American Sniper

[Texsox]

ahh that is sooo true. the british hated us for that, b/c it was against the code of

chivalry of war at that time.

 

It is easy to understand why around the world other countries form a very negative opinion of the US. We are a warrior nation. War has been very good business for us. To fulfill manifest destiny we force a war with Mexico and took land that was later discovered to be covered in gold with lots of oil underneath. If Mexico had somehow held onto that land we might not have had such a poor neighbor to the south and west of our border.

[LDF]

It is easy to understand why around the world other countries form a very negative opinion of the US. We are a warrior nation. War has been very good business for us. To fulfill manifest destiny we force a war with Mexico and took land that was later discovered to be covered in gold with lots of oil underneath. If Mexico had somehow held onto that land we might not have had such a poor neighbor to the south and west of our border.

 

there was a book i read in the 80's it was on the secret reasons for

the Vietnam War.... #1 profits. and the major companies contributing

to Lady Bird Johnson shares in their company, as ahhh present to the

first lady.

[Jenksismyhero]

It is easy to understand why around the world other countries form a very negative opinion of the US. We are a warrior nation. War has been very good business for us. To fulfill manifest destiny we force a war with Mexico and took land that was later discovered to be covered in gold with lots of oil underneath. If Mexico had somehow held onto that land we might not have had such a poor neighbor to the south and west of our border.

 

So we're the same as virtually all other modern nations. Except that our warring is relatively new and recent in comparison.

[Texsox]

Eisenhower delivered a great farewell speech at end of his term which I believe was the first time the military industrial complex was mentioned as having gotten too powerful. It has only gotten more powerful since then.

[StrangeSox]

So we're the same as virtually all other modern nations. Except that our warring is relatively new and recent in comparison.

We got nothing on the glory* days of the British Empire.

 

*glory for the British, not so much for the indigenous

[StrangeSox]

Eisenhower delivered a great farewell speech at end of his term which I believe was the first time the military industrial complex was mentioned as having gotten too powerful. It has only gotten more powerful since then.

The F-35 is a good example of how that can happen. The plane appears to be a total dog, designed to do everything but good at nothing and still very expensive. But it's components come from 45 different states, so almost everyone in Congress has some skin in the program. You can't build a coalition to kill a big project that would negatively impact almost every state.

[LDF]

Eisenhower delivered a great farewell speech at end of his term which I believe was the first time the military industrial complex was mentioned as having gotten too powerful. It has only gotten more powerful since then.

 

~~~ cough cough Halliburton

[Jenksismyhero]

The F-35 is a good example of how that can happen. The plane appears to be a total dog, designed to do everything but good at nothing and still very expensive. But it's components come from 45 different states, so almost everyone in Congress has some skin in the program. You can't build a coalition to kill a big project that would negatively impact almost every state.

 

There are huge problems and we waste a ton of money on defense, but really when Eisenhower made that speech the US was at it's height in military spending as a % of GDP.

 

 

We're no where close to that figure these days.

[EvilMonkey]

If Mexico had somehow held onto that land we might not have had such a poor neighbor to the south and west of our border.

That's a load of bull. They STILL have tons of oil yet manage to f*ck that up because of graft, corruption and incompetence.

[StrangeSox]

I thought the movie was more or less an adaptation of Chris Kyle's memoir. I didn't realize they invented the main bad guys in it.

 

[LDF]

I thought the movie was more or less an adaptation of Chris Kyle's memoir. I didn't realize they invented the main bad guys in it.

 

 

who was the main bad guy, chris himself. i am not trying to be a smart arse. i just

don't know.

[StrangeSox]

Instead, the film heightens the good-vs-evil stakes by supplying Kyle with two fictionalized enemies: "The Butcher," an al-Qaeda in Iraq enforcer famed for his brutality, and "Mustafa," a Syrian who once won Olympic medals for marksmanship, but now spends his days as an al-Qaeda sniper, picking off American soldiers as they go about their noble work.

[LDF]

good point, i been looking to see if that was a real person in the movie. i could

not find jack.

 

i even mention it in a early part of the thread. many thanks. i thought i was

confuse.

 

 

[Texsox]

That's a load of bull. They STILL have tons of oil yet manage to f*ck that up because of graft, corruption and incompetence.

 

You don't think that all the land that became Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nevada, and California changed the course of both countries? It was the second largest land acquisition in US history. Shortly after the annexation gold was found on the former Mexico land. How much wealth changed hands because God meant for the US to extend from sea to shining sea.

 

 

[Texsox]

So we're the same as virtually all other modern nations. Except that our warring is relatively new and recent in comparison.

 

Exactly. The greatest warring nations were despised in their day as well.

We've reached beyond what anyone else has managed. It is hard for anyone to match the power of dropping an atomic bomb.

[LDF]

Exactly. The greatest warring nations were despised in their day as well.

We've reached beyond what anyone else has managed. It is hard for anyone to match the power of dropping an atomic bomb.

 

the thing is, and this is talking about history, we the US gave back all the land that the

army claimed during WW1 and WW2. why, b/c we, the US thought that was the right

thing to do. now if the US did what russia, or french did, and even england, who could

stop the US from doing it???

[LDF]

You don't think that all the land that became Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nevada, and California changed the course of both countries? It was the second largest land acquisition in US history. Shortly after the annexation gold was found on the former Mexico land. How much wealth changed hands because God meant for the US to extend from sea to shining sea.

are you saying the texas annexation was b/c of gold, what about the mexican cession.

[Texsox]

are you saying the texas annexation was b/c of gold, what about the mexican cession.

 

Sorry I used the wrong word. I am talking about the cession in 1848. Gold was found a few months later. The Mexican-American war was started over Texas, but the impetus was really Manifest Destiny and Mexico turning down several offers to sell much of their country.

[iamshack]

Sorry I used the wrong word. I am talking about the cession in 1848. Gold was found a few months later. The Mexican-American war was started over Texas, but the impetus was really Manifest Destiny and Mexico turning down several offers to sell much of their country.

All I will add is that Mexico and Latin America in general, has been particularly terrible at capitalizing on their numerous natural resources over the last several centuries. Not sure this would have changed the course of history as much as you suggest. Ultimately, we'll never know.

[LDF]

i really can see if someone would complain about this thread being all over

the place. now it is middle century american history.

 

nice conversation. all.

[Texsox]

All I will add is that Mexico and Latin America in general, has been particularly terrible at capitalizing on their numerous natural resources over the last several centuries. Not sure this would have changed the course of history as much as you suggest. Ultimately, we'll never know.

 

Possibly not as much for Mexico, but definitely for the US. I'm interested why so many people dismiss the entire southwest US as being unimportant to our development. The wealth that we gained from that war was huge. It was the second largest landmass that we added after the LA Purchase. Our west coast would be a sliver up in Oregon. The western border would have been Kansas. That's a huge change for the US.

[LDF]

Possibly not as much for Mexico, but definitely for the US. I'm interested why so many people dismiss the entire southwest US as being unimportant to our development. The wealth that we gained from that war was huge. It was the second largest landmass that we added after the LA Purchase. Our west coast would be a sliver up in Oregon. The western border would have been Kansas. That's a huge change for the US.

 

being a smartarse and also being apache indian. i think the whole

US is the largest landmass you white people got.