The Fifth American War

[4est_4est_Gump]

Victor Davis Hanson, NRO

[The only writer there left who hasn't lost his ever-loving mind over Trump.]

On four prior occasions in American history the country nearly split apart, as seemingly irreconcilable cultural, economic, political, social, geographical, and demographic fault lines opened a path to hatred and violence.

During the Jacksonian Revolution of the 1830s, factions nearly ripped the country apart over whether the East Coast Founders’ establishment of a half-century would relinquish its monopoly of political power to reflect the new demographic realties of an expanding frontier — and its populist champions often deemed unfit for self-governance. For the most part, the Jacksonians won.

Three decades later the nation divided over slavery, prompting the most lethal war in American history to end it and force the defeated Confederate southern states back into the Union.

The Great Depression, and the establishment’s inept responses to it, left a quarter of the country unemployed for nearly a decade — hungry and desperate to expand government even if it entailed curtailing liberty in a way never envisioned by the Founders. The result was eventually the redefinition of freedom as the right of the individual to have his daily needs guaranteed by the state.

In the 1960s, the hippie movement — fueled by furor over the Vietnam War, civil-rights protests, and environmental activism — turned holistic in a fashion rarely seen before. A quarter of the country went “hip,” grooming, dressing, talking, and acting in a way that reflected their disdain for the silent majority of “straight” or “irrelevant” traditional America. The hipsters lost the battle (most eventually cut their hair and outgrew their paisley tops to join the rat race) but won the war — as the universities, media, foundations, Hollywood, arts, and entertainment now echo the values of 1969 rather than those that preceded it.

Read about #5 here: http://www.nationalreview.com/node/449594/print

 

[water505]

Five star article. Too bad you know who will never understand it, much less finish reading it...way too much logic and facts for them to digest.

 

[Rightguide]

The article explains one of the great afflictions that threaten the future of America:

"Progressivism.

It has an insidious appeal to human nature, offering contexts and arguments for dependency — which is defined as the consequence of some sort of prior unethical exploitation (rather than chance, bad luck, or personal pathology, perhaps in addition to exploitation) and therefore deserving of proper recompense. Progressivism promises a transcendence over nature’s limitations through superior education, proper training, and correct reasoning, as if poverty, illness, and inequality were not innate to human nature but results of selfishness and ignorance and so rather easily remedied. It confuses technological progress with a credo that human nature itself evolves in predictably progressive ways, thereby supposedly making obsolete institutions and protocols (from the Constitution itself to ancient ideas such as deterrence) that were once time-honored."

 

[water505]

Yep...my favorite is their wacko belief in equality of outcome.

 

[RobDownSouth]

Victor Davis Hanson, NRO

[The only writer there left who hasn't lost his ever-loving mind over Trump.]



Read about #5 here: http://www.nationalreview.com/node/449594/print

Lolz, #5 is teh so-called "Deep State", the whackadoodle right's latest strawman. Booga Booga Deep State!

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

VDH is the last sane mind left in the NRO universe...

 

[Lancecastor]

Poor USA.

 

[Disgustipated]

Five star article. Too bad you know who will never understand it, much less finish reading it...way too much logic and facts for them to digest.

Yep...my favorite is their wacko belief in equality of outcome.

Either you didn't read the article or you didn't understand what it said.

 

[Pookie]

Poor miles.

 

[richard_daily]

Only a real pansy would be afraid of hippies.

 

[VaticanAssassin]

The way the VA is currently passing out 100% PTSD awards we can't afford another war....

 

[RobDownSouth]

The way the VA is currently passing out 100% PTSD awards we can't afford another war....

Sure we can! Just do what Dubya did, put it on the nation's credit card and send the bill to our grandkids. Great way of pushin' up saggin' approval ratings and allow the armchair generals too old to serve to beat their patriotic chests and shout "USA! USA!"

We have always been at war with Eastasia.

 

[VaticanAssassin]

Sure we can! Just do what Dubya did, put it on the nation's credit card and send the bill to our grandkids. Great way of pushin' up saggin' approval ratings and allow the armchair generals too old to serve to beat their patriotic chests and shout "USA! USA!"

We have always been at war with Eastasia.

"As a candidate, Obama argued that the Iraq War represented an exorbitant cost for the American people. Over the course of his presidency, though, the U.S. military will have allocated more money to war-related initiatives than it did under Bush: $866 billion under Obama compared with $811 billion under Bush. (Measuring war-related spending is also tricky, but the Defense Department’s “Green Book” offers the most reliable figures, according to Todd Harrison at CSIS. These figures don’t account for war-related funding within the State Department or USAID.)"


It is ok. You can save your argument that Obama was forced to spend this money by Bush. We all Know it was Bush's fault.....

 

[JohnnySavage]

The way the VA is currently passing out 100% PTSD awards we can't afford another war....

The VA assigns disability ratings for PTSD according to the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders (38 C.F.R. § 4.130), which specifies criteria for disability ratings of 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100%.

The VA makes the awards per regulation, not sua sponte.

