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Title: America: Addicted to War
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Published: Aug 14, 2013
Author: Stephen Lendman
Post Date: 2013-08-14 14:47:50 by Stephen Lendman
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Views: 260
Comments: 16
America: Addicted to War by Stephen Lendman It's been that way from inception. America's history reflects violence. It's blood-drenched. It glorifies war. It does so in the name of peace. America believes war is peace. It's part of the national culture. Eventually it's self-destructive. Today's super-weapons make the unthinkable possible. Hyman Rickover knew. He knew decades ago. He founded America's nuclear navy. In 1982, he told Congress: "I do not believe that nuclear power is worth it if it creates radiation." Then you might ask me why do I have nuclear powered ships?" "That is a necessary evil. I would sink them all. I am not proud of the part I played in it. I did it because it was necessary for the safety of this country." That's why I am such a great exponent of stopping this whole nonsense of war. Unfortunately limits - attempts to limit war have always failed." "The lesson of history is when a war starts every nation will ultimately use whatever weapon it has available." "Every time you produce radiation, you produce something that has a certain half-life, in some cases for billions of years." "I think the human race is going to wreck itself, and it is important that we get control of this horrible force and try to eliminate it." In his Der Ring des Nibelungen operas (the Ring), Richard Wagner portrayed his apocalyptic version. He did so musically. Gotterdammerung (Twilight of the Gods) prophesied the end of the world. Einstein feared it. He didn't know what WW III weapons would be used. He said "World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Bertrand Russell was an Einstein contemporary. He knew. He warned. No one listened. He asked: "Shall we put an end to the human race, or shall mankind renounce war." It's the only way to live in peace. The alternative is annihilation. The choice is clear. The wrong one assures disaster. America's heading humanity toward it. A slow- motion train wreck looms. The big one. There's no second chance. There's no coming back. Historian Harry Elmer Barnes (1889 - 1968) once said: "If trends continue as they have during the last fifteen years, we shall soon reach this point of no return, and can only anticipate interminable wars, disguised as noble gestures for peace." Historian Arnold Toynbee worried about WW III. Only pigmies in remote jungles, apes and ants might be left to carry on "the cultural traditions of mankind," he said. According to HG Wells: "If we don't end war, war will end us." Mushroom shaped cloud finality threatens humanity. Enough of them cause nuclear winter. They block out sun for years. Doing so ends life on earth. It's possible. It's chilling. It's not science fiction. It's real. It bears repeating. There's no coming back. America wages permanent wars. It does so against enemies it creates. During the Cold War, Active Defense and AirLand Battle prepared strategies for how America would fight. Soviet Russia was targeted. Today's it's modern day Russia. It's China. AirSea Battle targets both countries. More on that below. In 1998, US Space Command: Vision for 2020 discussed America's grand strategy. In 2000, DOD Joint Vision 2020 called for "full spectrum dominance" over all land, surface and sub- surface sea, air, space, electromagnetic spectrum and information systems. It did so with enough overwhelming power to fight and win global wars against any adversary. Nuclear and other mass destruction weapons would be used preemptively. In 1961, General Curtis LeMay believed nuclear war with Soviet Russia was inevitable. He wanted thousands of missiles launched preemptively. He called retaliation against major US cities a small price to pay. At the same time, General Lyman Lemnitzer urged a surprise nuclear attack strategy. Jack Kennedy expressed disgust. He walked out of a National Security Council meeting. He wanted none of it. He told Secretary of State Dean Rusk: "And we call ourselves the human race." Secretary of Defense McNamara categorically rejected LeMay and Lemnitzer. He should have fired them on the spot. Other extremists then and later urged the same lunacy. Crazies have great influence today. Today's weapons make earlier ones look like toys. Armageddon could happen. Life on earth could end in a day. It's possible. It's frightening. Rogue states can't be trusted. America most of all. Eisenhower warned "against the acquisition of unwarranted influence." He named the military-industrial complex. "The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist," he stressed. Militarism writ large is the national pastime. It's a national addiction. The business of America is war. It's multiple wars. It's permanent ones. It's ravaging one nation after another. It's doing so for wealth, power, resource control, and unchallenged global dominance. America never was the "land of the free and home of the brave." It's a war on humanity society. It's a "let 'em eat