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U.S. Deaths in Iraq & Afghanistan Decline Dramatically in 2008

The subsequent naval blockade would convince them to break the bonds of tyranny in favor of supporting a country that just nuked and blockaded them without provocation,

Who said anything about "without provocation"?

How silly of me. So, you're going to sneak attack every single one of the Chinese nuclear launch sites when a widely known escalation of hostilities and build-up of forces is already in progress, then? Genius. This plan can't fail!

By the way, I like how you're nitpicking about individual wordage instead of focusing on the overall complete idiocy and insanity of the plan in general.
 
The subsequent naval blockade would convince them to break the bonds of tyranny in favor of supporting a country that just nuked and blockaded them without provocation,

Who said anything about "without provocation"?

How silly of me. So, you're going to sneak attack every single one of the Chinese nuclear launch sites when a widely known escalation of hostilities and build-up of forces is already in progress, then? Genius. This plan can't fail!

China lacks the early warning facilities to allow them to launch nuclear weapons upon detection of a U.S. missile attack.
 
Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the U.S. what, a whopping 2% of GDP per year.

2% of your gross domestic product is an enormous amount to spend on a war. In 1998, the year for which I have figures, primary and secondary education combined cost the US 3% of its GDP.
 
Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the U.S. what, a whopping 2% of GDP per year.

2% of your gross domestic product is an enormous amount to spend on a war. In 1998, the year for which I have figures, primary and secondary education combined cost the US 3% of its GDP.

At that we probably spent too much.

Too many Americans go to college anyway.

'Primary and secondary education' doesn't even include college.
And I'd love to hear the reasoning for the US spending 'too much' on education, but 2% of GDP on a war is peanuts.
 
2% of your gross domestic product is an enormous amount to spend on a war. In 1998, the year for which I have figures, primary and secondary education combined cost the US 3% of its GDP.

At that we probably spent too much.

Too many Americans go to college anyway.

'Primary and secondary education' doesn't even include college.
And I'd love to hear the reasoning for the US spending 'too much' on education, but 2% of GDP on a war is peanuts.

IIRC, the U.S. spends more per student than most European nations yet our students have weaker academic performance.

Wars have the potential for advancing the long term national interests of the nation has a whole by various means (resources, advancing technology, national unity, et cetera).

My dad once compared having a war periodically to exercise for a nation.

And remember, he had fought in a war.
 
IIRC, the U.S. spends more per student than most European nations yet our students have weaker academic performance.

Wars have the potential for advancing the long term national interests of the nation has a whole by various means (resources, advancing technology, national unity, et cetera).

My dad once compared having a war periodically to exercise for a nation.

And remember, he had fought in a war.

 
China lacks the early warning facilities to allow them to launch nuclear weapons upon detection of a U.S. missile attack.

When I read those reports I see a lot of "probably doesn't have / may not have / most likely isn't equipped with" terminology used, which doesn't exactly inspire me with a lot of confidence when we know for sure that the Chinese were building a system of large phased-array radars as early as the 70s to get advanced warning of a possible Soviet attack, and which was possibly going to be expanded to monitor other theaters as well.

How could you possibly guarantee that you'd destroy every single one of the Chinese nuclear sites with absolute certainty?

I know it probably doesn't matter to you because you likely wouldn't care about sacrificing a few of the heathen cities on the West Coast in your plans for global American supremacy, but I have this crazy notion of not wanting to die of burning or radiation sickness, so were going to have to agree to disagree on that one I guess.

Even if you could guarantee 100% success, which you can't, the fact that the fundamental immorality of your plan doesn't even phase you a bit is scary as hell.

Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the U.S. what, a whopping 2% of GDP per year.

2% of your gross domestic product is an enormous amount to spend on a war. In 1998, the year for which I have figures, primary and secondary education combined cost the US 3% of its GDP.

At that we probably spent too much.

Too many Americans go to college anyway.

Yes, a more warlike and less educated public sounds like a worthy goal and a recipe for long-term success in the modern world. I like what you have to say and wish to subscribe to your newsletter or manifesto.

Wars have the potential for advancing the long term national interests of the nation has a whole by various means (resources, advancing technology, national unity, et cetera).

