Lessons From The Past . . .

As Americans we began to pay the PRICE of blood and self-sacrifice in 1776 at Concord and Lexington. Small payments were made, in spreading this nation (Which now has more Native Americans than in 1776) from coast to coast up to 1860 when many (Mostly White) Americans paid to define the unity of this nation as, for better or worse, The United States rather than These United States and, as a perhaps unintended result, the freedom of many slaves from White, Native American and Black slave holders.

In 1898 the USA began to “mount the tiger” of world leadership through our low blood investment in defeating Spain and taking over, at least for awhile, Cuba, Puerto Rico, The Philippines and many other smaller islands. World War I began the true role, if not intended as such, of the USA as a world leader and power and, thereby, the payment of a considerable PRICE in the pain, bleeding, gas-rotted lungs and death of our troops.

Of course, the greatest PRICE was paid by this land's “greatest generation” during what we call World War II and some view as a continuation of the 1914-1918 war. How many Americans were killed in combat or training or civilian and military support operations? I doubt that, even today, the exact number of deaths, physical-and-emotional maiming and other injuries are known. We do know that the blood-and-suffering had some and very positive results, TO WIT:

1. The truly anti-civilization forces of Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany and foolish
   Italy were stopped from their genocidal and enslaving programs;
   Many women were saved from being “comfort women” in Japanese military
   brothels and others humans saved from being treated as trash and burnt up in
   German ovens;

2. The boundaries between the freed nations and Soviet aggression were set, sometimes by physical walls built by the USSR or its slaves—Thus, allowing for the eventual destruction of that horrid regime; And, most of all,

3. Our military began the path towards its present, knight like, professional
   capabilities.

The Korean War PRICE paid was frustrating as our best generals (And I do NOT mean Douglas MacArthur) were not allowed to use the full force of our weapons. But, this war began our instruction in the importance of military technology (Which has “paid off” in many civilian and life-saving applications).

The Viet Nam War taught us the essential wrongness of political micro-management of military operations and the need to “win the People”--Both in the USA and where we are fighting. Of course, committed communists and dedicated followers of Mohammed (Especially the more aggressive Sunni fanatics and all followers of the Wahabi school of Islam) are well beyond reason and the only solution to those people is to “put them out of action” and “liquidate” them as quickly as possible.

The “cold war”, of which I was a part as I served in the US Navy form 1956 to 1959, was won by maintaining our guard against foreign enemies, demonstrating the essential inefficiencies, technological backwardness and economic wrongness of all “socialist states”. If you think no PRICE was paid during the “cold war”, you are ignorant of the facts. (eg During my two years of sea duty on an aircraft carrier, over 20 lives were lost to aviation mishaps or other accidents. Deaths by murders committed by North Korean troops against our troops and that of our allies should be better known.)

The first Iraq war should have taught us the old lesson that compromise with evil is a defeat. It was with Hitler and was there by not finishing off the genocidal government of Saddam Husein when we could---And, be dammed to the limp-wristed twits in the UN and our State Department.

The first phase of the second Iraq war clearly demonstrated the technological and moral supremacy of the forces of the USA and its allies. We are still attempting to learn how to fight the war of ideas and that against the fanatics of Islam.

Since the Spanish-American War of 1898 the USA has not asked for any more land than was necessary to bury our honored dead. We have given to our time-to-time enemies wealth, the services of our citizens and our good will to the extent that we may have all but economically destroyed ourselves in our ongoing efforts to be the most charitable and civilized of nations. Those of our troops who do not behave in a truly knightly manner are punished for their offenses. Our people do not “dance in the streets” when our foes are killed as did so many Muslims upon hearing the dreadful news of “9/11”.

We are still paying the PRICE to maintain civilization in lands where it existed and where, as in Iraq, where it did not exist---At least for the centuries since the hate-filled ideology of Mohammed has been in place.

. . . And For The Future

We must remember that being a world power and leader requires the ongoing payment of the PRICE. The people of this time are not responsible for the USA “mounting the tiger” of world leadership; But, are finding it impossible to be in any other position and would not wish to be an inferior nation unable to project power (See below) against all who would destroy us and our defense of what is left of Western civilization.

We have must remember that it is far better to have our enemies concentrated, where we can “neutralize” them, far away (Such as in Iraq and Afghanistan) rather than in our homeland---A strategic and tactical situation made possible only by our technological advantages, military power and our willingness to pay the PRICE for a trained, experienced, knightly and effective military---The PRICE being paid by actual combat, assassinations bu Muslim fanatics OR the sometimes deadly risks of realistic military training..

We must remember that there is such a principle as the common good and that there is a difference between good-and-evil, two ideas which the secular humanists and other opponents of civilization would have us forget.

We must remember that compromises with evil are, in themselves, wrong and, as to geopolitics, eventually lead to the payment of a greater PRICE than otherwise (eg With Hitler at Munich)..