For as long as I can remember Republicans, in general, and Conservatives, in particular, have been dead set against Nation Building.
What happened?
We’re into Nation Building in Iraq! Big time!
Now, I know it is not the popular thing to say these days, but we won the war in Iraq. We invaded, completely destroyed the military of Iraq, overthrew the government of Iraq, and captured the Iraqi Dictator-in-hiding. Now he is on trial, at least it’s supposed to be a trial although it resembles a circus more.
I’m not a Neo-Con. If anything, I’m an old moss-backed Paleo-Con. I do not believe in Nation Building… at all. I’m from the old school in which you invade a country, and destroy it’s military, it’s government, it’s infrastructure and … then you leave. A very important part of the punishment of that enemy country is to leave it a smoking pile of rubble!
This is an important part of any victory. The ability to point to a former enemies pile of rubble and say, hey, you mess with us and you, too, will wind up like that!
It has something to do with the “fear factor”. Scare the living daylights out of any potential enemies.
Granted, it’s not pretty, but it is effective. You see, I’m not into trying to win friends and influence people. Never have been. I’m into winning.
See, I told you it was not pretty.
This Nation Building is costing us treasure and blood. I’m sorta averse to contributing either one!
The US has to make attacking us too costly for any country to even contemplate. To demonstrate that cost, we need to completely obliterate a country or two, sort of as examples, don’t you see?
But, so long as we go into countries and knock them down, and them help them back up, and rebuild their country, where’s the cost to them. Iraq will be in better shape when US forces finally DO leave than it has been since, well, I don’t know when.
I think Genghis Khan had it about right. Hit fast, hit hard, destroy everything in sight… and leave!
Did anyone ever ask “ole Genghis” what HIS exit strategy was? Huh? Guess not. You see, everybody knew, already!
No, our politicians have to get out in front of our Generals, and the troops, and prevent them from performing the jobs they were trained to do. Kill and destroy. Instead, they want the troops to all sit in a circle, hold hands, and sing “cum baya”.
It’s utter nonsense. It should be as simple as one, two, three:
One: Deploy to the enemy country
Two: Cream the enemy (and his country)
Three: Re-deploy home.
In the meantime, keep the troops razor sharp, and leaning forward, so that next time a troublemaker sticks his head up, he knows what’s coming.
Our troops have won the war. Now the politicians, in Washington, are so uncomfortable with victory, they feel this overpowering urge to “kiss and make-up” by rebuilding that which we have just destroyed. Makes no sense to me.
It’s not very diplomatic, I know. But then, again the French are credited with inventing diplomacy. That’s all I need to know about diplomacy!
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think “ole Genghis” was on to something there.
Longstreet
5 comments:
You see sir and I know your opinion can not be swayed by fact, you are afterall a republican and learning something is definitely out of the question for you, specially if it shows you were incorrect. If we do not get the ligths on on the water running in Iraq, before we leave our enemies will. Now i know I oppose this war and the lies that got us in it but we owe it to every innocent man woman and child in Iraq and also to our security as a nation to not leave them defunct infistructure. Force Haliburton to donate time and materials to fix it right, hell they made a killing ripping us taxpayers off. you wonder why Republicans have such a negative view. shees. Maybe the north sould not have done roconstruction of the south, maybe we should bomb the south again just to point out to our enemies we did this to descendents of our homegrown terrorist activists just think what we will do to you.
Make that DEconstruction, Frank. the North did not REconstruct anything down here!
The seven years following the war did more damage to the South than the damge done by the war!
You guys make my day!
There is absolutely no sense of humor on the left.
I enjoy hearing from you, Frank!
Hope you are well!
Longstreet
I will always be well if I get 5 minutes in my busy day to see your posts, sometimes they make me think a little, sometimes alot. I wish I had the advantage to learn the southern perspective on the Civil War as the north calls it but I've also heard it called the Southern War For Independence which actually makes more sense to me. You never know a man (liberal or conservative) until you walk a mile in his shoes.
Amen, Bro. I couldn't have said it better myself.
