A Treatise on American Aggression Throughout its History as a Nation
(also, a reference to today's circumstances as a nation, and to this holiday)
The colonies did not enjoy the best of all worlds in the late 1700s, but did the colonists have to wage war? Was that the viable solution? Was war the answer? Was this not an impertinent and irresponsible act against a stable government? Was the British Empire that evil? Didn't they provide stability and a systematic form of rule? Couldn't they have negotiated a better solution by peaceable means?
Not all the colonists were of English origin, but couldn't the Dutch and the others suffer this formality under a benign monarchy? Was the British king that despotic?
The French and Indian War of an earlier generation had kept the Franks at bay, as well many of the savage tribes of natives across the eastern seabord and into the continental interior. Hadn't there been enough war and brutality?
Sure, many of the royal taxes and tarriffs were unfairly meted out by Great Britain to the thirteen colonies and its subjects, but was it worth fighting about? Bloodshed for reasons of money?
Many colonists were true Loyalists and Tories, like some of my own Clinch ancestors in Canada, who were members of His Majesty's Loyal conscripts.
Colonials from New Hampshire to Georgia could be found opposed to this unneccessarily bloody "revolution". Violence was not a popular option, proved time and again during the actual war, year after year. Even some virulently opposed to the Crown disdained the war!
Really, war? And then it dragged out for too many years, starting in 1775 all the way into the early 1780s...
Bring our boys home! The fathers and sons drafted and volunteering for battle needed to work the homestead rather than spend a freezing winter in Pennsylvania with that alleged general George of Virginia. And end up getting killed and maimed for life. For what? Send the troops home! It lasted too long.
What a tragedy this war was! Thousands dead, for what?
OK, a new system of government. No more kings.
But was it worth it?
It only lead to the next war a generation later, the War of 1812.
And that would not have been an issue if the original revolution had not put us at odds with the European power that had virtually provided the United States with its provident way of life in the first place.
What was this war good for, but to make a Tennessee volunteer a household name and put him in the White House?
Andrew Jackson capitalized from a bloody war to spring into the top command of the land. From another unnecessary war. Blood on our hands.
And then came the Mexican-American War. Over what?
Texas? Texas was it's own place, let them worry about their own affairs! Mexico or United States, or just stay a sovereign Texas! Why fight about it?
What did the US gain from this conflict? Why sacrifice our lives and honor over land? Money? Such greed and selfishness.
Well, the West Coast became a fruitful acquisition, but at the cost of the blood of our men and that of the vanquished foes?
And then came the greatest unneccessay conflict we could imagine: the North-South travesty.
So what if half of the states divided the Union and maintained their old way of life! Slavery and human bondage?
Worth fighting about? We lost over a half million souls trying to resolve the issue of "one nation", the Union following the capricious whims of Honest Abe in the District of Columbia. That was a slave region, to boot!
How hypocritical this country could be! He didn't even really care about emancipating the slaves anyway, until it became politically convenient. Honest Abe, indeed.
Which leads us to the Spanish-American War. It would seem the United States took lesson from its former ruler, the United Kingdom. We now have a new Empire, ladies and gentleman!
Goodbye, Spanish Empire, hello USA!
And more blood spilt, for what? A few more islands in the sea, and more naval superiority, a strangle hold on the world as the British had so long enjoyed?
Now the picture has turned full circle! Who was the worldwide empire now? Greed, greed, greed.
And then our interference in Europe in the "War to End All Wars". Yeah, right.
A lot of good that did us. We lost hundreds and thousands every month that our dough boys were "over there". It was only a couple of years, but we lost more American soldiers in World War I than the Revolution, 1812, Mexican and Spanish Wars combined. And for what?
And, yes, for what reason? To incite the Germans into revenge a generation later so that we could lose even more men?
World War II was not just a bloody war in Europe, but we fought on the other side of the world against Japan as well.
Over 400,000 troops lost between both theatres!
Why can't other nations leave us out of things? Why do we have to wage war to solve our problems? Why do we have to be the the enforcer of freedom worldwide?
Why are they US problems in the first place?
Can't we leave good enough alone?
Let the other countries of the world worry about their own problems! So Japan would rule half the world, so they bombed our ships in Hawaii... The Hawaiian islands wouldn't even be an issue if we weren't such an empire in the first place.
All because of unnecessary wars...Unwanton violence and pure barbarity at the cost of peaceful dialogue. Can we not negotiate peace and stability through diplomatic means?
Korea? So what if the South Koreans wanted to be democratic?
