In 1941, people were more than willing to fight WWII. But even then, by 1945 people were demanding Truman end the war after four long years.
I don’t think we have that kind of ability anymore. This “war” has had a clear beginning. It will probably have a slow and long middle, and a long ending. After the final toll is calculated and the mess has been cleaned up, American’s will begin to forget.
I hope there is no military campaign, but if there is, it would have to begin soon in order to have support. When the need for revenge withers away, I fear that too few Americans have a genuine sense of justice.
I hope I’m wrong. I hope there is no war and if there is, that the country rallies around it. I know I will and many of you will, but too many Americans are too addicted to explosions and action for them to have the lasting sense of patriotism that is required to support a war.
My parents never forgot December 7th, 1941, and I don’t think the resolve of the United States waned much, if at all, especially when it became clear that the war was being won.
I’ll never forget September 11th, 2001, and I’ll support our armed forces however long it takes.
Will this war be against a country or a terrorist organisation? If it’s the latter won’t the Militias of Montana have to be taken out too (after McVeigh)? If it’s the former America would have to wage war against itself because the anti-government militias are Americans. Consistency would demand it. And how could Iraq (if it was the chosen country) really tell the difference when by United Nations estimates the total of dead in that country keeps rising every day because of bombing and sanctions. Somewhere around 1.6 million people (5,000 kids a month) have died in that country since 1992.
Everyone who reads the occasional Time magazine knew this would happen. It’s social studies knowledge to have known that one day terrorists would attack the USA from within. Each time the U.S. has initiated bombing raids on Iraq in the last years I have felt sad for Americans because retribution was always on the cards. Foreign people have two different Americas to live with. The one that involved itself in sinister ways in Vietnam, Cambodia, East Timor, Chile and Grenada and the one responsible for a most of the good things in their lives. Things like music, culture, learning, technology and modern philosophies. It’s a totally fucked up situation.
I’d like to add this: Both the bombing of Iraq during the war and the bombing of the World Trade Centre have appeared curiously bloodless to television viewers the world over. It’s not right. The media is quite wrong in allowing this to happen. The whole subject needs serious study. The ethics of everyone from CNN to Rotten.com could do with a good deal of analysis.
I’ve wanted to raise these questions, but I wasn’t sure where. Maybe this thread is a good starting point. If any of you think they deserve their own thread, please advise me and I’ll start a new one, probably in GD.
I’m wondering if this nation could use some WWII-era belt-tightening. For example, people all around the nation donated scrap metal to The War Effort back in WWII. Proud Americans were shown news reels of Americans donating their scrap metal, which was in turn recycled into great planes, ships & bombs. Would the same thing fly in today’s culture? Is it even necessary? I’ve told Mrs. Rastahomie that I’m prepared to cut our silverware down to one fork, knife & spoon for each of us, if it comes to that.
Or how about rationing? Would gas rationing, food rationing, etc. bankrupt (or seriously harm) the economy? I’m prepared to do without processed cane sugar, enriched white flour, etc. for a while if it comes to it, just like my grandparents did, but I wonder if it’s necessary in this day & age…
So in short- is the kind of suck-it-up-for-your-country sacrifice that helped win WWII going to be necessary, or even possible, to win this war?
Perhaps the sheer scale of the WTC attack will make a huge difference, but I’m also skeptical as to how far the “war” on terrorism will go.
What we’ve seen in recent years is that, when Americans see an injustice, they’re very quick to yell “DO something, send in troops.” But the first time a U.S. soldier is killed (Somalia, Beirut) or captured (the Balkans), they wring their hands, and scream “Bring the boys home!”
We WANT to figth, but we don’t want ANY casualties. We want to “do something,” but we don’t want a hair of ANY of our “boys” hurt. That’s why, historically, we’ve responded to terrorist attacks with meaningless long-distance air strikes and missile attacks- attacks that rarely hit ANYTHING valuable, and rarely do ANY damage to our enemies.
This is not the way an alleged superpower behaves.
But it’s how we behave… and until I see proof that we’re serious, I’m inclined to think our “war” on Osama bin Laden will be more meaningless pinprick air strikes.
Maybe, and no. I honestly don’t believe that people will be caring about this war in 18 months.
Phrases to watch for on TV and your op-ed page in 2003:
GWB is “obsessed”
Gov’t is “losing the war at home” (more $ for domestic needs)
We need to “move on” and “find closure”
I’m twenty-four, and I think our generation will rise to this occasion. My male friends are all planning to enlist if there’s a war. Which is incredibly brave of them considering that they can’t go off in the haze of innocence that previous soldiers were protected by. Now everyone knows that there are worse ways to die than being shot by the enemy. Every time I think of Micah having to fight, I remember a paragraph from a textbook about a battle where thousands of soldiers drowned in the mud of the battlefield. It just makes me want to cry.
Of course people will pitch in and go along with rationing or whatever else is necessary. Our generation has grown up with recycling, I’m sure we’ll be quick to give whatever household metals the country needs. As for rationing, Martha Stewart can show my generation of girls how to cook with whatever food is left. We’ll miss our microwave meals, but no one is going to complain.
As for how long the war will take, well, it would be nice if it could be as quick and bloodless as the Gulf War, but I don’t think any soldiers are going to drop their weapons and demand to go home to their Nintendos after a year or two. We might have enjoyed prosperity, but that doesn’t mean we can’t handle a crisis. I believe that we’ll do just as well as our grandparents did.
Thanks, Ariadne, for saying what I’d like to say much more eloquently than I could.
This is not Beirut, Somalia, or the Balkans, or even Vietnam. Those wars were remote; this one has begun on American soil. We had questions then about why we were fighting; this time there can be no doubts and no forgetting.
I don’t want to see it happen, but I accept that it must, and I believe that most people in my generation feel the same and will continue to do so.
Hello G Nome- If the U.S. government ever does go after the militia, it will be going after all able bodied males aged 18-45 not currently serving in the military. Why? you ask?
Because according to Federal law, all able bodied males aged between 18-45 not currently serving in the military ARE in the militia. And thats under strict Federal government guidelines. If you read statements by the Founding Fathers, ALL able bodied people belong to the militia.
Also, the militia is neither a terrorist organization or an anti government organization. The militia was intended to fight ALL enemies of the constitution, foreign AND domestic.
When was escalation ever a good word? Islamic terrorists could take it nuclear overnight. They should be destroyed(in the cruellest way possible) but not at the risk of that. I got out my copy of A Nuclear Survival manual. I found it years ago in a bookshop cheapbin and bought it for fun. In the first aid section it has stuff like: “Broken bones: applying traction will be your most difficult task. Since you cannot pull fractured bone ends apart with both hands, you may have to secure one end of the limb by tying it to a fixed object, so you can then pull against it.” That’s some of the lighter stuff. Doing self-surgery instead of watching new episodes of “Friends” is not all that appealing to me.