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Ed Ziomek
Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 522
Location: Stamford, Connecticut
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 Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:58 am Post subject: American Legionairres, and an Alternative to the Draft Idea |
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From a family document mentioning an alleged ancestor of mine, Commodore John Barry asked Ben Franklin what was the "nationality makeup of the American forces fighting the revolution"?
Now I don't need to remind all of us that the American revolution was only "2.5 Grandparents ago", as we are a young nation, 230 or so years old.
Ben Franklin gave an answer that 66% of the American forces were Irish. What wasn't told and what I found out later, was that at least 16% of the English forces were also Irish, so it was certainly, brothers against brothers: English and Irish and German, fighting against English and Irish and German, and Spanish, and even French!
Note: (The Spaniards attacked Pensacola on behalf of the American colonies, we might forget!) There is even a Hessian-German cemetery near Montvale, New Jersey, containing brave Hessian-English troops who died there!
2006 today, and Charles Rangle (who I strongly respect), suggests a draft of America's youth, at the same time our military enlistments are measurably down and we are redeploying overworked, overwhelmed Reservists back into places like Iraq.
Not that I am in favor of more American wars or deployment of troops, but I am suggesting an alternative to the draft idea.
My idea is the enlistment of fluent English-speaking persons from Germany, Ireland, England, Spain, Israel, China-Asia, Kenya, even Pakistan... for our American forces, sort of an International Legionairres Brigade, giving American citizenship after 4 years service or so.
Preference could be given to multi-lingual personnel, especially in languages like Farsi, Urdu, and Pashtun, exactly where our biggest mistakes have been, I am cautious to say.
Bottom line, America's greatness is the diversity of our citizens. America's existence is based on the diversity. America's future is diversity.
Our military might benefit from this recognition and value in recruiting around the world, and might even be able to defuse foreign policy problems using this influx of talent.
Your thoughts?
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Antisthenes
Joined: 28 Nov 2006
Posts: 640
Location: Phoenix
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| Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 12:44 pm Post subject: |
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my thought is that nobody in their right mind would want to jump on a sinking ship that will force them to torture other human beings. or commit genocide with depleted uranium.
it's not worth the post tramma stress
draft the rich and middle class and no more of this poverty draft and watch the war for imperial ambition stop in a week.
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Richard Haut
millennium club
Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 1152
Location: Nice, France
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| Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 1:03 pm Post subject: |
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what do you mean "even French!"
Have you never heard of the Marquis de Lafayette ? of Amiral de Grasse ?
whether or not an International Brigade is a good or a bad idea, it is essential to understand that America already has an unofficial version of it. The so-called "contractors" are in many cases mercenaries. And considering the damage that they and the assorted hit-squads (such as Saddam's Wolf Brigade) currently being used by America in Iraq are causing, I would say that - although an International Brigade might be a reasonable idea in support of a worthwhile cause - for today's America it will just become a bunch of thugs.
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Richard Haut has worked with the architectural profession for over 25 years and produces the weekly Richard Haut's Competitions, which has given architects details of many thousands of projects for which they can apply across Britain and Europe. |
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Ed Ziomek
Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 522
Location: Stamford, Connecticut
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| Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 1:11 pm Post subject: Excellent point... |
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Well, you are right...the answer is still...Yes, they would.
In fact, people, in their right minds, feed growth hormone beef to their children, which were fed with mercurial-protected corns and grains.
People in their right minds will pour asphalt into their lungs via cigarettes.
People with right minds will elect a President who approves torture while declaring "freedom and democracy" to the world.
And remember this famous quote... "Carpet of bombs, or carpet of Gold", before 9-11? We re-se-lected him, you know, the guy who wants Iran next!
...and "they/we" will approve nuclear power plants less than 20 miles from a major American City...
...and "they" will agree to sending our brave troops to war without proper protection...
...and they will dump sewage waste 50 miles out at sea...which end up in our commercial oyster beds...
...and they will use nitrogen rich chemicals just to make their grass green, which of course, ends up in the food we feed our children...
...and with 3rd generation birth defects attacking Vietnamese due to Agent Orange, we are defoilating Colombian Coca farms...---wait 5 years for that catastrophe to show up...
"anti"...you are correct... what right-minded people would do stupid things? Apparently all of us...I am at the front of the line.
Good, excellent point! You are more correct than I think you realize.
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Ed Ziomek
Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 522
Location: Stamford, Connecticut
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| Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 1:22 pm Post subject: Rich...just saw your post... |
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I just saw your post...
Certainly Lafayette and de Grasse...America clinched the revolution with the French fleet...but did French troops actually fight in the Americas? Or was it the crucial, crucial French Navy who provided the muscle at the critical time?
But back to the original topic...I take exception, Sir Haut... Le American is fine Christian stock, our God is love, our God is peace, our method is holy white phosporous...and we might bomb you to prove it? (not funny)
What was the famous quote from VietNam, "We burn their villages to save them from communism"? It is almost a sad statement of our foreign policy for the last 50 years, and the CRUSHING NECCESITY is that America must change, that is my opinion.
No, on the tragically, serious side, I think an international force, with international leadership, under the American flag, might be an improvement.
Foreigners and Immigrants ARE America, every one of us!!!
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Antisthenes
Joined: 28 Nov 2006
Posts: 640
Location: Phoenix
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| Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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ya Ed so all we can do is live and show by example i suppose? (for me that means never having eaten meat and being self sufficent as i can and working volunteer within coops coalitions and collectives to show the cooperative nature of the evolution that brings us to our current state)
Buckmister fuller had a quote about this. Something to the effect of you can't make people change but you can offer them and let em choose.
