"Any idiot can start a war." - For Good and Evil, Charles Addams
"The Rich Man's War and the Poor Man's Fight" was one of the names originally given to the War Between the States (which wasn’t about freeing the slaves in the slightest and instead was about taxes and tariffs – the North using the federal government to try to economically exploit the South in order to enrich Northern industries – and it led to three-quarters of a million casualties. Today, with the increase in population, that would be about five million dead and wounded. And the ignorant say Lincoln (who was also a wealthy lawyer for those industries) was a great President!).
Not surprisingly, the homosexual Lincoln (he wrote homoerotic poetry and slept with his man-ass Joshua Speed for God knows how many years) was brain-damaged from being kicked in the face in his early teens by a horse (he was in a coma for three days and people thought he was going to die). He suffered severe depression for decades from his brain damage and also had syphilis – his son died from it and his wife ended her life in an insane asylum because of it. Obviously Lincoln had no business being President.
Not all wars are started because of money but once they are started the acquisition of money always figures prominently in them. The rich always get richer and everyone else struggles, sometimes terribly. It’s always been like that and always will be. It’s been the history of the world.
Our “Revolutionary War” (actually our First War for Independence because it wasn’t a revolution at all) was about taxes and tariffs – the Second War for Independence was the War Between the States – and it, again, was about taxes and tariffs).
Speaking of idiots who start wars, born-uber-rich alcoholic/cokehead for decades (therefore permanently brain-damaged) frat boy Dubya Shrub (who failed at every business he was involved in and when asked he wanted to serve in Vietnam as fighter pilot, responded, “No”) started two unnecessary ones (still going on after 16 years) and I’m sure he and his friends (such as Dickless Cheney) made tens of millions of dollars from those wars – all extorted from hapless taxpayers. Such politically-connected bullies/cowards always make that kind money from wars – ones they have no intention whatsoever of fighting themselves – which they start because it makes them feel the intoxication of power, domination and control. Which is what motivates all serial killers. Fighting and dying and being horribly maimed is for the expendable lower classes (by the way, I know a man who helped kill his incompetent gloryhound lieutenant in Vietnam because he was so bad he gotten half-a-dozen of his men killed. So in self-defense they rubbed him out. He said he and the other soldiers – all working-class – didn’t lose a wink of sleep over it).
Having dealt with several alcoholics for decades, the first time I saw Dubya speak on TV I immediately knew he was an alcoholic – an untreated one, i.e. a “dry drunk.” It was crystal-clear from his speech and body language. I have seen him drunk on TV – the flushed face and the slurred speech. He had no business being President.
Such vile people apparently think those who fight the wars to not be fully human. Which reminds me that Stalin charged his scientists with creating a human/chimpanzee hybrid to fight wars.
That also reminds me of the movie Blade Runner, in which the warrior “replicants” had animal DNA (such as wolf and possibly shark) inserted in them (the same applies to Kurt Russell’s movie, Soldier, a sequel which was set many years – possibly centuries - after Blade Runner, but the throw-away artificial humans were still used to fight wars).
I do know that art imitates life but sometimes life imitates art. If the government could genetically engineer soldiers it would – but for a long time to come it’s just easier to throw away human life by those who only pretend to care. For example, G.I. means “Government Issue.” Disposable Government Issue.
St. Paul was pretty darn close when he wrote “The love of money is the root of all evil.” It’s really that Monstrous Self of which Russell Kirk wrote that is the root of all evil – the love (actually “lust”) for money is just a manifestation of it. As is bullying/cowardice. And being a Chickenhawk with a big mouth and no testicles.
There is another, lesser-known Biblical phrase – “the lust of the eye.” That means getting pleasure from watching death and destruction – the way Romans saw the fighting and death in the Coliseum as entertainment, much like TV and movies today (I’m sure the Chickenhawk Shrub and all the incompetents in his administration suffered from the lust of the eye – I’m also sure all of them thoroughly enjoyed the wars. It was entertainment to them. It’s why none of them ever visited or will ever visit the back wards of a VA hospital – not entertaining at all to see men with faces burned off or no arms and legs - or genitals.).