cake" one. It's an out-of-control rogue state. It's ideologically over-the-top. It spends more on militarism and wars than the rest of the world combined. Doing so lets war profiteers gorge themselves at the public trough. Doing so makes peace impossible. Warrior nations eventually self-destruct. Nations that live by the sword die by it. America's no exception. According too Navy Live, Air-Sea Battle (ABS) "is designed to develop force over the long-term. (It) seeks to provide decision makers with a wide range of options to counter aggression from hostile actors." It targets China and Russia. It "reflects the US commitment to maintaining escalation advantage during conflict and sustaining security and prosperity in the global commons." It's "interoperable air and naval forces that can execute networked, integrated attacks-in-depth to disrupt, destroy, and defeat enemy anti-access area denial capabilities." Paul Craig Roberts quoted Amitai Etzioni. He asked "Who Authorized Preparations for War with China?" "The Pentagon has concluded that the time has come to prepare for with China, and in a manner well beyond crafting the sort of contingency plans that are expected for with a wide range of possible confrontations," he said. It's a "momentous decision." It hasn't received proper attention. America's posture is largely Pentagon driven. It "stands out even more prominently because (a) the change in military posture may well lead to an arms race with China, which could culminate in a nuclear war; and (b) the economic condition of the United States requires a reduction in military spending, not a new arms race." "The start of a new term, and with it the appointment of new secretaries of State and Defense, provides an opportunity to review the United States' China strategy and the military's role in it." "This review is particularly important before the new preparations for war move from an operational concept to a militarization program that includes ordering high-cost weapons systems and forced restructuring." "History shows that once these thresholds are crossed, it is exceedingly difficult to change course." In September 2001, Congress approved the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). It did so for "the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States." Carte blanche war-making authority was granted. America's war on terror began. It's waged on humanity. It does so out of control. It targets manufactured enemies at home and abroad. It calls independent nations existential threats. Russia and China are targeted. They represent America's final battleground. Challenging them risks WW III. Obama's no peacemaker. He's a cold-blooded warrior. They threatens humanity's survival. His 2010 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) reflects Bush era strategy. It's old wine in new bottles. It "reserves the right" to use nuclear weapons preemptively. America's only enemies are ones it invents. Peace is verboten. So is disarmament. They're both non-starters. Washington targets more nations to destroy. It invents reasons for doing so. It threatens humanity in the process. Preemptive nuclear war assures it. America's lunatic fringe may launch what cooler heads deplore. Elements in it have mushroom shaped cloud delusions. Nuclear war assures turning planet earth into an uninhabited wasteland. Toxic proliferation already is destroying life slowly. In a generation or decade perhaps only beetles, bacteria, fungi, and other microoganisms will remain. Ernst Mayr (1904 - 2005) was a noted evolutionary biologist. He called human intelligence no guarantee of survival. No species ever destroyed itself. Humans may be the first. Planet earth's increasingly contaminated. Eventually a threshold of no return is crossed. It may be closer than most believe. Mushroom shaped finality may arrive sooner. Higher intelligence does more harm than good. Imagine ending life on earth for wealth, power and dominance. Imagine what no one should risk. Imagine the unthinkable. Imagine ending life on earth. America rage for war makes it possible. It's as simple as ready, aim, bombs away. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
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#1. To: Stephen Lendman (#0)
And the meek shall inherit the earth.
______________________________________ Suspect all media / resist bad propaganda/Learn NLP everyday everyway ;) (It's a more positive message)
Blanket condemnation of "AMERICA" is very easy and sometimes makes good reading, if one totally disregards history. Since the day the first "civilized man" climbed down out of the tree, men have been fighting over bananas at first, then harems etc etc. History from day one tells tales of men that have come and gone, men that wanted to rule the world. Evil men walked among us then and now. To relegate the sins of the world on "America" is asinine. No government, no country, has endured since the banana struggles began, they come and go and this country is going. Who are these "evil" people??? Most are well known, many looking to catch the golden ring. It is easier to determine where they are NOT. They do not live among the expendable masses, the ones they so despise.