I'm a member of the "Sons of Confederate Veterans". There is also the "Sons of Union Veterans". Both organizations have "camps", as we call them, all over the country, north and south.
Contrary to what you may have heard, or read, neither outfit is a racist, or bigotted, outfit. On occasion we hold joint events.
Our sole purpose is to see that those men are not forgotten, for they were all heroes.
That era has been so politicized and misinterrpreted for,and by, those who NEED history to be interpreted to, and for, their benefit. We seek only to preserve what ACTUALLY happened. The good and the bad.
The story of those years is fascinating.
And let me share this with you. Frank, the SCV uses the Confederate Battle Flag as our emblem because that was the flag under which the Confederate troops fought, and died. We have no ulterior motive. (Heck, Frank, we even have Black members!) The CBF was never a National Flag of the Confederacy. It was a flag used on the field of battle. It was a Soldier's Flag!
Four years of war and 700,000 AMERICANS dead(North and South.
I, too, wish you had the time to look into that era. You would, I'm sure, be just as fascinated by it as I am.
When Gen. Lee signed the Surrender at Appomatox, he issued his last General Order. In it, he told the Confederate soldiers to go home and be good citizens. That's what they did. That old man, who had been offered command of all the US Forces, with the last stroke of his pen, saved this country from becoming what the Balkans became, and remain, to this day.
This country has a wonderful history. Some good and some bad. But, it is a shame that one has to independently search for the truth because our kids are no longer taught what really happened because someone might be offended. That just isn't right, Frank.
In a few hours I'll be leaving to spend a few days with my dear friend, a "liberal", and his family. We will share our Christmas together. He, and I are as different as you, and I, in our politics. But, long ago we decided that friendship was far more valuable than politics and we put politics aside. We fuss, and cuss, with each other all the time, but, we know there is a love for each other that our politics cannot cross. I think often that must have been what those men, North and South, felt when they opposed each other on the battlefields. Men who went to school together, were best men at the other's weddings, brothers-in-laws, and so on. In their case, of course, honor caused them to put their lives on the line for their belief(s)... and they did.
A quick story: At the battle of Gettysburg, the NC troops battled their way to the stone wall where the Union troops were entrenched. When the Tar Heels got to the wall, they realized they had no more ammunition. They had nothing to fight with. The Yankee commander ordered his men to stop firing and invited the NC men to "come on over to the Lord's side, boys!' and they did. They were immediately taken prisoner. There are scores of stories like this to come out of that conflict.
It was an awesome, awesome, period in the history of this country. It made us who we are today.
At Marye's Heights, outside Fredricksburg, Union dead, and wounded, were, literally, piled in front of the Confederate guns. The wounded were crying out for water and help. One of the South Carolina troops, I believe from Joe Kershaw's command, gathered as many canteens as he could, slipped over the wall and crawled from one Union soldier to the other giving them water to drink. When the Yankees saw what he was doing they ceased fire. When his water was expended, he slipped back over the wall and the fighting resumed. Sometime later, he repeated his actions and, again, both sides ceased firing. He later became known as the "Angel of Marye's Heights".
See what I mean? Those were MEN. I mean real Men.
I am proud of my heritage. I know you are as well.
I may disagree with you, Frank, but I respect you. We are a unique people. We are Americans!
Stay well!
Longstreet!
I don't think it's the civil war veterans families groups that are called racist and I don't think the war against the cenfederate battle flag is reaching into these groups. It is the groups that fly it next to the Nazi Rag, that thing should be a door mat at the entrance to hell! And it has alot to do with these clowns: ultra conservative groups like the American nazi party I resist all things leaning towards the right because the conservatives and the Nazis have a lot in common and the more conservative the more the similarities get: Against affirmative action, against intigrated schools, try to legislate "familay values", against labor unions, need to fight wars and find enemies, Use of cronism (appointing people based on loyalty rather than ability) privitization of everything right down to the military (Blackwater)and so on the list is too long to mention and I see a lot of similarities between facist groups and our facist president, he is a privately owned president.
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