I have to admit that this is the first war in my time where I feel we had no choice if we did not want to sit by and watch the genocide of his own people by Colonel Kaddafi. However I have been listening to many say we had no right to interfere. I feel we had to in good conscience but people are right when they say there is no balance as to what we base the decision to go to war on.
Knowing I have been thinking of this for years and I based it on a book written in 2003 in which it was pointed out that we have been at war since our founding, 227 years. that is now 235 years so I had to revisit this thought.
Years ago now I was consumed with the crazy thought that my son who is an EOD (explosive ordinance Disposal) Team Leader just got home from Afghanistan then volunteered for Iraq. I was very concerned as to how many civilians and American soldiers were going to lose their lives in what many of us considered an illegal war.
I was listening again to the number of Americans killed in past wars including the civil war where some 562 thousand lost their lives as you know, fighting amongst ourselves. At first I was focused on the wasted lives in Iraq and was wondering how many there would be when all is said and done as well as feeling there is no foreseeable end and we still have to wonder, then I went to this list and I wanted to compare how many lives were lost in wars in contrast to how many we lost fighting amongst ourselves.
The numbers were getting too convoluted for me to come up with anything tangible I thought. I then was looking at the immense numbers of conflicts and wars we were in and I decided a comparison of war years to peaceful years would be best to tell our story. I couldn't figure it out. I was floored by the number of conflicts and wars America has been in since our founding and thought I would say we have only had approximately 50 years of peace and supply this link on our war and peace History. List of America's wars
Then I went back to Google and I found this compelling story by Jon Stanton showing that America has been at war openly or clandestinely essentially since we were founded. I merely want you to see what is out there and think about the whole story. Having read what he wrote I thought there was something at least worth reading, thinking about, and putting in perspective.
I never read him so I researched him and found him to be a Virginia based writer that writes from a left wing perspective and I am afraid I agree with much of what he says. In fact I have written much of it myself in the past. I am not a warmonger I am a peace lover so I thought I would give you the link to Jon Stanton's book 227 years of warfare written in 2003 and you could tell me what you think. 227 years of warfare
It did make me remember that I did a diary a while back in which I said the U.S. has a war economy and some took exception to that but looking at our History of wars our fault or not I really have to wonder, what are we? I am a peace lover willing to fight for my country as are my sons as you know but are the leaders of America fighting to live or living to fight? what is happening to us? How are we supposed to feel?
James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com
5 comments:
Thanks for the link.
As we know the US Government is a right wing engine of empire and corporate profiteering. That means war, conflict, "Police action", intervention, occupation, and of course, "humanitarian missions".
It is sickening Dave, just recently we are in one war after the othetr and they all seem to be a war of choice. Under Bush I came to realize that unless you were willing to create war you had no chance of getting erlected. That is holding true even for Obama the peace pri9ze recipient.
I can accept to some degree, war for humanitarian reasons. I don't like the notion, but I can imagine scenarios where I would back it. Perhaps even with my own skin on the line.
My distrust of our government and the knowledge that everything it does is intended to put money into the pockets of rich men, leaves me disbelieving that the new eternal war in Libya has anything to do with saving lives.
I know I've said this before, but I firmly believe that after Ghaddafi is vanquished, the civilian population will become our next target.
We're there to save the oil, not the people. The people are expendable.
Prove me wrong Obama. I dare you.
Wease I'm not a pacifist but unlike one of my sons I am not a big proponent of war. If you have to but I do not like who the judges of that are. I was still in the reserves during Reagan and he concerned the hell out of me.
I know Jim. I'm only expressing my own feelings here.
I used to believe in the idealism of war. I used to believe we engaged in war for noble reasons. I'm long past that now. Likely I'm irredeemable.
Now I think that wars are only fought for money and survival. you're either attacking for money and power or you're defending your home against invaders.
People try to paint in all sorts of subtle shades of rationales, but ultimately, those are just excuses to pursue an agenda.
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