We lost 40,000 men in another unnecessary conflict. And we are still there in the 21st century? All our tax money shelled out at the DMZ of the 38th parallel of a peninsula we have no business being in? When there are threats to our interests in other parts of the globe?
And Vietnam? We all know what a universal blunder and waste of life this was.
H0 Chi Minh was as benevolent ruler as King George III of yesteryear from the UK, right?
What did it prove? We lose face to the world while losing another 60,000 GIs and officers, plus the uncounted psycholgical casualties.
And we lost Democratic South Vietnam. They all fell under our vaunted foe of Communism, under the same autocratic system of the USSR, China and Cuba...
So unnecessary.
Liberate Kuwait? Why? Oil? Gas prices? Another 400 troops lost. Like the hundreds of Marines lost in Lebanon in 1983.
And then it leads to our current unecessary conflicts, with no end in sight.
Afghanistan and Iraq. Just more world empire attempts and endless greed for natural resources and enriching the wealthy elite oil company owners.
When will we ever learn?
So unnecessary! All this human loss and toil!
Like me joining the National Guard last year. I have college degrees. I can make a living in a number of comfortable lifestyles.
Am I just another greedy American? Do I want world conquest, like former US patriots of the past, bloodshed for the simple reason of human avarice and lust?
Don't I care about peace, dialogue, diplomacy?
What legacy am I leaving my children, now ages 7, 4, 2 and 7 months?
Am I the protypical American fighter, seeking blood and war for selfish and unnecessary reasons?
May it ever be so.
Happy Fourth of July, all.
2008.
Freedom is not free.
And sacrifice is required to enjoy our peace. At times, it requires hard decisons, tough commitments, and unfortunately the supreme sacrifice. And mistakes are made, without a doubt.
But the quest for peace and justice is not.
I hope you can read between the lines and sense the reality and the nobility of our past and present.
Errors in judgment have been made by our great land and its leadership for the past 232 years, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Not then, and not now.
God bless the USA and all our friends, across the planet at present and across the centuries.
And to our foes: consider well whom you try to challenge, and for what purpose.
Because I think that this country does. At least, this citizen does. The War of Independence is still being waged. And we will not back down from defending our freedom, our liberty, our nation, our families.
So, was the American Revolution necessary? Not necessarily, but it was right.
Was it necessary for me to join the military in 2007 at age 36? No, but I believe it was right.
Clinch, it is unfortunate that war seems to be an necessary evil in this world in which we live.
I love this country in which we live. And it is unfortunate that so many of our young men and women have had to lay down their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today.
Without their great sacrifice, America would not be the great country she is today. Granted America is on hard times right now. But you wait, she will be a grand lady once again. She may be brought to her knees before this happens.
But like the phoenix, America will arise out of the ashes, to become a great nation once again. But it is going to take alot for her to become a great nation again.
It is going to take more than the strength of our military. It is going to take all Americans. Pulling together and striving as one nation. To bring her back to the great self sufficient nation she once was.
Have a great fourth Clinch and everyone. My prayers goes out to this great nation and all her people. Every citizen whether they are in the military or not.
edclinch
I'd say this if that's the case then explainb this to me ? Whilst I was in the military in Ireland. The US saw fit to entertain the likes of Martin McGinnis and Jerry Adams of the IRA . The so called freedom fighters but in reality terrorists of the most desp*icable order. Whilst here they were entertained by dignitaries within the US government, raised money to carry out their bombings in not only Belfast , Ireland but also on the streets of London.
Now here's the legacy with which the US never acknowledges. An ally such as themselves but yet they had the temerity to suborn what these fiends were doing not only to my comrades but innocent civilians also by allowing the likes of McGinnis and Adams to speak within the hallowed Halls of Congress and be bearer's over the St Patrick's Day Parade , all the while knowing what was being done in Ireland by what seemingly is a terrorist organization.
Strange bedfellows ? A suitable purpose for some when they choose to view it in such a way and then not when they find it abhorrent.
justan' ak tophatal .......
Last edited by justanotherfan on July 4th at 10:43 PM.
edclinch
And yet time and time again in the end the electorate is being asked to make a choice between the lesser of two evils . Personally I'd like to see someone up there that has the temerity to actually say what they mean from the outset . Rather than giving us sound bytes and showing very little common sense on even the most delicate of issues.
All we've been getting from both candidates thus far is merely style over substance and absolutely nothing of consequence.
And as to the democracy issue when those mistakes continually are repeated then there's no excuse to think that they're acting in the public's best interest. Even you've got to acknowledge that at this juncture ? And it doesn't take a blind man to see it !
justan' aka tophatal .........