My dad once compared having a war periodically to exercise for a nation.

And remember, he had fought in a war.

Your dad was Sir Francis Bacon? Awesome: "A civil war is like the heat of a fever; but a foreign war is like the heat of exercise, and serveth to keep the body in health."

I like how you appeal to his service in war to justify this insane ideology, as if that somehow makes it more credible. It's a shame he didn't learn the same lessons most veterans do upon returning from the horrors of war. They might think war is sometimes a necessary evil, but most of them don't treat it so glibly.
 
At that we probably spent too much.

Too many Americans go to college anyway.

'Primary and secondary education' doesn't even include college.
And I'd love to hear the reasoning for the US spending 'too much' on education, but 2% of GDP on a war is peanuts.

IIRC, the U.S. spends more per student than most European nations yet our students have weaker academic performance.

Wars have the potential for advancing the long term national interests of the nation has a whole by various means (resources, advancing technology, national unity, et cetera).

My dad once compared having a war periodically to exercise for a nation.

And remember, he had fought in a war.

Dayton you can't be serious. Wars might stimualte some positive things in the economy and elsewhere, but they cost lives, individual lives. This isn't the early 20th century when people felt it was a glorious thing to go into battle and support their nation, its hard reality...its bombs blowing up when you least expect it out of nowhere; its the possibility of having to use tactical nukes in any Chinese war scenario; its higher tech Korean forces. Patriotism is a positive thing, nationalism isn't. War is sometimes necessary but is something to be avoided unless its a last resort. We are not the world's policemen and even if we were inclined to do this morethan we are, we simply d on't have the resources anymore! Its too expensive. We're running two relatively low level wars now and barely making it, how do you think we could manage against China or N. Korea?

My dad was in 3 different armies. He was in the forerunner to the C.I.A. in WWII. He hated that I liked to play with soldiers. I became a military technology/history buff to his dismay. He thought war was to be avoided at all costs. He did not support the war in Vietnam. Using war to 'exercise" a nation out of complacency (especially with a war on terror already going on) is insane.

RAMA
 
I was watching a FoxNews ticker yesterday.

It gave the final fatality figures for 2008 in the Iraq and Afghan conflicts.

It said that U.S. deaths in Iraq had dropped from 901 in 2007 to 308 in 2008.

Iraqi civilian deaths dropped by 60% as well.

In Afghanistan U.S. deaths increased from 101 in 2007 to 151 in 2008.

Combined the death toll dropped from 1002 in 2007 to 459 in 2008.


And that is worth celebrating.

I agree this is very positive.

RAMA
 
Wow, this thread has really took a left turn...

On topic, While I'm glad that the death toll in Iraq has decreased, I'm worried and saddened that the numbers for Afghanistan are increasing. Our son just deployed to Afghanistan (USAF) and Mrs.Q2 & I are very worried and concerned. We are proud of our son and the job he's doing, but the reality of the situation has us on edge and very concerned.

Q2UnME
 
Wow, this thread has really took a left turn...

On topic, While I'm glad that the death toll in Iraq has decreased, I'm worried and saddened that the numbers for Afghanistan are increasing. Our son just deployed to Afghanistan (USAF) and Mrs.Q2 & I are very worried and concerned. We are proud of our son and the job he's doing, but the reality of the situation has us on edge and very concerned.

Q2UnME

When you next talk to him, please let him know my family thanks him for his service. I pray he returns home safely.
 
Personally, I doubt that even if Afghanistan deteriorates further that the death toll for the U.S. would ever even begin to approach that of those in Iraq.

Thus, if the progress can be maintained in Iraq, chances are U.S. losses can be kept at an acceptable level.
 
Once again, I never said a thing about invading China. Why do people here keep lying about what I said?

Well, since you said:

I was hoping that it would be a cakewalk with less than 500 U.S. fatalities (and corresponding less Iraqis killed as well), and that the U.S. could move on to invading Iran in 2005 or so, and then invading and liberating North Korea in the 2007-2009 time frame. All leading up to the eradication of the Chinese regime in the 2013-2015 time frame.
It was a natural assumption. ;)

But, apparently, China is the only country that you don't want to invade. :rommie:
 
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