The eastern world, it is exploding
Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’
You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’
You don’t believe in war, but what’s that gun you’re totin’
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’
But you tell me over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction.
– Barry McGuire
I don’t pretend to be a military analyst. Indeed, as a not-that-old hippy, I still believe in peace and love and wish that nobody showed up for wars (See “what if there was a war and nobody came?”). But looking at what is going on in Iraq right now, and the vow by militant forces to take their rampage — and stone-age mentality — to the United States (see Globe & Mail article), I’m glad the United States has weapons of mass destruction.
How sad this is . . . but I’m glad the U.S. could nuke nations into oblivion if it comes down to that. Indeed, I bet a lot of Westerners take some comfort in that fact.
Don’t you understand what I’m tryin’ to say
Can’t you feel the fears I’m feelin’ today? — BM
Even sadder, big blasts like that would kill more than terrorists, of course. A lot of innocent people would die, and that is probably why terrorist groups think the U.S. would never use an atom bomb-like device. But they would be mistaken, and they can only poke the giant for so long. (See Hiroshima) If it comes down to fighting for its survival, you can be sure the United States would fire everything it needs to eradicate the other side . . .
And you know that if groups like ISIL had the ability to nuke the United States, they would do it without second thought. I don’t know why they hate Westerners so much. But then, I don’t understand hate.
When human respect is disintegratin’
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’ — BM
And just where is God during all of this?
Silly question, eh . . .
Hate your next-door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace
And, tell me over and over and over and over again, my friend
You don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction — BM
Jillian Page 
The mess in Iraq is exactly what I predicted ten years ago. What the idiots in the Bush dynasty failed to grasp, and still do, is that the various tribes in the middle east have been at war for 1400 years. And they will be for at least another 1400 years. All the Bush dynasty saw was the profit from the war machine and the oil at the end of the conflict.
And since the people of the middle east do not recognize the arbitrary lines on the map of the countries drawn up by England after WW-II, the boundaries of their eternal civil war are meaningless. The turmoil brewing in Afghanistan and Libya are bound to boil over into the Iraq conflict.
The smartest thing the USA can do is simply stay out. They are going to war with each other whether we’re there or not.
And they have the millions of dollars of weapons and vehicles that we left behind.
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One of the things I love about you is that, while you may not technically have them, you have more cojones than most! You take tough and controversial positions in a world of politically-correct sound-bytes and over-simplification of issues. And you make your case well.
We can argue the causes and reasons for the Middle Eastern wars, but we all know it’s not about human rights but rather oil and money. But as you were saying in regards to all these folks who hate us for one reason or another (possibly justifiably), it IS comforting to know though that, so far, we have endured our problems with them but still retain, in absolute necessity, the ability to remove them and their potential supporters from the face of the earth.
Don’t ever believe the nuclear option isn’t there; many are just waiting for a good chance to try out the tactical weapons we’ve spent billions on!
As you say, Jillian, “they can only poke the giant for so long”, and when we push back… We’re as messed-up a country as any is, but God help you if we as a People decide to shit on you. We don’t always do it for the right reasons, but that’s a little late then…
And this opinion/feeling comes from a peacenik who hopes this will never come to pass.
If those conflicts remain over there among themselves, they need only endure our intervention and remote attacks against those who really mess up with American Capitalism. That’s all politics. Should they strike upon this continent, all hell may reign loose over there.
The American public will accept more war this time because it will ALL be drone attacks, which we have become very adept at using. Americans love having enemies to blame, and killing them at no personal cost is frosting on the cake! No american boys die? Hey, great war! No pissed off moms.
Better yet, it will boost our economy and take the focus off of domestic issues! Gee whiz! Do I need to add a 😉 ?
(This is a personal comment by Steve of All-Nudist.com and by no means representative of All-Nudist’s policies, opinions, or any other of that sort of stuff. Ya know?)
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First of all you made a mighty strong musical choice! Secondly, I would like to see all the Christian fundamentalists to park their anti-.GLBT beliefs and go to Kenya and suchlike and defend their oppressed kindred there…like that will ever happen! The reality is that the middle east is socially equivalent to Europe circa 1000, and until they sort themselves out they will direct their misery upon the West as justification for their aggression. In my opinion we in North America must wean ourselves from our dependency from their oil and “starve” them out. The only problem with that is that China will only be too happy to pick up the slack, and that is a whole other can of worms…..they are presently stockpiling 1.6 Million barrels per day. It seems to me that we are in deep Kimchee!!
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