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ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda

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ORIGINAL: Sanity


Imagine if your delusions that the United States is an expansivist, imperialist nation were the reality - what it might have done after the second world war with all her industrial base running at full tilt while the rest of the developed world lay in ruin.

While we were the only nation with the bomb...

Well, what the heck do you think we were going to do? Bomb 'em again? I have no idea what you think made sense about this one. We had a perfect opportunity to help an entire planet full of potential customers for our goods and services back on their feet so they could do business with us. What else would we have done?

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claims of US "imperialism" are asinine on their face.

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ORIGINAL: Musicmystery

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When was the last time...when was any time...the us went to war to protect its allies?

Since WWII, we mainly seem to be fighting first and trying to get others to join.

Here's the thing, though--many PTB want to convince us that perpetual war is necessary, that it's good for business, that we are in hideous danger if we slacken, and it's all for THEIR benefit, not the nation--plenty of nations prosper without this model.

So did we in the 90s (though of course it's not as simple as just that, granted).

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ORIGINAL: Sanity
Beside that back in the 1980's Iran was the bully on the block, their goal was to overthrow every Muslim government in the Middle East, unite all of Islam under a ruthless religious dictatorship  and eventually extend their Jihad to a global level. Stopping Iran was necessary, and circumstances made Iraq the perfect tool to use towards that end.

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ORIGINAL: willbeurdaddy

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ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda

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ORIGINAL: Sanity


Imagine if your delusions that the United States is an expansivist, imperialist nation were the reality - what it might have done after the second world war with all her industrial base running at full tilt while the rest of the developed world lay in ruin.

While we were the only nation with the bomb...

Well, what the heck do you think we were going to do? Bomb 'em again? I have no idea what you think made sense about this one. We had a perfect opportunity to help an entire planet full of potential customers for our goods and services back on their feet so they could do business with us. What else would we have done?

What a truly imperialist nation would have done....enjoy the spoils of war. Or what Japan, a truly imperialist nation would have done...enslaved us had they won. Or what the Nazis would have done if they had won.

claims of US "imperialism" are asinine on their face.

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ORIGINAL: popeye1250

I'm watching CNN and they were talking about Somalia. They had this journalist on who said he spent three weeks there and he said they need "foreign aid.!" Of course he's going to say that! He probably has visions of sugarplumbs dancing in his head seeing construction crews building schools, hospitals, housing,....."nation building!"
The prick should spend three weeks in a homeless shelter in the U.S.!
Then have some visions of construction crews building housing!
He goes to Somalia for three weeks and has,....a revelation! And of course his "vision" will neccessitate U.S. Taxpayer Dollars of course! ("Of courssssssse!!!") "Out of Iraq, into Somalia."
I wonder if he's been to Detroit or Cleveland yet?
These "journalists" have never been to a third or fourth world country that they didn't want to give your money to!

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ORIGINAL: Aneirin

War is a business just like any other, it's action stimulates business and invention and with invention yet more ways to do business. Lives are lost, but what are lives when it comes to profit as surely everyone knows those that profit from war care zero about lives lost, as their businnes is war and what can be made from it. So beware those mealy mouthed political bastards when say how shocking it is that yet another body bag comes home, if they cared that much, they in their position would be doing something about stopping lives going abroad to come back dead.

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The number of troops
According to the figures often cited in the media, the number of NATO troops in Afghanistan, most of which are American, is near 100,000. Actually, the number is twice as large, as there are more than 104,000 private contractors in that country who carry out many of the missions the military used to carry out itself.