Last edited by justanotherfan on July 5th at 5:51 AM.
edclinch
Do you honestly believe that there's an ounce of intelligence within any of the following government departments ? ..... State Dept, Treasury, FDA , Agriculture and finally the woefully inept Federal Reserve . Though it can be said that the latter is meant to be totally independent of the administration in its dealings.
I absolutely agree with mst of what you wrote. Only thing is, and you mentioned it. Why did you enlst. For College money. To spread Mormonism, to fight for your country. To speak no ill will and stand behind the oath you took. Are you getting ready to depoy and now you regret it. Sounds like sour grapes from someone known for happier, better controlled thoughts, Ed, indeed a grreat friend, and I disagree with my wife sometimes, so don't take this personally. I just wondered after reading it.
I need to more fully respond, but let me just say George Washington, Abe Licoln and many American generals and presidents and patriots are huge heroes of mine...
My being LDS is part and parcel to my identity. If someone is more inspired to obey God becasue of my influence, AWESOME.
Yes Ed. I hate war and the stupidness of shooting other people with some calibers of a 30. 06 or a .50 caliber. Awefully large bullets for such frail bodies. They should use paint balls of water ballons. Or even laser . No blood, it's colorful and he must leave the action.
It's govt.s that do all this ####. The dumb thing about most religons outside of the states, in more radical countries tell the followers to fight and kill in the name of that god. I use a small g because only my God, the God of peace and love and salvation, which I needed so desperately, is the one I choose to follow. I know I'm the worst example of a christian, but I know that God forgives me of my sin. Thats why Jesus died on the cross. I can believe noo other way. The Mormons are very nice, but we differ so much. I hope and pray all to get along.
One thing about the old school Mormons who aren't affiliated with the nowday church, the thought of having 10 wifes to lay with sounds almost like a cult , or cheesy pornographic life. Can they all sleep together if he wanted to ??? You should emailme. I'll give it to you soon on private Fox mail.
Good and evil are rarely obvious, except to the simple-minded. It's easy to assign good and evil (or God-inspired/supported and that which is not in favor of God) - although it's funny how both sides of an issue/conflict often view goodness/godliness to be on their side.
History belongs to the winners. Goodness and evilness get to be proclaimed finally by those who prevail.
And we have a decent record of prevailing over the past two decades or so.
Fortunately, good people on every side often adopt independently-minded perspectives, and are able to cut through the b.s. to see other perspectives - and occasionally prevail in attempts to find the often complex resolutions to such issues without resorting to war. I believe we've been blessed here in the U.S. with a tradition of such independent thinking.
This is a total ####. Does he know anything about history? The Mexican-American war wasn't about Texas. It was about two things. The treaty had the border at the Rio Grande and the Mexican the border was the next river. At the same time American was trying to buy California, New Mexico and Arizona. What started the war was when Mexican troops attacked American troops on our side of the Rio Grande. After that time we released the gods of war... Marines. They took the East gate of Mexico City and the Mexicans surrendered. Was it necessary??? Yes the attacked first.
War and peace. Two evasive ideaologies that cannot exist together.
Since before bibical times there has been wars to settle land disputes, religious convictions, and greed. Sadly to say wars are a part of our make up as human beings.
It is never going to stop so we need to have a powerful military force to combat agressors against us as well as gain control over other issues that our beloved congressional leaders see fit to lust after.
To become isolationist and peace nicks is not in our best interest. In todays world and the future, the most powerful force will win any war whether it is right or wrong.
As a powerful force as we are, we cannot win if we continue to practice selective and pinpoint attacks against our enemies. In todays wars, we cannot determine who our enemies are thus all in a given area has to be considered enemy forces.
Sadly though, it is the innocent victums that pay the ultimate price for being a part of that area. This has also been going on since before bibical times and during bibical times where entire cities populace were slaughtered for just being in that area under attack.
War is hell but it is the only alternative to resolve a dispute between parties or nations that has ever worked. Sadly in future wars, Genocide might be the ony alternative to stop agressors.
Ed; as usual you have me confused. The first half of this post sounds almost treasonous. This unnecessary war created this nation. I think that's a little bigger than just tarriffs and taxes. and those pot shots you took at two of our most important presidents is unacceptable and realy got me going. "Alleged General George" you kiddin me? One of the greatest if not the greatest General ever. Who else could have pulled it off? The way he changed tactics starting in Trenton and in every battle or non battle afterwords was phenominal. And Lincoln, he spoke of the ills of slavery and its abolishment long before he became President and so did the last three Presidents before him. But like the others, was told if he pushed the issue he would kill his presidential hopes and political carreer. You finished up nicely with what seems to be patriotism but then you question if this war was necessary again and then say it was wright?? What? Realy confused here.
