-> ...   
   ->    
   ->  ->  FS> civil war.  And I think the US should avoid all civil wars.    
   Let   
   ->  FS> the   
   ->  ->  FS> "natives" fight it out.   
   ->  ->   
   ->  -> I'd say avoid both civil and religious wars.  But seems we never   
   learn.   
   ->    
   ->  FS> True, but we must remain militarily strong -- for defense purposes   
   ->  FS> only, since a lot of nations would like to attack us if they could   
   be   
   ->  FS> assured of victory.  And a weak USA might convince them of that.   
   ->    
   -> But we're fighting in this little shit pot counties that don't either a   
   Navy or   
   -> an Aiforce.  Granted they can do some limited damage via terrorist   
   stuff, but   
   -> to 'attack' you need more than just a few guys running around planting   
   bombs.    
   -> (Nukes might change that, but in that case OUR strong military won't do   
   the job   
   -> either.)   
      
   If our military was sufficiently weakened, then there are a number of   
   nations which would be far more ready to attack us with conventional   
   weapons.   
      
   ->  ->   
   ->  ->  FS> After the attack on Pearl Harbor the nation developed intense   
   ->  ->  FS> patriotism in most people -- and it lasted until the war ended,   
   not   
   ->  ->  FS> like the brief patriotic flurry following 9/11.  Even *I* was   
   ->  FS> jazzed-up   
   ->  ->  FS> with patriotism, so I volunteered to enter the Army.   
   ->  ->   
   ->  -> You, and many others.   
   ->    
   ->  FS> Yeah, well I couldn't defeat both the Nazis and Japs *alone*.  Be   
   ->  FS> reasonable.   
   ->    
   -> Yeah, it took more than one man, even a great one. :)   
      
   Yes ... [blushing modestly] ...   
      
   ->  ->  FS> The Korean "war", sometimes called "The Forgotten 'war'", was   
   never   
   ->  ->  FS> popular with the majority of the public, probably because   
   "winning"   
   ->  FS> was   
   ->  ->  FS> not seen as absolutely critical as winning WWII WAS!   
   ->  ->   
   ->  -> Yup, war was to stop 'the spread of communism.'  Yet after 3 years   
   of   
   ->  FS> fighting   
   ->  -> all we did was go back our side of the line.  I'll concede we might   
   have   
   ->  -> stopped it from spreading south, but we failed the next time with   
   VN,   
   ->  FS> and today   
   ->  -> N Korea is still a pain in our ass.   
   ->    
   ->  FS> Amazing, isn't it.  Now with "Little Kim" running the North Korean   
   show   
   ->  FS> who knows wot will turn up next??   
   ->    
   -> But again a country with limited military might - an army, but limited   
   Navy and   
   -> Airpower, both needed to attack our shores.   
      
   It seems, Bob, you have developed into quite the young military   
   strategist!!   
       
   ->  ->  -> Then the VN thing, and I'm at a loss to figure out just what   
   ->  FS> happened   
   ->  ->  FS> there.   
   ->  ->   
   ->  ->  FS> I think it's known now that the North Vietnamese "navy" did NOT   
   ->  ->  FS> actually attack us as LBJ had falsely claimed.   
   ->  ->   
   ->  -> Oh yeah, not our finest hour.   
   ->    
   ->  FS> But don't blame "us"; blame the government officials who got us   
   *in*   
   ->  FS> that mess!   
   ->    
   -> But we are the gov't.  :)   
      
   Nah!  We don't own it; we just pay for it ...   
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