Posted by Liberal on February 24, 2011, 2:34 pm, in reply to "Re: machine..."
We are at war right now correct, Thereby; our army is not "standing" (just from a technicality stand point)
technically - we had the standing army before the war, and we will have a standing army AFTER the war - if there ever is an "after"...so technically - you are wrong.
truth is - America jumps from one war to another - and i believe it is to keep our standing army upright. if we started acting like a peace-loving nation then there would be less need for such a bloated military budget...so it makes sense why those in power would seek to secure their power - power is propulsed by power.
as civilians we have no say in what wars we engage in - even if a war is unpopular (like our current war and the war in iraq) we can not get out of it.
"That being said, unless you are yearning for some learning on how to speak Chinese, we need strong military corps, to help repeal invasion."
last i checked - china was one of our greatest allies. i personally would not fear it if we spoke chinese, hindu, arabic...we are the nation of cultural diversity.
furthermore - i believe in the right to bear arms - and feel that if an invasion was looming our people would be able to defend ourselves. i pity any nation that would attempt to invade America - as they would fight every house, every block, every city...it would be impossible.
the only thing that will invade america - is america itself. we have had civil war once before, and some of those sentiments still linger today...
i believe it would be civil war that destroyed us - if anything.
if there were an impending threat - if someone was intending to invade us - then you might have a good point there...but the fact is WE are the invaders. We are the ones committing violence and forcing our will on others.
who can stop us? only we can.
can we as a people stop the war machine? no. many have tried (including JFK - and we know what happened to him) is our military too big, wielding too much power? yes.
and the thesis of my college education was an exploration of dissent - how those who stand up to the war machine get murdered by our government.
those in power seek to further secure their power - and it is liberty which suffers as a result. once again - why i see those 2 ideas being forces moving in opposite directions.
"No were are not, If in nearly ten years we can't hunt down and kill the 1000 people we are after in near stone aged civilization that about size of Texas, there is no way our military can control the people in this country, at least with there guns. That and the troops, officers especially, know better. After all, there allegiance is to the constitution."
first off - i will say we have not been trying very hard. we spent 8 years playing in the sandbox known as iraq and not looking for the blood we craved... we spent nearly 10 years rebuilding another nation - not hunting for those who attacked us.
so your logic is flawed from the start.
troops and officers know better? that is the problem i am highlighting - a blind trust in a powerful entity that has WAY overstepped it's bounds...
as we are over-policed and charged extensively for the most expensive military in the world - more than the next 15 countries COMBINED - you still maintain faith that people in power are using it for the sake of the constitution...in the name of liberty.
if and when liberty can only be obtained through possessing a gigantic military, then the concept is dead in this country.
...
the whole point of this was to make you think about the forces you lack respect for...in some way.
you said our military is a "tad excessive" - and perhaps that is a good start...you are beginning to at least acknowledge the largest threat to liberty in this country.
our congress has the ability to make and maintain a military...
just as our congress also has the ability to levy taxes and create legislation. congress has the ability to create agencies - and it is constitutional to create social welfare if it is the will of the people.
you make a foregone conclusion when you say social security will not be there for us...i do not think it will die...and it is not dead yet...
furthermore - it is a sound creation of our government - and completely constitutional.
if you believe our government has been out of line - taking too many taxes and creating legislation not wanted by the people (which i assure you - people want social security) - then you should harbor the same thoughts about our military.
one that has grown too large, and something that i think the american people do not want.
on February 24, 2011, 2:34 pm, in reply to "