Quote: (06-14-2014 07:07 PM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:
Some men are badasses, others not -- so what? What does that kind of personal nonsense have to do with the larger meanings of war and the consequences of the stale peace experienced after its prolonged absence?
Let's try to keep a thread out of the male insecurity gutter for once -- badassery or the lack thereof are irrelevant to the matter at hand.
Sorry for trolling your thread. I meant to say something on the Atlantic Invasion thread but I've been a bit lazy to sit down and write my thoughts.
I'm a big history fan (minor at uni) and used to love theorizing about potential military conflicts when I was younger. I used to even go to that Global Fire Power website and read about the military of different countries.
Nowadays I don't really see the point. Yes, it could be a chip on my shoulder as my medical past would probably exempt me from enlistment or a draft. On the other hand, I'm a gun owner with a CDL and foreign language knowledge which any
efficient military could probably put to use.
I spend my summers in a small town surrounded by two army posts and an air base. Almost every business has a "We support our troops" sign and whenever their is a proposed withdrawal of troops, the whole place goes apeshit with anti-gov't rallies and shit.
This shit has to stop. The military-industrial complex is strong in this country. Yes, we have the strongest military in the history of the world. We also just got ground down by a bunch of goat herders in a godforsaken desert.
Taleb's Black Swan talks quite a bit about the nature and purpose of warfare. Remember, he himself hid in a basement for a significant amount of time during the Lebanese Civil War. His basic conclusion is that war is completely unpredictable and without a doubt one of the worst ways to liberate/convince/make/force other people to do what you want. I think we have seen that premise vindicated in the last 15 years...?
As for an invasion of this continent...it
could happen but it is very unlikely.
But occasionally Black Swans do fly. I guess the attack on Pearl Harbor was unexpected as well.
We also have to take into account the fact that fourth generation combat will put more and more of our "battles" in the electronic realm of the internet and cyberspace. Any conflict between superpowers will increasingly be through electronic sabotage. A more mechanized (drones) army means that most of our Army will be fat slobs eating pizza and dropping bombs from behind keyboards.
The thing that sometimes gets me about RVF is the number of guys on here who are about male self-improvement and the exchange of information who are heavily invested in one country/language/currency/occupation/type of woman. If I've learned anything from the Lifestyle and Everything Else sections of this forum, it's that, in the face of uncertainty and Decline in the West, there are a few things everyone
ought to be doing:
1)
Applying for a passport. 95% of Americans don't have one and I'd bet money that over half of this forum doesn't either.
2)
Completely pay off debt. Most people have credit card debt if not mortgage and loans. If you owe money, you are working for someone else. If we do go into some kind of police state mode, those in debt will be at the mercy of the State and who knows, we might see some debtor prisons pop up here and there.
3)
Diversifying their currency/commodity holdings. When you travel, bring some Euro/ruble/Baht back with you and keep it in the safe. If you can't buy some gold, buy some silver.
4)
Learning another language. Duh.
5)
Gaining knowledge of another profession or industry. Location-independent jobs don't usually pay that well but at least you have the option if you one day decide to pack your bags and look for greener grass in another country.
Again, not to highjack the thread. I would probably have created quite a few Armageddon threads a few years back but when I see the "rifle behind every blade of grass" and the "we would be fighting in the streets of Savannah, Georgia to repel the invaders!" comments I just sigh