Forever Wars? Trump was going to get us out of forever wars, that did not work. It sounded nice, and who could argue that the United States should conduct war indefinitely? Opponents would rightly point out that in many cases we got our allies involved in conflict; we should not leave them holding the bag.
What we need to prevent is Needles Death, at least of our personnel and service members. If there is no reason to be there, let’s get out. The problem is that in many, if not most cases there are good reasons to have and maintain a presence where we do. We are not getting “ripped off,” as we were led to believe. We are supporting alliances, fighting terrorists, and serving as a deterrent.
Our military personnel are not toys, they are a hammer; they are part of a lethal machine. They should not be deployed thoughtlessly, and it should be rare that we fault them when a nail gets bent. Our government leaders, often elected, hold the hammer. If something gets bent, maybe they mishandled the hammer, or chose the wrong tool.
We should consider making military service a prerequisite for holding office, at least the office of the president. When you get a president, who didn’t serve, who “knows more than the generals,” things are going to get messed up. Trump claimed to be promilitary, but that was just a ploy to get votes. He always wanted to be seen as a tough guy, and you know he wanted a parade.
Time is passing and there are many distractions to occupy our thoughts. Wherever you fall on the political spectrum, we should all agree that Green Lives Matter. We have people around the world putting it on the line while we sit home fighting amongst ourselves. Trump has done exceptionally grave damage to our country and our international standing. Let’s not forget our brothers and sisters, America’s sons and daughters deployed and stationed far from home.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/21/world/middleeast/us-troops-deployments.htmlDespite Vow to End ‘Endless Wars,’ Here’s Where About 200,000 Troops Remain