Always thought-provoking, clinch. Reading this made me check enlistment age standards of various military branches. The numbers surprised me. As does your personal choice. I can certainly see you in a relief situation more than combat. Best wishes to you and yours.
Marty Walker: thanks for the replies. I was making a point by being "cynical" as my wife woud say.
We believe that God the Eternal Father is the father of all mankind. He sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from death, spiritually and physically...
The differences that the LDS Church have with others do not cross over too much into discrepancis with the moral imperatives of God.
I believe that Christians, Mulsims and Jews all worship the same God.
Jesus is the more differing factor, but we as Latter day Saints believe that Jesus is the literal Son of God, the same of John 3:16, and the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Him, added to the Old and New Testament...
How was Nam glossed over?
Kennedy put us in that quicksand, courtesy of French colonialism and the red scare. It took Tricky D-ick to start getting us out &JFord.
Nbasare: So the Mexican American war was about the US/Mexico border and those three other states, NOT Texas?
Utah and and Nevada were a [art of it, too, but Texas IS the nations's border there.
By the way, this piece was intended as a satire of sorts, and is not completely heart felt. Sorry if it caused confusion, as it did for a few of my regular readers.
I am pro-war when it is necessary, and I believe the US has by and large done its policy following these guide lines. We are a good country, and have helped our neighbors worldwide.
Photogr and B@a: I was experimentally using the opposotional voice as a counterpoint to most of my actual feelings, I suppose using sarcasm or irony to make my argumnts...
I believe that combatting for our freedoms are necessary, most of the time as the strongest nation on the planet.
I belittle no American or other life saccrificed for these goals or ideals...
No actual disresspect to anyone meant.
Was it at all convincing of the actual necessity of the strength of the USA and its intents?
Ed: This would have been a good post, if.......some truths were told by it. It is well written, but....... The British Empire was "evil", ask the French (they were in Canada first) and most of North America (French & Indian War). Ask the Dutch.....they settled New York area first (and South Africa too...Boer War)But the Brtish wanted it.....The French were also the same......ask the people of Vietnam, subjected to French rule until 1954. Ask the real Indians, the real Africans....nedd I go on?
All wars are idiotic...some are "noble" as was WWII, but still idiotic....Mebbe I should give y'all a real history lesson....read ####'s memoirs to find the truth behind his battle with the French.....ah well
Sis: Try again.....Ike had our boys there as "advisors" and "observers" to aid the Frenchies (can one say also "CIA"?).
Really: Frenchies conquered and ruled Vietnam with an iron fist until WWII-#### Chi Minh was fighting the French til then.....France (Free French) and England with a "guarantee" of aid from the US requested #### fight the Japs....join the Allies and after victory the French would leave Vietnam....didn't happen did it???
Same for England...stayed in India, how long?????
At first, I was pissed while reading this.
You got me.
Sarcasm...nice.
The history of the USA may not be perfect, but it's the closest thing to perfection in government that this earth has ever seen.
(which leaves LOTS of room for improvement)
God willing, we remain on the correct path as a nation. Despite the political divide, I like to believe that most of the American population wants what is right and just.
It's just a matter of Realism vs Idealism.
I can only hope Realism wins out over time...
without the need for more bloodshed.
Took me a while....but then that's me. Sarcasm at its best then.
Problem is....except for the colonization thing outside our boundaries (mostly) aren't we about the same?? Look what we did to a sovereign island nation....Hawaii in late 1800's (1899 I think), course then we enslaved more than our share too. And continue to fiddle in other nations' affairs.
I tried to print that we as a nation have been a bully but better than most other strong nations...
American Indians and Hawaiins are still around, thank goodness. These issue I did not satirize because these cases actually do find a lot of wrong with the American cause, unlike the right qualities of most of our wars, defending the good.
I like (am obsessed with) the big US sports of football, basketball and baseball. And I love how they expand globally. I am fascinated by World Cup soccer, Olympics and certain tennis matches.
Oh, yeah, and I will talk your ear off when it comes to religion, politics, right, wrong, demography, history and truth.
Blog on and blog it.
Uh, also I have a Foxsports blog called papaclinch'si t and that was the original, and this was created as a mistake and then a parallel world for more spiritual topics on occasion. More BYU here, more IU over there...
Make sense? I love both schools with an odd type of crazed loyalty... Hard to explain. Thus the blogging.
Keeps me out of trouble, maybe?
