troops from Afghanistan now, and training Afghanistani soldiers to defend their own country. Personally, I think it's a waste of time trying to defend a country controlled by people who don't want foreigners in their country.

Personally, I'd really like to see the US stop spending money on war machinery and taking care of their own people, including reopening manufacturing their own goods instead of buying from foreign nations, which would employ people who have lost their jobs, homes, etc., to begin the rebuilding of the US to what it was once--the leading power in the world. After all, with all the war machinery stashed in various foreign countries, plus your country, who is going to attack you?


The US doesn't need to think it's the world policeman in my opinion.

I also believe that Obama needs some more time to prove he's an excellent leader--after all, he is still doing what he can to clean up the mess left behind by GWB, likely the worst President the US has ever been unfortunate enough to elect not once, but twice.







This is also affecting Canada, of course, since the US is our close friend and ally

[flowerseverywhere]

I wanted to add as I read history I can understand the point of some wars. obviously WW2 for instance. But since almost the beginning of time, humans have found reasons to enslave, kill, invade, pillage, rape, and bomb other humans.

If anyone wants to see an excellent documentary watch "The fog of war"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fog_of_War

[sweetana3]

We visited the Imperial War Museum in London and it seemed the British were at war somewhere for something their entire history.

[sweetana3]

One significant problem is that the military/industrial businesses in the US provide a huge number of jobs both technical and manufacturing. We are way too good at building machines of destruction.

[Gregg]

One significant problem is that the military/industrial businesses in the US provide a huge number of jobs both technical and manufacturing. We are way too good at building machines of destruction.

Lots of truth in that statement. It's difficult to come up with any logical reason for the US being at war beyond the profit motive. That seems especially true in eastasia. It's open to debate, but I do believe that, at the core, access to the region's oil is a significant reason for our continued occupation. Ike's military industrial complex has grown to include big oil.

I'm not a strict isolationist, but every year I feel more strongly that we should pull in the reigns and eliminate most activities on foreign soil. Not all, but most. The military already has access to technology that should allow it to defend our shores with far less manpower and equipment and even those reduced figures could be cut by, what...80% (?) if we simply bring the troops home.

The profit part isn't necessarily bad, but why don't we create a scenario where the defense contractors can make a profit by making things that benefit all of us. Navistar can make electric cars. ManTech can keep building the radar systems that help secure remote areas without troops. HP can go back to trying to make a decent laptop. GE can go back to making just about everything in your house. Boeing can build planes for Air China. KBR can...well, maybe we should phase out KBR (they creep me out), but some other company that does what they do could set ground support for all the infrastructure projects we should be doing. And all the others can retool to start building that new infrastructure.

[SteveinMN]

The profit part isn't necessarily bad, but why don't we create a scenario where the defense contractors can make a profit by making things that benefit all of us.

+1, Gregg. Of course, Navistar, GE, and Boeing all make products the rest of us can buy. But it strikes me as sad that some of the best engineering and manufacturing done in this country is done by military contractors.

[Gregg]

But it strikes me as sad that some of the best engineering and manufacturing done in this country is done by military contractors.

Well Steve, I would guess that is as simple as following the money. If the highest paying engineering jobs in the past 30 years were in the solar industry we'd probably all have panels on our roof by now.

[Spartana]

Obama didn't manage to end them in his first four years. I don't see that if Romney is elected, he'll end them, or that Obama will do so if re-elected.

When does it end?

I was looking at the requirements for membership in the American Legion today, as our local post is recruiting heavily.



I boldened a bit of that for you all. Take a close look. The current "war era" is the longest in our nation's history. We are still waiting for "the end of hostilities as determined by the government of the United States" - when will that be? It has been 22 years, for goodness sake. We have been "at war" for the entirety of my daughter's life, and she will be going to college soon.

Are we winning yet? Will we ever decide we've "won"? Or will we always be at war with Eastasia?

Etc.

I'm a member of the American Legion having been involved in the Grenada "armed conflict" - or as we called it "Operation Urgent Fury". Gots me a medal :-)! as well as the very tail end of the Vietnam war (1975 when I joined the service). And I agree with pretty much everything that has been said on this thread concerning both the nature of most of our current and past wars and armed conflicts, as well as the longivity of them. For the most part I don't see most of them as humanitarian in their goal (WWII was probably the exception) or even to stop the threat of some form of "evil" governemnt like communism (Vietnam) and promote the spread of democracy - a nobel cause when NOT done at the end of a gun barrel - but as a means of gaining something for ourselfs - be that oil or control over certain regions of the world for economic purposes. Otherwise we'd see more involvement in truelly humanitarian missions such as Kosovo, most of the war torn regions of africa where genocide and civil unrest has decimated sections of the populations. But, while I feel that military spending can be greatly cut, and that we never should have been in Iraq or Afganistan in the first place, let a lone stay this long, I am a strong supporter of a well equipted, highly trained modern military. But I feel we can have that at a fraction of the current costs and would rather much of that tax money go towards providing jobs and aid to US citizens.

"More than 200 Army women participated in the invasion...but they were not considered as having been in combat. Coast Guard women served aboard ships patrolling the waters around Grenada; and Air Force women flew as pilots, engineers and loadmasters"

[Spartana]

I totally agree with the remarks about too many wars.

I am a proud Canadian, but feel I do have the right to state my point of view here, since our Canadian forces have troops working along with US forces.

We are removing our troops from Afghanistan now, and training Afghanistani soldiers to defend their own country. Personally, I think it's a waste of time trying to defend a country controlled by people who don't want foreigners in their country.

Personally, I'd really like to see the US stop spending money on war machinery and taking care of their own people, including reopening manufacturing their own goods instead of buying from foreign nations, which would employ people who have lost their jobs, homes, etc., to begin the rebuilding of the US to what it was once--the leading power in the world. After all, with all the war machinery stashed in various foreign countries, plus your country, who is going to attack you?


The US doesn't need to think it's the world policeman in my opinion.

I also believe that Obama needs some more time to prove he's an excellent leader--after all, he is still doing what he can to clean up the mess left behind by GWB, likely the worst President the US has ever been unfortunate enough to elect not once, but twice.







This is also affecting Canada, of course, since the US is our close friend and ally

I completely agree with you 100% Liizi - couldn't have said it better myself.