Why We Fight

House.Gov ^ | 9/8/2005 | Congressman Ron Paul

[StarCMC]

LOL!!!

[Coop]

our current president (who, I may add, has proven pretty solidly in opposition to freedom, conservatism, and soldiers).

So then why is it that every fourth car in the Pentagon parking lot still has a Bush/Cheney sticker on it, yet one can scarcely find a Kerry sticker. Are you saying military personnel are that stupid, that they can't even recognize such an enemy>

Scratch the cute and naive - you're just an ignorant liberal.

[StarCMC]

that sure was a lot of stuff no one will ever read or care about

Speak for yourself.

Darn - there are a LOT of newbies on this thread. And yes, I have a suspicious mind. Moonbats in libertarian clothing, I'm thinking.

[Alberta's Child]

Are you seriously suggesting that Americans didn't engage in enough anti-American propaganda during the Viet Nam War?

Not at all. What I am suggesting is that this country could have saved itself a lot of grief if it had stepped back and asked itself what the heck its objectives were in Vietnam and how to meet them. And then gave an honest assessment of whether we had the political will to do what was necessary to win the war.

If that sounds overly simplistic, just realize that the U.S. government knew in 1965 that the war could not be won but went ahead with that stupid war anyway.

[Chi-townChief]

I've always liked Ron but he diminishes himself when he parrots this kind of crap:

"Behind the scenes many were quite aware that Israel’s influence on our foreign policy played a role. She had argued for years, along with the neo-conservatives, for an Iraqi regime change. This support was nicely coordinated with the Christian Zionists’ enthusiasm for the war."

[Coop]

Darn - there are a LOT of newbies on this thread. And yes, I have a suspicious mind. Moonbats in libertarian clothing, I'm thinking.

It's not a coincidence. :-)

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

1)Welcome to Free Republic.

2) This is too long a first post.

3)Congressman Paul, in a neighboring District to mine, is a nut.

4)My family has fought in every war since the Revolution. I come from a long line of trouble makers and curmudgeons, and frankly we just like shooting at people, especially bad governments ... Red Coats, yankees, National Socialist, Communist

[StarCMC]

HOWLING!!!!

[BykrBayb]

Our troops did win that war. Your kind surrendered after our troops won it. We're not going to let you do that again.

[Coop]

Our troops did win that war. Your kind surrendered after our troops won it. We're not going to let you do that again.

And YOU get my vote for best post of the day! [applause]

[BykrBayb]

That question has been asked and answered. You choose to continue supporting the enemy. We don't.

[StarCMC]

No kidding. I guess the mods think it's fun to let us play with our food once in a while.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

26 Sep 1945 - The first death of an American serviceman in Vietnam occurred.
OSS (Office of Special Operations) Major (Lieutenant Colonel) A. Peter Dewey
was killed in action by the Communist Vietminh near Hanoi.
May 1950 President Harry S Truman authorised $10 million in aid to the French for their war in Viet Nam.
By January 1951, $150 million had been given in aid.
1953-61 Dwight D. Eisenhower 34th US President
1953-61 Richard M. Nixon Vice President
1953 - The US is supporting the French in the amount of $1 billion per year--
33% of all US foreign aid--which is 80% of the total cost to the
. US Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles (under Eisenhower) first voices the 'Domino Theory':
if one country in Southeast Asia falls to the Communists, they will all fall, one by one.

12 Feb 55 - President Eisenhower's administration sends 1st 350 U.S. advisers to South Vietnam
to train the South Vietnamese Army

8 Jun 56 - The first American of record to die in Vietnam
was Air Force Tech Sergeant Richard B. Fitzgibbon Jr.
His son, Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, died in Vietnam Sep 7, 1965.
8 Jun 56 Has been formally recognized by the Pentagon as the first American officially to die in that war.

