All Terrain Thinking

A Compendium of things I think are Important

Consequences In Life, Often Unanticipated

 

21. NEUTRALITY

"A splendid little war" - Teddy Roosevelt referring to the "Hundred Days War" in Cuba.

War, and the threat of war, has been one means of organizing a society. Even as this is being written, with no war on the horizon…we all hope…all 18 year olds must still register for the draft, or "selective service," whatever that means, or face punishment. Got to keep tabs on everyone. War keeps factories going, wastes enormous amounts of lives, money, resources, and materials that otherwise might become surplus. War prevents economic depression and can get a government out of one, as witness WWI and WWII. Historically, standing armies consist of troops unfit for employment in any other place, led by officers unfit to practice in any commercial business or profession, and are mainly a form of welfare. War is abhorrent to a sane person, and disgusting to the utmost. Yet our "leaders" from the late 1800's to the present, insist on treading on dangerous grounds in their foreign policy, with war always a fact or possibility.

The first time America ceased to be neutral, and sent troops overseas, was in 1898. Cuba was the battleground in the pointless Spanish American War, which began in 1895. Teddy Roosevelt assembled his "Rough Riders," charged up "San Juan Hill," and helped free Cuba from Spanish rule. President William McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war after the Battleship Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor, ("Remember the Maine" was the popular slogan) even though Spain had already agreed to our demands on Cuba. He demanded, and got the Philippines, for $20,000,000, even though the Filipinos wanted no parts of either Spain or America. This began our policy of the "Spread Eagle," meaning our American Eagle's power would be spread around the world. How tragic!

McKinley was assassinated in 1901, and Teddy Roosevelt (T.R.) became President. Then we began to really throw our weight around. T.R. was the first President to use what became known as "power politics," sending the "Great White Fleet" (our white naval ships) around the world in 1907, to show our strength. T.R. decided that "speak softly and carry a big stick" would be our policy. America sent 100,000 troops to the Philippines, losing 7,000 of them, and causing a great division in America. Most wanted to remain neutral, but those wanting to be big shot imperialists...won. Unfortunately, they still do.

Today, terrorism sweeps the globe, and America has not been exempt from this blight. The World Trade Center bombing and Pan Am flight 103 being blown out of the sky over Lockerbie Scotland, are only two pertinent examples of what shady characters can do if they are outraged enough at a government's preferences and actions. By preferences, I mean a government that provides handouts and support to various nations around the world, for what it considers, at the time; to be good reasons. The terrorists disagree, and illustrate their outrage by directing bombings and other assorted terrorist activities in the country doing the support they object to so strenuously...America in our case.

On August 7, 1998, two virtually simultaneous explosions at the American Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya killed over 250 and injured over 5,000. It is a 99% certainty that the deed was done by some branch or other of an Islamic Jihad, which hates America because of our friendship with, and support of...Israel. Most terroristic acts seem to be committed to Americans or American property because of our friendship with, and support of...Israel.

America currently has 163 Embassies around the world. Wouldn’t about 25 be enough? Why do we need to have an embassy in every pip squeak patch of dirt around the world? Why do we have to spend billions maintaining "diplomatic relations" with every squalid, pestilence infested, starving, puny dictatorship around the globe? Bring the Foreign Service personnel home!

The subject of neutrality must divide crime into at least two divisions. (1.) Private crime, meaning robberies, burglaries, rapes, murder, fraud, and crimes that are one against one generally, and (2.) Public crimes, meaning crimes committed by government. Off-shore public crimes have to mean wars, invasions, needless losses of life and property, plus outrageous expenditures of public funds to accomplish these ends so desired by foxy politicians, for various real or imagined reasons. The George Bush invasion of Panama in December 1989 has to be counted as a public crime. From 2,500-4,000 Panamanian innocents dead, dozen or so U.S. soldiers dead, hundreds of millions spent, 20,000 homeless, and nothing accomplished. Viet Nam, Korea, Cambodia, Somalia, and Kosovo were public crimes, and the list of offshore public crimes is quite long. Think of the hundreds of billions squandered on wars, invasions, foreign aid, the UN, CIA, and all that has to do with any activity overseas, attempting to force others into doing the American State Department's desires or will. Offshore public crimes cost hundreds of billions each year, and use innocents as cannon fodder, generally at the whim of a President.

