Bring the troops home now
Mark Anderson
October 10, 2008
With the impending bankruptcy of the United States, you would think Congress might curtail spending and bring U.S. troops home from the rest of the world. As if trying to hasten the day, the promiscuous spenders that members of Congress are, the spending orgy gets bigger.
What is Congress waiting to bring the troops home for? Until the government is too broke to pay for the war? Until we have hyperinflation, which will result in the same? If the recklessness persists, that is what will happen. And what is going to happen when the U.S. is too broke to pay for the troops' ride home? Are U.S. troops going to get stuck overseas?
I have a really ugly and sad prediction to make: given the hubris of politicians and policy makers, U.S. troops are going to get stuck overseas due to the folly of empire. If you have a loved one stationed overseas, you may want to think about saving up for a plane trip back to the U.S. - just be sure to save that in gold and silver coins.
And rather than further debasing the U.S. dollar to fund yet more wars against countries like Iran, why don't politicians just do to Iran what they are doing to the U.S.? By that, I mean why not have the Congress, Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson manage the rial the same way they have managed the dollar? Not that I recommend this, but the U.S. could bring down the Iranian regime without having to fire a single shot - i.e., by running a clandestine counterfeiting operation, debasing the rial into hyperinflation. I only bring this up to illustrate what a potent weapon inflation is against a people.
Many Americans haven't even begun to understand how the war on terror undermines their liberty.
Does anybody remember how the communists would try U.S. prisoners for crimes? Trying prisoners-of-war for actions on the battlefield is a no-no. Prisoners-of-war are supposed to be released when a war is over. One little problem: the war on terror (i.e., a tactic) is supposed to be never-ending. This created a problem, and so the Congress had to give President Bush the statute to "legalize" that which was illegal by passing the Military Commissions Act. Let's not forget that the war on terror is global (gentle reader, that includes the United States).
If, say, China - or some other country - wanted to use its military to snatch Americans on U.S. soil, and then hold them forever, by what argument can the U.S. protest? I think it is time to wrap up the entire war on terror by treating terrorism as the law enforcement issue that it is.
What is Congress waiting to bring the troops home for? Until the government is too broke to pay for the war? Until we have hyperinflation, which will result in the same? If the recklessness persists, that is what will happen. And what is going to happen when the U.S. is too broke to pay for the troops' ride home? Are U.S. troops going to get stuck overseas?
I have a really ugly and sad prediction to make: given the hubris of politicians and policy makers, U.S. troops are going to get stuck overseas due to the folly of empire. If you have a loved one stationed overseas, you may want to think about saving up for a plane trip back to the U.S. - just be sure to save that in gold and silver coins.
And rather than further debasing the U.S. dollar to fund yet more wars against countries like Iran, why don't politicians just do to Iran what they are doing to the U.S.? By that, I mean why not have the Congress, Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson manage the rial the same way they have managed the dollar? Not that I recommend this, but the U.S. could bring down the Iranian regime without having to fire a single shot - i.e., by running a clandestine counterfeiting operation, debasing the rial into hyperinflation. I only bring this up to illustrate what a potent weapon inflation is against a people.
Many Americans haven't even begun to understand how the war on terror undermines their liberty.
Does anybody remember how the communists would try U.S. prisoners for crimes? Trying prisoners-of-war for actions on the battlefield is a no-no. Prisoners-of-war are supposed to be released when a war is over. One little problem: the war on terror (i.e., a tactic) is supposed to be never-ending. This created a problem, and so the Congress had to give President Bush the statute to "legalize" that which was illegal by passing the Military Commissions Act. Let's not forget that the war on terror is global (gentle reader, that includes the United States).
If, say, China - or some other country - wanted to use its military to snatch Americans on U.S. soil, and then hold them forever, by what argument can the U.S. protest? I think it is time to wrap up the entire war on terror by treating terrorism as the law enforcement issue that it is.