I think it was H.G. Wells who wrote that "war is peace". It was from one of his books, but I can't recall which one. ;) "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
Orwell - 1984
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken
War: America's national pasttime!
Right. The memory is not what it used to be with the meningitis and all. ;) "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
No blood - no foul...orgin unknown, but now widely used by everyone.
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken
Wait a minute. Didn't they disarm a bunch of nukes under trewaty with the ex- Soviets? I think it was during Reagan's time if I'm not mistaken. ;) "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
I think the biggest warmongers are the British. Their history shows much more armed violence than does that of the U.S. If it were not for the Brithish, the U.S. would have stayed out of WW I and maybe even WW II, if it hadn't been for the Japs attacking Pearl Harbor. ;) "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
The Allies were practicing the Normandy invasion on the South Coast of England. German E-boats attacked them, killing many in the process. ;)
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
Along those British lines of "an endless series of foreign wars" + the European "leaders of Britain, France and Germany egging each other on": Nigel Farage on West's desire to bomb Syria to 'sort it out' (28Aug13) - 3.5 minute video ------- "They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
The sins of the world certainly - that's asinine. But what about the sins of America? They tell us that the moral and legal judgments handed down against nations devolve upon its individual constituents. We told the Germans that in no uncertain terms. However, we've gotten up to quite a lot of shit ourselves over the last . . . how many years do you want to go back? Here's a girl that used to have a pretty face before a US drone strike hit her village. I wonder how long we will escape judgment for Obama's crimes, Bush's crimes, Johnson's crimes. When the day comes, we'll all point our fingers at those men. "They made us do it." Know guns, know safety, know liberty. No guns, no safety, no liberty.
I agree with your assessment, or view. What this government does is to lay the bleeding and dying upon the young of any generation and most always upon those of us of the lowest rung of society. Many years ago, I found myself saddled with a job of helping to drop an A bomb on some Russian city. We were told 300,000 or thereabouts would die within minutes, more later on. Most of us were in our early twenties. It was an accepted conclusion that most likely it would be a one way trip. How in Gods name do the older people of the elite claim the right to my life????
I don't know how, but they do. If things continue on their current trajectory, they or their heirs and assigns will be frog marched to the gibbet. Know guns, know safety, know liberty. No guns, no safety, no liberty.
In 1952 the FBI showed up on my Fathers doorstep, demanding my worthless hide for draft dodging. Thats how they do it. Fear of the gun. Works every time.
And do not forget the crimes of Bush, Sr. and Bush, Jr. (the chimp). Both were equally heinous. ;) "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
#2. To: titorite (#1)
#3. To: Stephen Lendman (#0)
America believes war is peace.
#4. To: BTP Holdings (#3)
#5. To: Stephen Lendman (#0)
#6. To: Lod (#4)
Orwell - 1984
#7. To: BTP Holdings (#6)
#8. To: Stephen Lendman (#0)
Peace is verboten. So is disarmament.
#9. To: Katniss (#5)
(Edited)
America's national pasttime!
#10. To: Katniss (#5)
#11. To: BTP Holdings, All (#9)
I think the biggest warmongers are the British. Their history shows much more armed violence than does that of the U.S. If it were not for the Brithish, the U.S. would have stayed out of WW I and maybe even WW II, if it hadn't been for the Japs attacking Pearl Harbor. ;)
#12. To: Cynicom (#2)
To relegate the sins of the world on "America" is asinine.
#13. To: randge (#12)
"They made us do it."
#14. To: Cynicom (#13)
How in Gods name do the older people of the elite claim the right to my life????
#15. To: randge (#14)
#16. To: randge (#12)
I wonder how long we will escape judgment for Obama's crimes, Bush's crimes, Johnson's crimes.
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