The lust of the eye, the lust for money, Biblical Pride (that Monstrous Self), not using God’s name for vain causes, the sin of greed…there certainly is a lot of ages-old wisdom in that book (neither wisdom nor folly is new – both are as old as humanity).
I wouldn’t mind seeing some additions to the Bible, such as something about “Rich Man’s War and Poor Man’s Fight.” That’s not going to happen, though.
It’s amazing how many violent revolts – indeed wars – have been started because of money, i.e. taxes. And taxes are always from governments. Taxpayers are sheep to be shorn – and sometimes meaninglessly sacrificed.
Speaking of the Bible, there are some famous sayings in it about stealing the last penny of widows and orphans.
It’s amazing how self-deceptive – blind – some people are. Especially the ones elected to office.
And we do know what happens when the blind lead the blind. Oops, right into the ditch. Including entire counties.
18 comments:
I am opposed to women in combat, but I did favor drafting the Bush daughters (and Obama's) to work as orderlies in a VA burn ward. Should have drafted George P Bush and sent him to serve as a front line infantry private instead of a Navy Lawyer.
"The Rich Man's War and the Poor Man's Fight" was one of the names originally given to the War Between the States (which wasn’t about freeing the slaves in the slightest and instead was about taxes and tariffs – the North using the federal government to try to economically exploit the South in order to enrich Northern industries – and it led to three-quarters of a million casualties."
Alternative Facts alert The correct name is the Civil War. It involved the North and South over a host of issues, one of which was slavery.
Slavery was an integral part of that specific equation, and even southrons who owned slaves openly questioned secession--Governor Sam Houston prophetically told his fellow Texans their future--“Let me tell you what is coming. After the sacrifice of countless millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives, you may win [but] I doubt it. I tell you that, while I believe with you in the doctrine of states rights, the North is determined to preserve this Union [and] when they begin to move in a given direction, they move with the steady momentum and perseverance of a mighty avalanche; and what I fear is, they will overwhelm the South”.
South Carolinian James L. Petrigru argued that, "It is an odd feeling to be in the midst of joy and gratulations that one does not feel. On the contrary, it is a feeling of deep sadness that settles on my mind. The universal applause that waits on secessionists and secession has not the slightest tendency to shake my conviction that we are on the road to ruin."
Ironically, the Confederate Constitution mirrored the U.S. Constitution, and the problems that beset the South were in part due to states unwilling to provided centralized authority led by Jefferson Davis with much needed revenue and material support to properly fund the war.
The production of cotton by 1840 accounted for HALF of all American exports, with the Southrons producing close to seventy percent for British clothiers. The majority of the masters were of modest means, owning between 8-14 slaves, working alongside their “property”, yet touted their racial superiority and vigorously defending the “peculiar institution”. The slave system was NOT economically moribund; rather it was thriving. From 1840-1860, the South’s per income capita dramatically increased than the North and West combined. The trend on the eve of the Civil War for slavery was decidedly upward.
"but I did favor drafting the Bush daughters (and Obama's) to work as orderlies in a VA burn ward"
Exactly my sentiments.
"Alternative Facts alert The correct name is the Civil War. It involved the North and South over a host of issues, one of which was slavery".
Nope. The correct name is War of the Rebellion and slavery had nothing to do it.
Get your facts straight next time.
"southrons"
Another moron.
You're banned.
G.W. Bush "who failed at every business he was involved in".
I'm not sure this is true. He failed at every business he was involved in, until his family bought a sports franchise for him. No, I am no fan of "Shrub", as you call him. I remember seeing him try to make a speech on TV and he actually pronounced a polysyllabic word, correctly and in the proper context! His eyes lit up like a child at Christmas. You could just see his handlers coaching him how to say it during practice. "C'mon, Georgie! You can do it!", just like trying to teach a kid how to ride a bike. It was at that moment I though, "My God! He really is that stupid!" Personally, I feel we had a run of 4 of the worst presidents in history from 1988 through 2016. And I was glad to see Clinton repudiated when Al Gore was defeated. Face it, there may never be a good president again in this nation until the 3rd War for Independence. Then it will be just a matter of time before it goes back to business as usual.
We are dust in the wind, Bob. Life is a crap shoot.
