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When the US got into Vietnam there were two kinds of "advisors" who told our government what we should do as to escalation or not in our involvement.

One type said - "How can people who use bows and arrows to fight helicopters win a war? Let's go end this with all our military power."

The other type said - "How can we expect to win a foriegn war on ground we don't control, against people willing to use bows and arrows against helicopters? We need to stay out of this."

Today in Washington there is a beautiful, black and somber wall with 58,000 names on it that died fighting that war. 100s of thousands came back with broken minds and bodies and we got nothing from it. Not to mention the 100s of thousand of Vietnamese we killed for no real reason.

Rather than learn that the second type of adviser was correct, we have continued this path and did it all over again, in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the end killing millions of innocent people who were no threat to us.

US loss of life was small compared to Vietnam but we have yet another generation of disabled, broken and PTSD laden men and women for again NO GAIN. We got exactly nothing out of these two wars, they cost us over a trillion dollars and the blood of both sides for NOTHING OF VALUE.

Now as we thump our chest, this time not even half a decade out of the last idiotic wars, we still haven't learned a damn thing and seemed hell bent on a broader middle eastern war.

Profits for Lockheed and General Dynamics seem far more important that American interests and the good of the American people.

And while at it we engaged in a proxy war that killed 500K Ukrainian Men and injured about a million. Wrecked their entire country and destroyed their future for 50 years, at least.

But hey Black Rock can make a fortune "investing in rebuilding" after it is over, they already put out a plan to do so. I am sure the US Congress will subsidize it as they make billions off the suffering we enabled. And yesterday a sitting senator applauded this because it "weakened Russia".

We have learned nothing from history, because the people in power have made sure it was impossible for anyone except a true independent thinker to do so.

If you read all this and it made sense to you it is likely that the world around you does not. It is likely uncomfortable. However it is worth it, it just means you can think for yourself in a world that largely can't.

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Discussion

well said!

Those three guys in Jordan were in my old brigade. Probably they all joined after I got out. I didn’t know them in any case. It did have me thinking that but for chance that could have been me. I haven’t really seen anyone asking why they were there in the first place. I hope it doesn’t spiral into something bigger.

Crazy, all in the name of “freedom and democracy” Fighting against the mind virus of Communism/collectivism. 100’s of thousands dead as the US moves more and more towards the very thing we were supposed to fighting against.

Well said!!

I had to choose between two:

"The lesson from history is that no one ever learns a lesson from history."

I couldn't find the other, but something along the lines of

'We don't study history so that we're not 'doomed to repeat it', we study history because it WILL repeat'.

Both form some redneck hippy duck farmer (who apparently now is also an 'anti war commie'.

As ever, well said Jack.

I have always found it funny people who claim to love liberty attack those who are anti war. The only thing you can be if you are not anti war is pro war. If you are pro war you are a psychopath but so many don't see it. Additionally the largest attacks on liberty are always by your own government at time of war, because war is an excuse for almost any rights being "suspended".

Neither makes sense, defense against actual attack does...

I should clarify, defense against actual attack of you and your own.

Not defending someone elsewhere against shit that is none of your business 😂

Which also means not putting your shit somewhere else just to provoke a response so you have an excuse to do what you shouldn't...

I would say it boggles the mind, but not really so much anymore.

Interesting that according to most states laws you can use lethal force in only a few specific instances. Typically something like when it is "necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony. "

Yet they don't even hold to that standard when starting a WAR.

It's always 'our national interest'. Could you imagine if we were permitted to use lethal force to achieve or maintain 'our interests'?

BTW, I nearly said 'when declaring war' ... but they don't really do that anymore, do they?