America - A Warrior Nation
It was Alexis de Tocqueville who first wrote about the idea of American exceptionalism. It was Joseph Stalin who coined the term, although he did so when claiming a failure of capitalism during the Great Depression. The idea of Manifest Destiny grew out of the notion of American Exceptionalism since Manifest Destiny termed the continent God's Country, and that changed the interpretation of the 2nd Amendment from guns for defense to weapons of aggression.
The Natives did not own the land, Americans owned all of it, so said Manifest Destiny. So, Americans, under the popular interpretation of Manifest Destiny, pushed the Native Americans aside with guns, duplicity and war. From that time to today, America acted as a Warrior Nation.
What good is an Army if you have no war to fight? World War II, by necessity, brought the U.S. military to the forefront, dominating every aspect of American life. Never has a citizenry been so united for a single purpose. Households sent every surplus item to the military including left-over cooking oil, crushed cans, and utensils made of aluminum. American industry produced everything the military demanded and more. We had a Victory Garden as instructed by the government. Picking bugs off the lettuce was a favorite pastime.
Then the war ended. Alas, World War II was quickly followed by the Korean affair. The homefront was nothing like the personal commitment of WWII. Eisenhower toured the Korean Peninsula as a politician and we fought to a stalemate. What did it all mean? The public was war weary, the generals decided we had to be prepared to fight at a moment's notice and the Defense budget soared and Gen. Curtis Lemay ordered bombers to circle the USSR 24/7. .
And Eisenhower spoke as the door slammed him on the ass on the way to retirement: " . . . In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military–industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals . . . " A very fine speech Mr. President, who is listening? Washington?
Now we have the question, what good is an army if there is no war to fight? Perhaps that is the wrong question. Shouldn't it be, what ever happened to Peace?
A war weary America inevitably leads to voter apathy, in the meantime we spend more and more on defense. Today's defense budget approaches a trillion taxpayer's dollars. If you are a Congress-watcher, you are aware that this spending is protected at the expense of the social safety net. I'll say it, our national priorities are wrong.
Lincoln spoke of priorities during the Gettysburg Address: " . . . and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
The U.S. Constitution begins with this, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." People first.
Regardless of our interpretations of history, we remain a warrior nation. Aided by the military-industrial-complex we cannot stay home, it seems. Although we try, we cannot change the World to our liking and we ignore the power of international trade as an alternative to war. Yes, the U.S. is the World's largest exporter of guns. That should tell us something.
Our militarism is creating poverty. It might be said that our brightest and best minds are being killed and wounded on the battlefield. Educational opportunities suffer and we have over 200 military bases in foreign countries. Whatever happened to Peace?
A list of conflicts the United States has been involved in using combat troops: SRC: Wikipedia)
American Revolution
Indian Wars
Barbary Coast
War of 1812
Barbary Coast War #2
West Indies Piracy Operations 1817
First Seminole War
African Anti-slavery Operation 1861
Aegean Anti-piracy 1825
Sumatran Expedition 1832
Black Hawk War 1832
Second Seminole War
US Expedition - Samoa 1838
Second Samatran War 1838
Capture of Monterey 1842
Battle of Kororareka (New Zealand) 1845 (we lost)
Mexican-American War 1846
Apache Wars 49 years beginning 1851
Nicaragua 1854
Third Seminole War 1855
Yakima War 1855
Battle of Ty-ho Bay - Chinese Pirates 1855
Fiji expedition 1855
Opium War - China 1856
Utah War 1857 (Mormons)
Navajo War 1855 (ten years)
Paraguay 1859
Paiute War at Pyramid Lake 1860
American Civil War 1861
Sioux Uprising 1862
Colorado War 1863
Snake War 1864
Commanche War 1867 (seven years)
Formosa Expedition 1867
Korean Expedition 1871
Modoc War 1872
Samoan Civil War 1898
Spanish-American War 1898
Moro Rebellian 1899
Philippine War 1899 - 1902
Boxer Rebellion 1899
Nicaraguan Campaign 1912
Mexican Expedition (Pancho Villa) 1914
Haitian War 1915
Dominican Campaign 1916
World War 1
Russian Civil War 1918
West Virginia Coal Miners War 1920
World War 2 1941
Puerto Rican Revolts 1950
Korean War 1950
Laotian Civil War 1953-1975
Lebanon crisis 1958
Congo Crisis 1960
Bay of Pigs 1961
Columbia ongoing
Invasion of the Dominican Republic 1965
Bolivia 1966
Cambodian Civil War 1970
Lebanese Civil War 1982
Grenada 1983
Bombing of Libya 1986
Panama 1989
Persian Gulf War 1990
Iraqi no-fly zone 1991
Somalia 1992
Bosnian War 1993
Haiti 1994
Kosovo 1999
Afghanistan 2001
Moro Insurgency 2002
Somali Civil War 2002
Liberian Civil War #2 2003
Iraq War 2003 - 2011
Trans Sahara 2007
Yemen 2010
Overthrow of Gaddafi 2011
Constant warfare brought down the Roman Empire. Continuous war changes moral values and when Rome was failing, citizens offered little help. There is little doubt that America is a warrior Nation. This is a danger to those who think about the words of patriotism: freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Today the domestic police are arming themselves with bullet-proof vests and armored vehicles. I can remember the cop who walked a beat, no more. The NSA listens to all of the conversations they can find. Am I, as a citizen, not trusted by my own government? No more Liberty, no more privacy. Is it a trend for the future of this nation? Is it possible that America can come together as it did during World War II and demand PEACE?
Kootie J