Why was the USAF.....................

In article ,
"Gord Beaman" ) wrote:

Chad Irby wrote:

In the pre 9/11 world, the folks who are griping about why we didn't
stop the attacks would have been *screaming* about the "useless expense"
of those combat air patrols.

Of course!...most people need something to bitch about after
all...

Hell, I've known adult humans - I'm not calling them "grown-ups" - who
would look you straight in the eye and tell you, seriously, that the
United States doesn't need a military, period.

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.

Chad Irby wrote:


Hell, I've known adult humans - I'm not calling them "grown-ups" - who
would look you straight in the eye and tell you, seriously, that the
United States doesn't need a military, period.

That'd be funny if it didn't reveal how little some people know
about human nature. As good as it might sound if we all were to
stick flowers in our hair and feed each other grapes while we
lolled around on some sunny warm beach in the tropics it wouldn't
be long till someone took offense at someone for popping a
slightly over-ripe grape in his mouth, snarled at her, was
snarled at in turn by some tough who had a letch for her, etc etc
etc..

The human animal has a competitive streak that cannot be
suppressed without making us inhuman, therefore we'll always need
armed forces, always. We need that competition, without it we
aren't human.
--

-Gord.

"Chad Irby" wrote

Hell, I've known adult humans - I'm not calling them "grown-ups" - who
would look you straight in the eye and tell you, seriously, that the
United States doesn't need a military, period.

If it wasn't for an oil based society, they would be believable. But we need
all the Nukes and Forces we can muster to keep the oil fields and the sea lanes
open. Thus, until we harness fusion, we are stuck with the MIC (military
industrial complex) as a cornerstone of our economy.

The middle east, Europe, and Asia are important to us, only in the way they
are dependant on the same energy sources. Our relation to them, is as a
competitor, and a threat to keep them from interfering with our oil reserves.

In article AbcLb.9516$6l1.3658@okepread03,
"Gene Storey" wrote:

"Chad Irby" wrote

Hell, I've known adult humans - I'm not calling them "grown-ups" - who
would look you straight in the eye and tell you, seriously, that the
United States doesn't need a military, period.

If it wasn't for an oil based society, they would be believable. But
we need all the Nukes and Forces we can muster to keep the oil fields
and the sea lanes open. Thus, until we harness fusion, we are stuck
with the MIC (military industrial complex) as a cornerstone of our
economy.

If you repaced oil with a Magical Energy Source, there'd be some other
resource someone would want, and that wouldn't come anywhere near
removing the military threat. If you removed oil from the whole Middle
East equation, you'd still have a bunch of Muslims who think that the
best way to fix their social problems is to kill everyone who's not a
Muslim. And a bunch of Chechens who hate Russians. And a bunch of
(insert group name here) who hate (insert other group name here).

War, while often about resources, is also about non-material things.
And the people who want to kill Americans the most don't want to kill us
because we buy oil from their countries...

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.

Gene Storey wrote:

"Chad Irby" wrote

Hell, I've known adult humans - I'm not calling them "grown-ups" - who
would look you straight in the eye and tell you, seriously, that the
United States doesn't need a military, period.

If it wasn't for an oil based society, they would be believable. But we need
all the Nukes and Forces we can muster to keep the oil fields and the sea lanes
open. Thus, until we harness fusion, we are stuck with the MIC (military
industrial complex) as a cornerstone of our economy.

The middle east, Europe, and Asia are important to us, only in the way they
are dependant on the same energy sources. Our relation to them, is as a
competitor, and a threat to keep them from interfering with our oil reserves.




I like that closing line "our oil reserves"

Dave