Currently, there are 37,000 American troops in South Korea. They have been there for 50 years, and for what? A survey in late 2000 showed that 67% of Koreans want the Americans out. America actually prepared for all out war with North Korea again in 1994, and called it off. General Douglas MacArthur nearly got us into a war with China over Korea in 1950. South Korea has a vibrant economy, and sells us merchandise to our own detriment, so low are the tariffs. American taxpayers spend $2.5 billion a year keeping troops in Korea, and since the so-called "armistice" has been signed, 93 American soldiers have lost their lives in Korea. They are rich and cannot defend themselves? Bring the troops home!

There are tens of thousands of troops stationed in various areas of the Pacific to protect Japan, our actual economic enemy or 'competitor,' if that word displeases you. The Japanese are rich, and can defend themselves. Bring the troops home!

We have over 100,000 troops in Europe, for heaven only knows what reasons, but prosperous Europe has not been in a war for over 55 years, and can defend themselves. Bring the troops home!

There are 15,000 troops in Bosnia and Kosovo. Who ever heard the name "Bosnia" or "Kosovo" before devious Bill Clinton placed them there to fight a three way civil war between three nationalities, who all hate each other, and have for over a thousand years? Bosnia and Kosovo will cost American taxpayers maybe $100 billion before it is over, if it ever is. Bring the troops home!

Surely you have all read Mort Walker's comic strip "Beetle Bailey." In his strip of June 22, 1997, the Sarge tells his men, "We’re on red alert! We may be shipped out any minute." Beetle says, "Where?" Sarge answers, "Zberk, the Dufus are attacking the Zilks." Beetle says, "What has that to do with us?" Sarge answers, "Someone has to be a policeman to stop these people from killing each other." Then the usual fight begins after Beetle says, "THEN CALL A COP!" Nuf said?

Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn, if all the Hutus kill all the Tutsis, or vice versa. (Or if the comic strip Dufus kill the Zilks.) Don't send American troops there. A close friend of mine is 100% Croatian, and his solution is to, "Give each one a gun, and may the best side win." I wasn’t up nights being sorrowful over the decline of India or Pakistan, from a former unified, civilized land under civilized rule, and I feel the same about all the former British colonies that have gone the way of all flesh, after their civilizing influence was voted out.

Not being neutral, costs us a bundle. In 1996 alone, the CIA (Can't Identify Anything) and other related agencies, spent $26.6 billion for their "intelligence," which is usually in error. If we were neutral, that $26.6 billion would be saved, not to mention the hundreds of billions spent on our military stationed overseas, other "intelligence" bureaucracies, and of course embassy and foreign service career bureaucrats stationed everywhere, costing more and more billions each year.

In early 1991, April Glaspie, the American envoy to Iraq, gave Saddam Hussein the false impression that America would turn the other cheek if he attempted to take over Kuwait, which at one time, was part of Iraq. A silly woman, whose actions were quickly hushed up by the Bush administration, in all probability, started a war. Tens of thousands of Americans were exposed to, and probably suffer from being down wind, when American missiles blew to smithereens Iraq chemical weapons warehouses or used depleted uranium ammunition. Iraq flew scud missiles towards Israel, with seeming impunity, and there is strong suspicion that they contained poison gas. Current information proves it was America who gave and shipped the chemical and biological poisons to Iraq. George Bush supposedly got pledges of money from other nations to defray the huge cost of that little war, but as far as I have been able to determine, the pledges have never been paid.

Remember our expensive, absurd failure in Somalia? