I'm a teacher, musician, and filmmaker from Lawrence, Kansas https://twitter.com/beatmastermatt
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
War Hawks Usually Have Never Been to War
James Madison was wealthy his entire life. After his father died, he inherited his thriving tobacco plantation, which, at the time, was the largest in Orange County, Virginia. In fact, Madison's dad had also inherited the plantation from his dad, Madison's grandfather. Madison was 24 years old when the American Revolution began. Like many of his contemporaries, he joined the military to fight the British to gain independence. As educated and high on the social ladder as he was, he was automatically placed as commander of the Orange County militia. However, due to poor health, he never saw any active military service.
Flash forward to 1812, and Madison, as commander in chief (aka the President) was practically begging Congress to go to war with Britain again. Many in Congress did not want to declare war. In fact, they called Madison and others, like Henry Clay, "war hawks," for trying to push the country to war when it was in no way ready for a war.
A more appropriate term for Madison and Henry Clay might be "chicken hawks." That's the term reserved for those who pushed for war yet never served. This is a common pattern throughout history- the ones in charge who often push for war almost always never experienced combat first hand. They may have been in the military (usually as a high ranking officer or in a militia state-side), but never stood on the battlefield and witnessed their best friend's head get blown off by a cannon.
It doesn't stop with James Madison. Most of the Presidents who have been war hawkish had little combat or even military experience.
After the War of 1812, the next major war the United States fought was the Mexican American War. Before the conflict began, it was President James Polk who aggressively pleaded with the American people that they had to go to war with Mexico. In fact, Polk was such a proponent of going to war with Mexico, he technically invaded Mexico because both countries claimed different borders. Polk never even became close to fighting in a war himself. He did join the Tennessee state militia as a young man, but only for a short time, and never saw any action.
Next up is a man you may recall by the name of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was willing to go to war to keep the country united, and at all costs. What were the costs of what would be known as the American Civil War? Just over 620,000 lives and over a million casualties. This is a man who said the war must go on even after thousands of his soldiers were going down each battle. And yet, Lincoln never saw combat himself. The only military "experience" he had was serving as a volunteer in the Illinois militia in the Black Hawk War (you know, one of the wars against Native Americans who fought because they think the United States took their land, or something). Anyway, I want to stress again that Lincoln never fought in battle.
After the Civil War, the next war the United States found itself in was the Spanish American War. The President at the time was William McKinley. After the Maine exploded off the coast of Cuba on February 15th, 1898, most Americans blamed Spain and called to go to war against them. They were influenced by yellow journalism and corrupt people in power with shady interests. McKinley was hesitant, and insisted that a court of inquiry first determine whether or not the explosion was accidental. McKinley did not want to go to war with Spain, and he never called for it, but Congress declared it anyway.
McKinley was one of the few Presidents who actually saw action on the battlefield. He was shot at many times in the Civil War, and probably witnessed some horrible things fighting at the Battle of Antietam, things that he never would forget. It's reasonable to conclude his traumatic experiences in war caused him to be hesitant to go to war with any country, let alone Spain, who had a weak military at the time. Granted, McKinley did approve invading and taking over the Philippines as a "prize" of the Spanish American War, but at least in the beginning he was hesitant, and again, public pressure got to him.
The next major war the United States was involved in was World War I. While war was raging in Europe in 1916, Woodrow Wilson ran for a second term as President with the slogan "he kept us out of war." After he was re-elected, he had a change of heart, and decided the United States could no longer remain neutral He asked Congress to declare war, and they did. Because a lot of Americans weren't too excited about fighting in such a massive war, Wilson did something that hadn't been done since the Civil War- he began a draft. He also borrowed billions of dollars of money printed by the brand new Federal Reserve Bank to pay for the war. Millions died from a war that was supposed to end all wars, which obviously didn't. The United States lost 117,465 people to the war.
By the way, Woodrow Wilson had absolutely no military experience whatsoever. Although he had never put on a uniform himself, he was the commander in chief indirectly responsible for 117,465 American deaths.
