PS, countries who do not have a strong military rely heavily on their allies for defense. There are a few countries able to walk a fine line without a military but the key word here is FEW and they have special circumstances.
The US has enormous natural resources and assets that we need to protect. The biggest asset we protect is our people. The world is full of power hungry vicious people who will do anything and hurt anybody for gain. Witness Saddam Hussein and what he did to his own people. Further, he invaded Kuwait because he could and did not think anyone would stop him. What was his next step? Saudi Arabia? What would have happened to the world economies when Saddam Hussein held so much oil? Hitler did the same thing. At first, no one stopped him. If the US had not entered WWII when we did, they would be speaking German in all of Europe.
Do you think we are so protected by our oceans that no one will come here? What would happen if we had an undefended boarder to the south and no military? Would we all “just get along?” Do you know that we have already had a war with Mexico? Do you think that Mexico would never invade? We have already been invaded, albeit by a peaceful, steady invasion of people. There would probably be temporary joy in the streets and hysterical waving of the Mexican flag in downtown SD when the Mexican army marched through. No doubt there would be thousands helping the Mexican army take over. But after a while, when our great cities are being run by the corrupt Mexican government, there would not be so much joy.
Much of the world’s stability is directly related to the deterance posed by our military as well as other strong militaries like China and Russia. It maintains a status quo. Are you going to invade country A when you know country B will come after you? If it were not for the US, China would have long since invaded Tiawan. Japan also relies heavily on the US for defence. Without us, do you think they would be safe from China or Russia?
China is a warlike giant. Chinese people believe themselves to be superior to all other races. Without a strong military in other countries to keep them in check, I guarantee there would be a yellow tide flowing from their borders.
As for maintaining bases around the world, it strengthens our defensive position and acts as a further deterrence. In most cases, our bases are in countries that we have previously defeated in war. In the past, the victor kept ALL the spoils. We have only kept tiny slices of it – our bases. Two thousand years from now, when historians talk about the United States, they will probably be saying how stupid we were for not keeping ALL that we had gained, solidifying our position.
People who believe that we do not need a strong military are history denialists. They are human nature denialists.
Powayseller, you use historical data as evidence to support your prediction of a future housing crash, yet you deny the overwhelming historical data that paints a picture of unending war, violence, subjugation, cruelty and empire expansion. War is never going to end until humans are extinguished and those who do not protect themselves are fools.
A few great quotes by Winston Churchill:
An appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile – hoping it will eat him last.
Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as though nothing ever happened.
One ought never to turn one’s back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, then you will reduce the danger by half.
Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