5 Sep 56 - President Eisenhower tells a news conference that the French are
"involved in a hopelessly losing war in Indochina" 1956 The US believed in that Ho Chi Minh would have won any election held in Viet Nam and used their influence over the government of the State of Viet Nam to ensure that the election was not held



From a Must Visit Site
Vipers Vietnam Veterans Page, A Vietnam Veteran & Proud Web Site
About Vietnam

The Vietnam war was the longest in our nation's history.
1st American advisor was killed on June 08, 1956,
and the last casualties in connection with the war occurred on May 15, 1975, during the Mayaquez incident. Approximately 2.7 million Americans served in the war zone; 300,000 were wounded and approximately 75,000 permanently disabled. Officially there are still 1,991 Americans unaccounted for from SE Asia.

Vietnam was a savage, in your face war where death could and did strike from anywhere with absolutely no warning. The brave young men and women who fought that war paid an awful price of blood, pain and suffering. As it is said: "ALL GAVE SOME ... SOME GAVE ALL"
The Vietnam war was not lost on the battlefield. No American force in ANY other conflict fought with more determination or sheer courage than the Vietnam Veteran.  For the first time in our history America sent it's young men and women into a war run by inept politicians who had no grasp of military strategies and no moral will to win. They were led by "top brass" who were concerned mainly with furthering their own careers, most neither understood the nature of the war nor had a clue about the impossible mission with which they'd tasked their soldiers.  And the war was reported by a self serving Media who penned stories filled with inaccuracies, deliberate omissions, biased presentations and blatant distorted interpretations because they were more interested in a story than the truth! It can be debated that we should never have fought that war. It can also be argued that the young Americans who fought so courageously, never losing a single major battle, helped in a huge way to WIN THE COLD WAR.

[KC Burke]

My opinion is that this shows the weakness of an arm of libertarian opinion as represented by "dance to a different drummer" congressman. Likewise there are weaker members of the liberal eastern wing of the Republican Party. On the whole, I guess I am glad that this fellow caucuses with the Republicans, but I find his ability to critique his own fellow republicans more severely then the democrats to be tiring.

[BykrBayb]

Where would we be without families like yours? Thank you! I know one "thank you" isn't enough for all that shooting, but I don't want to crash the system.

[Coop]

My opinion is that this shows the weakness of an arm of libertarian opinion as represented by "dance to a different drummer" congressman. Likewise there are weaker members of the liberal eastern wing of the Republican Party. On the whole, I guess I am glad that this fellow caucuses with the Republicans, but I find his ability to critique his own fellow republicans more severely then the democrats to be tiring.

That is one of the most beautiful, poetic versions of calling someone a "putz" that I've ever read! ;-)

[The Red Zone]

Saddam did have WMD's of the chemical and biological variety. He had no nukes that remain on Iraqi soil. Unsure about what might have been sent to Syria.

The objective of this war is easier to grasp than was the war in Vietnam. We are quelling a known hot house for Mooselimb terrorism and trying to get it under some kind of civilized control so we don't have to keep on quelling it. Also when Mooselimb terrorists know we will stomp on them with both feet, they are less likely to take us on, as the blustering cowardly bullies they tend to be. 9/11 was only the canary.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"Don't ask questions they can't answer."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1481117/posts?page=61#61

[Alberta's Child]

Our troops did win that war. Your kind surrendered after our troops won it. We're not going to let you do that again.

If wars were fought on paper using scorecards, you'd be right.

Before you make any statement about "winning" the war, you must first tell me: 1) what our objective was, and 2) how we accomplished it.

[Owl558]

Interesting how you have to willfully ignore the terrorists own manefestos and stated intentions to come to your conclusions.

India, Russia, Indonesia, Nigeria & Malaysia all suffer from Muslim terrorism fully and completely separate from whether or not they are in the Middle East or not. In fact, pretty much anywhere Muslim culture abuts a non-Muslin culture, there is terrorism. This is strong, factual evidence that suggests that the, 'No US in the Middle East = No terrorism' arguement is specious since US "culture" abuts pretty much the rest of the world.

Totalitarin ideologies will use ANY justification situationally. Once the US is out of the Middle East like you want, we will be met by more demands. In fact, anything we do will short of surrender and conversion to Islam will never be enough. Common-sense and even a cursory understanding of history should tell you that.