The next war-time President, Franklin Roosevelt, never saw combat, but did serve in the Navy as a high-ranking civilian. Hey, it's better than nothing, and I'll give FDR a break- the U.S. was clearly attacked by Japan, and of course he had to ask Congress to declare war against them. Did FDR know Japan was going to attack ahead of time? Perhaps, but it always seemed evident that FDR was very anti-war and would do anything to avoid it.
Harry Truman served in combat in World War I in the Army. As President, he made the tough decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan, and then asked Congress just a few years later to send troops to aid South Korea in what became known as the Korean War. I will also give Truman a break because he served heroically and he was also President during a turbulent time- the early stages of the Cold War.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the next President, was a military man for most of his life. Once in office, he brought the troops home from Korea, and kept the country out of war during a tumultuous time. The last thing he warned about before he left office was the military industrial complex, which is more powerful than ever today.
John F. Kennedy, the next President, was a hero in World War II, receiving a purple heart for saving lives. However, he did begin to send troops to Vietnam, making the same mistake Truman did trying to "save" countries from the Soviet Union's brand of communism. There is quite a bit of evidence that shows JFK wanted to bring the troops home, though, right before he was assassinated.
After JFK was assassinated, Lyndon Johnson dramatically increased the number of troops in Vietnam in what became known as the Vietnam War. But first, here's a little about Johnson. He was a domineering, career politician who always had high ambitions for power. His only military "experience" came from becoming a commissioned officer in the Naval Reserve. When the U.S. entered World War II, Johnson was in Congress, and asked for a combat assignment. Instead, he was sent to inspect shipyard facilities within the country. Later, he was assigned by President Roosevelt to join a survey team of the Southwest Pacific. Johnson was riding in a plane that he and some others say was attacked by Japanese fighters but survived. However, other people, some who were actually on the plane, say the plane turned around due to plane troubles before ever encountering enemy aircraft. Regardless of whatever really happened, this would earn him the Silver Star, the military's third-highest honor.
Did LBJ ever experience combat first-hand? No. However, LBJ arguably holds much of the blame for the deaths of 58,220 American soldiers and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of others.
Let's jump to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and the War on Terror, which has been a priority for the U.S. military since 9/11. George W. Bush was a President who led two wars, one which was very unpopular. His background in the military included a gig as a pilot for the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War. He never experienced war. Heck, he never even went to Vietnam.
Dick Cheney, who served as Secretary of Defense for four years under Bush Sr, played a key role behind the scenes in the War on Terrorism as Vice President to George W. Bush during his tenure. Cheney never served his country in the military. In fact, he received five draft deferments during the Vietnam War.
George and Dick were indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of them civilians. 6,664 American soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11. Drone bombings around the world began with George and Dick. They routinely ignored international humanitarian laws, justifying torture and suspending habeas corpus in the name of security against terrorists. They justified a bloated military and bureaucracy that limited freedoms and invaded privacy.
Americans were fed up with war by 2008, so they elected a new President who promised peace. However, four and a half years later, they are still waiting for peace. Today President Barack Obama's foreign policy looks identical to Bush's, except Obama has expanded the ineffective drone attacks and approved killing Americans without trial. He also signed legislation saying suspected terrorists were not entitled to due process. Civilians are routinely killed in the name of ending terrorism today just as they were under the Bush administration. The United States has expanded its War on Terrorism to other countries, including, but not limited to, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Mali,and Niger. Obama got credit for ending the Iraq War (by the way, the U.S. still has large military bases there), but Bush was planning on doing that anyway. The fact remains that Obama is just as hawkish as Bush was when it comes to war. In fact, Obama is probably more of a war hawk.
Oh yeah, Obama has no military experience.