I've seen 23 year old widows with their children collapsed in front of their husband's tombstones. I've seen the fugged over and fugged up vets. Those men know what the risks are, they take them because they believe in their country and its military. You should too, to honour their memories. But I've also seen the good men forged in war, the kind of guys for whom we aren't fit to shine their boots.
Dubya danced on the winds of fate just as your buddies did. Bush I could have been caught by Japs or killed in his dive bomber back in the 1940's. Dubya could have been killed in his fighter jet a thousand different ways. To call either of those men cowards is to call all servicemen cowards and that to me, at least, smacks of envy and cowardice itself.
There is another war coming that will make all those you refer to - look like skirmishes. There's a good chance it will be on your home turf, and will go against many you thought were your friends.
If it comes to it all a guy can ask is to die well - and regardless of the mission, the time or the place or the pain - there is no doubt in my mind that our servicemen all die well and with honour. I will not be convinced otherwise.
Your mileage may vary.
"There is another war coming that will make all those you refer to - look like skirmishes."
Nope.
So Glen, No such thing as a bad or foolish war, and all soldiers killed and maimed in wars are worth it -- no questions asked? I am just trying to make some sense of your psychodelic blather. Given your convictions I am surprised you did not make a career out of the military and meet your maker on the battlefield, given the honor glory and general awesomeness of it all. Maybe you should talk with some soldiers who have come back from Iraq and other nonsensical military overtures, minus limbs, and see if they think it's all as awesome and glorious as you seem to. And please don't go running to Bob crying that City Girl is kicking your butt again.
Glen sez, "Bomb and kill everything! You never know!"
Glenn is our regular 'village idiot'. He likes to mouth off. I used to think about the joining the military when I was younger but glad I never did. Aside from the stupid wars picking on small countries that can't fight back so rich assholes can make money, few of my fellow 'Muricans have a life or property I would care about defending.
Now that I think of it, with cheap drone and missile technology, this bullying will be ending soon and unpleasant for those who get sent into danger in the future.
Glen, there are no threats to the USA. And probably won't be for centuries. They are protected by two oceans and the Arctic circle. You couldn't ask for more geographical security than that. They only have one land boundary with a vaguely unstable, economically weak, and militarily weak country. (Canada doesn't count)
The only present day threats to US security are from low-level actions by terrorists or drug-cartels. Threats which are comparable to those of the MAFIA, or 1930s gangsters like Al Capone. And maybe the odd 1992 Los Angeles-style riot
And the US has already seen off the two biggest economic and military threats to their country: the NAZIs in the 1940s, and the USSR in the 1980s. And they did that from the safety of an untouched homeland.
So please, lighten up. America is not going to be attacked anytime soon.
"And the US has already seen off the two biggest economic and military threats to their country: the NAZIs in the 1940s, and the USSR in the 1980s".
Why is it that so many Americans actually believe that the Nazis were trying to conquer the world? They were not interested in conquering the world!. All of their writings and political goals were Eurocentric. Not only that, there is no way the Nazis could have possibly conquered the U.S. They did not have the population or the resources to do it. Hell, they couldn't even invade Britain. Hitler proved he was either an idiot or serving someone besides Germany when he invaded Russia and declared war on the U.S. He couldn't even defeat Russia while he was stretched across Europe and North Africa. The Japanese had no intention of helping him and the Italians couldn't wipe their own butt militarily. The Nazis were not ever a real military threat to the U.S.
As the late USMC Major General Smedley Butler explained, "War is a racket."
"The Nazis were not ever a real military threat to the U.S."
They were only interested in Europe. The real threat was the International Socialists of Russia, which we funded and armed.
So many people are historical ignoramuses, aren't they?
If it comes to it all a guy can ask is to die well"
There is no such thing as "dying well" in war. I've known guys paralyzed from the neck down who it took 30 years to die.
By the way, about 22 veterans are killing themselves every day.
WRT to WW II in Europe and our involvement, I notice that are STILL THERE. 72 years of US occupation of post-WW II Europe. 72 years. It makes me want to bang my head on the wall 100 times. This has cost us ... what ... at least tens if not hundreds of trillions of dollars? What is our ROI for that? WTH?!? Yet another reason President Trump says that we have had really bad leadership for a long time.
The Civl War was indeed about slavery. Period.
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