I will be 65 soon

[rurallib]

and I don't know if this country has not been at war with someone throughout my life

I was thinking about this the other night - from Korea to Vietnam to Grenada for gawd's sake and now one more. Hovering behind much of that was the cold war egged on by insane policies against anyone who dare even talk to a communist. That one never really went away.

We talk of wanting peace and then blow up folks for no reason - well actually oil or commerce it seems mostly. This is so fucking insane.

Had to vent.

[Recursion]

1. 1834 was the last year without a US military action somewhere

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

[jeff47]

4. I'm not sure of your criteria

Here's an example from that page:

1998 – Liberia: On September 27, 1998, America deployed a stand-by response and evacuation force of 30 U.S. military personnel to increase the security force at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia.

That's a "military action", according to your rules.

Yet we've had Marines guarding US embassies for a very, very long time. If we're gonna count incidents like the one above, shouldn't we also count the guards that were staffing our embassies in 1834?

[Recursion]

5. Small world -- that happened on my first float

Though I wasn't on the shore team.

If we're gonna count incidents like the one above, shouldn't we also count the guards that were staffing our embassies in 1834?

Marine embassy guards have visas from the host countries. The platoon in Monrovia just landed. IIRC they took some fire, though nobody got hurt.

[UTUSN]

2. I hate young people. n/t

[freshwest]

3. Still wet behind the ears to ya, huh?

[JEB]

6. Happy 65.

We're going to have us a big old mess of bloody money making, only you don't get any of the money, but you get to pay for it and bear the guilt. Maybe even get your SS cut. So yeah, happy 65.

[fadedrose]

7. I remember World War II

Last edited Tue Sep 23, 2014, 11:51 AM - Edit history (1)

and how the butcher shop let us good customers know when he got in Hershey bars. We used honey instead of sugar in our coffee because we couldn't get sugar. Luckily this was before we started killing bees with bug sprays...

I remember lots of stuff in the papers, pictures, etc., about Mr. Truman bombing Japan - twice. I was shocked even as a kid that we could do so much harm to such a small country on the map. I thought we were the good guys, but after that, I wasn't and am still, not too sure about that.

Nobody had a war till after WWII (45) when the boys came home and got their monthly pay money their moms had saved for them and went out and bought cars. Some neighbor boys never came home. But their pictures in uniform stayed on the fireplace mantels.

Then we didn't get involved, but we were engrossed in the Israelis and surrounding countries and the constant war there.

Then Korea, Vietnam, Somali, and a bunch of small skirmishes. Margaret Thatcher had Reagan help her with some country, I forget which, but we got out of their quick...

[Enthusiast]

15. Maybe you mean the Falklands War.

The Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas), also known as the Falklands Conflict, Falklands Crisis and the Guerra del Atlántico Sur (Spanish for "South Atlantic War&quot , was a ten-week war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over two British overseas territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It began on Friday 2 April 1982 when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands (and, the following day, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands) in an attempt to establish the sovereignty it had long claimed over them. On 5 April, the British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force before making an amphibious assault on the islands. The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982, returning the islands to British control. 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel and three Falkland Islanders died during the hostilities.

More at the link.

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

[fadedrose]

16. Thank you

I don't remember it so much by "Falkland's" - but the Argentina is what I now vividly remember because it seemed that it was a hush-hush war that maybe Reagan didn't want American's minds wrapped up in it...

I have to read more about it - but I see where the article says that in 1994, Argentina added the Falklands to their constitution.

These South American countries, so huge, so rich in natural resources, seem to have so much trouble with dictators and drug cartels.....Madonna does a poignant and beautiful job on the song, Argentina..

[Enthusiast]

22. This version has nearly 7 millions views!

[frazzled]

17. If you remember World War I you must be at least 100!

And even then, you would have been a young child. Congratulations for still being with us!

[fadedrose]

18. I am a mere child of 76....

who only feels like she was born before WWI....

who makes typing mistakes

whose dad fought in WWI and talked about it

But really, what's the difference, WWI, WWII, all the same. What we have to worry about is WWIII, which will end the planet I am sure.

But I am surprised that you saw the mistake. I thought nobody read half the stuff in DU, my half especially....

[Enthusiast]

23. You can be sure that all your DU words are carefully scrutinized by the NSA for subversive

words and suggestions.

[BlueJazz]

8. I'll be 65 in 31 years and I'll probably be able to say the same thing.

Even at my fairly young age...it's so depressing.

At least we/I have people like you to share the pain and know that we're not alone.

[Elwood P Dowd]

9. I remember listening to Korean War news reports on the radio as a little kid.

Then got my ass drafted during the Vietnam War. Seems to never end, doesn't it?

[MrMickeysMom]

10. I hate war and even more, endless war...

I am disgusted with those who can't heed the advice from 1933 from Smedley Butler, "War Is A Racket"…. cause it is.

[mackerel]

11. I remember riding my bike around town and all the church bells ringing at 3pm to signify the end of

Vietnam war. Wow, hadn't thought of that in years.

[oldandhappy]

12. Happy Birthday and may you have a loving and creative year.

War is awful and it is only part of what we have in our lives. My hope for you is a calendar full of sunny days, lovely views, a glass of cold water, a lap cat, a good bed, friends who laugh, a good book, and a happy year.

[enough]

13. "The Permanent War Economy"

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

The concept of permanent war economy originated in 1944 with an article by Ed Sard (alias Frank Demby), Walter S. Oakes and T.N. Vance, a Third Camp Socialist, who predicted a post-war arms race. He argued at the time that the USA would retain the character of a war economy; even in peacetime, US military expenditure would remain large, reducing the percentage of unemployed compared to the 1930s. He extended this analysis in 1950 and 1951.[1]

The CEO of General Electric and vice-chairman of the War Production Board, Charles Edward Wilson ("Electric Charlie," not to be confused with "Engine Charlie," Charles Erwin Wilson of General Motors) had already argued for the continuation of large scale military spending in a speech at the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Dinner of the Army Ordnance Association on January 19, 1944. Although he did not use the term "Permanent War Economy" he did argue for an institutionalized war economy—i.e. a semi-command economy to be directed by corporation executives, based on military industry, and funded by government. Wilson argued for this system for purely military reasons. He did not make any argument for a "military Keynesianism". The term refers to the economic component within the military-industrial complex (MIC) (aka. "the Iron Triangle&quot whereby the collusion between militarism and war profiteering are manifest as a permanently subsidized industry. Wilson warned at the close of World War II that the US must not return to a civilian economy, but must keep to a "permanent war economy."[2]

snip> more at link

And Seymour Melman's 1976 Book:

The Permanent War Economy: American Capitalism in Decline
http://www.amazon.com/The-Permanent-War-Economy-Capitalism/dp/0671222619

[TBF]

14. It's hard to find years we were not at war -

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

[madokie]

19. We can't even have peace between our own different racial groups

as I see it pretty much mostly brought on by my white brothers too. As much as I hate to entertain that thought

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

20. “Sometime they’ll give a war and nobody will come.” Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)

[rurallib]

21. I wish - the rich will always paint the picture of glory

and heroism and patriotism and at least half the populace will be fooled.

[Enthusiast]

24. The display of ultra-nationalism before football games is over the top.

A giant flag waved by football players and the military? The Blue Angels make a pass overhead.

I think by now a simple singing of the national anthem would be sufficient.