Although there are exceptions, nearly every commander in chief who was a war hawk either never served in the military whatsoever or never had any combat experience. Chances are, if someone experiences the horrors of combat first-hand, they are extremely less likely to support going to war at a later time. War sucks. The sad thing is that today, more so than any other time in history, there is a higher percentage of people involved with the war business who have never seen combat than ever before. Even soldiers who use drones to bomb targets on the other side of the world are disconnected from the reality they are creating. Yes, the military industrial complex is alive and well, and it's mostly because of chicken hawks who are either so out of touch with the nightmarish consequences they have created or they are sociopaths.
Flash forward to 1812, and Madison, as commander in chief (aka the President) was practically begging Congress to go to war with Britain again. Many in Congress did not want to declare war. In fact, they called Madison and others, like Henry Clay, "war hawks," for trying to push the country to war when it was in no way ready for a war.
A more appropriate term for Madison and Henry Clay might be "chicken hawks." That's the term reserved for those who pushed for war yet never served. This is a common pattern throughout history- the ones in charge who often push for war almost always never experienced combat first hand. They may have been in the military (usually as a high ranking officer or in a militia state-side), but never stood on the battlefield and witnessed their best friend's head get blown off by a cannon.
It doesn't stop with James Madison. Most of the Presidents who have been war hawkish had little combat or even military experience.
After the War of 1812, the next major war the United States fought was the Mexican American War. Before the conflict began, it was President James Polk who aggressively pleaded with the American people that they had to go to war with Mexico. In fact, Polk was such a proponent of going to war with Mexico, he technically invaded Mexico because both countries claimed different borders. Polk never even became close to fighting in a war himself. He did join the Tennessee state militia as a young man, but only for a short time, and never saw any action.
Next up is a man you may recall by the name of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was willing to go to war to keep the country united, and at all costs. What were the costs of what would be known as the American Civil War? Just over 620,000 lives and over a million casualties. This is a man who said the war must go on even after thousands of his soldiers were going down each battle. And yet, Lincoln never saw combat himself. The only military "experience" he had was serving as a volunteer in the Illinois militia in the Black Hawk War (you know, one of the wars against Native Americans who fought because they think the United States took their land, or something). Anyway, I want to stress again that Lincoln never fought in battle.
After the Civil War, the next war the United States found itself in was the Spanish American War. The President at the time was William McKinley. After the Maine exploded off the coast of Cuba on February 15th, 1898, most Americans blamed Spain and called to go to war against them. They were influenced by yellow journalism and corrupt people in power with shady interests. McKinley was hesitant, and insisted that a court of inquiry first determine whether or not the explosion was accidental. McKinley did not want to go to war with Spain, and he never called for it, but Congress declared it anyway.
McKinley was one of the few Presidents who actually saw action on the battlefield. He was shot at many times in the Civil War, and probably witnessed some horrible things fighting at the Battle of Antietam, things that he never would forget. It's reasonable to conclude his traumatic experiences in war caused him to be hesitant to go to war with any country, let alone Spain, who had a weak military at the time. Granted, McKinley did approve invading and taking over the Philippines as a "prize" of the Spanish American War, but at least in the beginning he was hesitant, and again, public pressure got to him.
The next major war the United States was involved in was World War I. While war was raging in Europe in 1916, Woodrow Wilson ran for a second term as President with the slogan "he kept us out of war." After he was re-elected, he had a change of heart, and decided the United States could no longer remain neutral He asked Congress to declare war, and they did. Because a lot of Americans weren't too excited about fighting in such a massive war, Wilson did something that hadn't been done since the Civil War- he began a draft. He also borrowed billions of dollars of money printed by the brand new Federal Reserve Bank to pay for the war. Millions died from a war that was supposed to end all wars, which obviously didn't. The United States lost 117,465 people to the war.
By the way, Woodrow Wilson had absolutely no military experience whatsoever. Although he had never put on a uniform himself, he was the commander in chief indirectly responsible for 117,465 American deaths.
The next war-time President, Franklin Roosevelt, never saw combat, but did serve in the Navy as a high-ranking civilian. Hey, it's better than nothing, and I'll give FDR a break- the U.S. was clearly attacked by Japan, and of course he had to ask Congress to declare war against them. Did FDR know Japan was going to attack ahead of time? Perhaps, but it always seemed evident that FDR was very anti-war and would do anything to avoid it.