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The most necessary/useful piece of learning is that which unlearns what is untrue: 'evil'
may be acquired, Happiness through virtue which is based on knowledge!/? |
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Ed Ziomek
Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 522
Location: Stamford, Connecticut
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| Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 10:24 pm Post subject: Ed Koch's Promise... |
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I didn't think this subject would go much further, except for four newsy items I heard in the last 24 hours...
1. Unavoidable (??) conflict with Iran
2. Potential 100 years of aggression in the Middle East
3. Manpower needs of US military falling short
4. Saudi mandating needs to the US, as well as Likud party...
1. Ed Koch, former mayor of New York made the amazingly frank comment that "America will be having a war with Iran."
I didn't hear the whole interview, only caught the tail end, but he said it in a tone of ...no matter what is said, no matter what promises are made, there is the almost guarantee of war with Iran.
Ed Koch to me was/is the ultimate populist Mayor of New York City of our time...almost defining the ideal of "common sense people's hero-liberal", non-radical, pro civil rights, pro women's rights, pro gay, straight across communicating leader who won support from virtually all parties and persuasions.
I don't think he has anything to gain or lose, and he is predicting an inevitable, unavoidable slide to war with Iran?!? This is shattering to me.
2. I also overheard, from a very well connected, political insider of sorts, who mentioned that this coming war could potentially be a "100 years war".
3. There are news reports that the Army and Marine Corps manpower needs are getting desperate, with the additional report of John McCains request for more troops to help subdue the violence in Iraq...
4. Saudis are mandating that America stay in Iraq to protect Sunnis, Israeli-Likud Party campaigning for US to help control Iran...
Rock, Hard Place, and Vice Grip...
So net, net... an unavoidable much-bigger war with Iran is coming up, maybe a long term series of aggressions, with probably a draft system re-activated.
Are these East Coast "buzz" factors, or is this hysteria showing up on the West Coast too?
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Richard Haut
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Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 1152
Location: Nice, France
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| Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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how can a potential war with a non-aggressor nation be "unavoidable" ?
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Richard Haut has worked with the architectural profession for over 25 years and produces the weekly Richard Haut's Competitions, which has given architects details of many thousands of projects for which they can apply across Britain and Europe. |
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Ed Ziomek
Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 522
Location: Stamford, Connecticut
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 10:30 am Post subject: Honesty and Dis honesty? |
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Rich...you again ask amazingly prophetic and good questions.
And I offer painful questions too...
Iran as a nation is not an aggressor nation, I massively, massively respect all the Iranian people. But its leader Ahmadinejad is an aggressor leader, that is my honest, sincerest opinion.
Iran by all accounts, hasn't he supported Hezbollah in Lebanon, and probably some of the leadership assasinations, and many accounts has supported the sectarian violence in Iraq, and certainly hasn't he made rhetorical extermination comments against the Israelis?
Now, valid, valid questions can be raised, over the million plus Iranian dead in the Iraqi-Iranian war, supported and funded by the United States.
If this be a 100 year war, we are truthfully entering its 25th year of involvement by the United States, but we don't talk about that.
America is spiraling down into the whirlpool, and some of the rhetoric on the East Coast here is shocking and dangerous, and provocative and un-neccessary...talking ourselves into war, which we could lose!
By the way, a balance of sorts was provided this morning by Republican Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon who now has turned against further involvement in Iraq by the United States, using the word "criminal" to describe it. HE, is making SENSE!
Otherwise, it is like you posted so many weeks ago...like "1914"!
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Richard Haut
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Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 1152
Location: Nice, France
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 11:48 pm Post subject: |
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Ed
apparently some obscure law was used for the US to finance the Israeli attack on the Lebanon.
to bring yet more suffering to the people of Lebanon was an act of cowardice - Hizbollah are a small fringe group who had two thousand irregulars. Sure they have been involved in acts of terror (like the Americans and the Israelis assisting the Kurd terror attacks on Iran and Turkey now).
America and Britain attacked a ragtag Medieval army in Afghanistan - the Taleban are Medieval. AND THE TALEBAN ARE WINNING.
so what is going on ?
a hundred years ago there was a decisive battle between mighty Russia and small Japan. The battle of Mukden. The Russians got wiped and lost their war against Japan.
in WWII mighty Russia attacked tiny Finland and the Red Army was stopped in its tracks. So how come the most efficient and bravest army since the Roman Legions, Hitler's Wehrmacht, got defeated by the same Russian Red Army ?
simple: The Russians are hopeless at invading because it has no meaning to their troops - but in defending their homes they are beyond brave.
the proud American Marine Corp cannot handle fighting in Afghanistan for drug dealers (one of the CIA's main occupations - helps keep "down" the Blacks in the US) or for corrupt oilmen in Iraq. They are not defending America in any way - and they know it.
how can the President of Iran be a threat when he is not even the leader of his country. He speaks in blunt terms because his country keeps being threatened.
your Mr. Koch is a fake.
anybody tell you in the US that when the Gay Pride march was planned in Jerusalem, the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel announced a financial reward for every Gay killed ?
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Richard Haut has worked with the architectural profession for over 25 years and produces the weekly Richard Haut's Competitions, which has given architects details of many thousands of projects for which they can apply across Britain and Europe. |
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