But... sometimes a man just needs to grow a set and deal with it.

 

[JohnnySavage]

"As a candidate, Obama argued that the Iraq War represented an exorbitant cost for the American people. Over the course of his presidency, though, the U.S. military will have allocated more money to war-related initiatives than it did under Bush: $866 billion under Obama compared with $811 billion under Bush. (Measuring war-related spending is also tricky, but the Defense Department’s “Green Book” offers the most reliable figures, according to Todd Harrison at CSIS. These figures don’t account for war-related funding within the State Department or USAID.)"


It is ok. You can save your argument that Obama was forced to spend this money by Bush. We all Know it was Bush's fault.....

Spending originates in the House of Representatives.

 

[VaticanAssassin]

The VA assigns disability ratings for PTSD according to the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders (38 C.F.R. § 4.130), which specifies criteria for disability ratings of 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100%.

The VA makes the awards per regulation, not sua sponte.

But... sometimes a man just needs to grow a set and deal with it.

When I got out the VA was notoriously terrible on awarding benefits. Even provable injuries could take years.

No they do not award PTSD sua sonte, but the condition itself is subjective in the same way a DR can not prove or disprove someone has micro fibromyalgia.

100% PTSD awards were rare. Now I see cooks, engineers and other non combat MOS's getting them.

It takes away from the real ones, in the same way, and on a larger scale, SS DI awards have become a shame....

As always...I blame the Lawyers

Spending originates in the House of Representatives.

You should tell Rob.... I was simply following his "logic".

 

[BotanyBoy]

100% PTSD awards were rare. Now I see cooks, engineers and other non combat MOS's getting them.
.

But they were on the FOB whenever that RPG hit the shitters on the far end of the medivac LZ!!!!

And had to smell it while they watched the 11B's clean it up on their 10 hrs off for the week.

 

[VaticanAssassin]

But they were on the FOB whenever that RPG hit the shitters on the far end of the medivac LZ!!!!

And had to smell it while they watched the 11B's clean it up on their 10 hrs off for the week.

Ha!! Do not even get me started on the dumb ass shit! Pogs going to pog I guess...

I am sure I could of have got 10% for something if I would have tried. I just wanted out. The occasional Tinnitus was a small price to pay.

The ones getting out today put max effort in to the benefit.

After spending months and months sleeping with a rifle I would often wake up wondering were the fuck it was every time I got back. That is not PTSD.

That is simply the equivalent of driving for 9 hours, checking in to a hotel, and still seeing/dreaming about the road.

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

The most amazing story comes from the Congress critter who lied about his war record having the temerity to propose that we send half a billion dollars to the Ukraine to help their wounded soldiers...

 

[RobDownSouth]

"As a candidate, Obama argued that the Iraq War represented an exorbitant cost for the American people. Over the course of his presidency, though, the U.S. military will have allocated more money to war-related initiatives than it did under Bush: $866 billion under Obama compared with $811 billion under Bush. (Measuring war-related spending is also tricky, but the Defense Department’s “Green Book” offers the most reliable figures, according to Todd Harrison at CSIS. These figures don’t account for war-related funding within the State Department or USAID.)"


It is ok. You can save your argument that Obama was forced to spend this money by Bush. We all Know it was Bush's fault.....

I'm not doubting the accuracy of what you wrote, but I'd sure love to know what "war-related initiatives" consists of. You're probably too young to remember "You break it, You bought it". And then there is that pesky Marshal Plan after WW2.

 

[VaticanAssassin]

I'm not doubting the accuracy of what you wrote, but I'd sure love to know what "war-related initiatives" consists of. You're probably too young to remember "You break it, You bought it". And then there is that pesky Marshal Plan after WW2.

I think if you are I knew what fell under SD "war related" we would both be taking dirt naps shortly after.....

 

[BotanyBoy]

Ha!! Do not even get me started on the dumb ass shit! Pogs going to pog I guess...

I am sure I could of have got 10% for something if I would have tried. I just wanted out. The occasional Tinnitus was a small price to pay.

The ones getting out today put max effort in to the benefit.

After spending months and months sleeping with a rifle I would often wake up wondering were the fuck it was every time I got back. That is not PTSD.

That is simply the equivalent of driving for 9 hours, checking in to a hotel, and still seeing/dreaming about the road.

I wanted to stay, I got paid to work out and put my foot up peoples ass's and it was great. My life was organized and had a singular purpose, I enjoyed military life. I had another selection slot, if they didn't take me the 2nd time I was going to drop my WOCS packet and get to da choppa.

But no...one seizure and it's allllllll ova, take a desk or take retirement.

They gave me 30% for PTSD, because I enjoyed my work over jerk off garrison bullshit.

 

[water505]

Sure we can! Just do what Dubya did, put it on the nation's credit card and send the bill to our grandkids. Great way of pushin' up saggin' approval ratings and allow the armchair generals too old to serve to beat their patriotic chests and shout "USA! USA!"

We have always been at war with Eastasia.

Douche canoe.

*nods*