Harry Truman served in combat in World War I in the Army. As President, he made the tough decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan, and then asked Congress just a few years later to send troops to aid South Korea in what became known as the Korean War. I will also give Truman a break because he served heroically and he was also President during a turbulent time- the early stages of the Cold War.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the next President, was a military man for most of his life. Once in office, he brought the troops home from Korea, and kept the country out of war during a tumultuous time. The last thing he warned about before he left office was the military industrial complex, which is more powerful than ever today.
John F. Kennedy, the next President, was a hero in World War II, receiving a purple heart for saving lives. However, he did begin to send troops to Vietnam, making the same mistake Truman did trying to "save" countries from the Soviet Union's brand of communism. There is quite a bit of evidence that shows JFK wanted to bring the troops home, though, right before he was assassinated.
After JFK was assassinated, Lyndon Johnson dramatically increased the number of troops in Vietnam in what became known as the Vietnam War. But first, here's a little about Johnson. He was a domineering, career politician who always had high ambitions for power. His only military "experience" came from becoming a commissioned officer in the Naval Reserve. When the U.S. entered World War II, Johnson was in Congress, and asked for a combat assignment. Instead, he was sent to inspect shipyard facilities within the country. Later, he was assigned by President Roosevelt to join a survey team of the Southwest Pacific. Johnson was riding in a plane that he and some others say was attacked by Japanese fighters but survived. However, other people, some who were actually on the plane, say the plane turned around due to plane troubles before ever encountering enemy aircraft. Regardless of whatever really happened, this would earn him the Silver Star, the military's third-highest honor.
Did LBJ ever experience combat first-hand? No. However, LBJ arguably holds much of the blame for the deaths of 58,220 American soldiers and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of others.
Let's jump to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and the War on Terror, which has been a priority for the U.S. military since 9/11. George W. Bush was a President who led two wars, one which was very unpopular. His background in the military included a gig as a pilot for the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War. He never experienced war. Heck, he never even went to Vietnam.
Dick Cheney, who served as Secretary of Defense for four years under Bush Sr, played a key role behind the scenes in the War on Terrorism as Vice President to George W. Bush during his tenure. Cheney never served his country in the military. In fact, he received five draft deferments during the Vietnam War.
George and Dick were indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of them civilians. 6,664 American soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11. Drone bombings around the world began with George and Dick. They routinely ignored international humanitarian laws, justifying torture and suspending habeas corpus in the name of security against terrorists. They justified a bloated military and bureaucracy that limited freedoms and invaded privacy.
Americans were fed up with war by 2008, so they elected a new President who promised peace. However, four and a half years later, they are still waiting for peace. Today President Barack Obama's foreign policy looks identical to Bush's, except Obama has expanded the ineffective drone attacks and approved killing Americans without trial. He also signed legislation saying suspected terrorists were not entitled to due process. Civilians are routinely killed in the name of ending terrorism today just as they were under the Bush administration. The United States has expanded its War on Terrorism to other countries, including, but not limited to, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Mali,and Niger. Obama got credit for ending the Iraq War (by the way, the U.S. still has large military bases there), but Bush was planning on doing that anyway. The fact remains that Obama is just as hawkish as Bush was when it comes to war. In fact, Obama is probably more of a war hawk.
Oh yeah, Obama has no military experience.
Although there are exceptions, nearly every commander in chief who was a war hawk either never served in the military whatsoever or never had any combat experience. Chances are, if someone experiences the horrors of combat first-hand, they are extremely less likely to support going to war at a later time. War sucks. The sad thing is that today, more so than any other time in history, there is a higher percentage of people involved with the war business who have never seen combat than ever before. Even soldiers who use drones to bomb targets on the other side of the world are disconnected from the reality they are creating. Yes, the military industrial complex is alive and well, and it's mostly because of chicken hawks who are either so out of touch with the nightmarish consequences they have created or they are sociopaths.
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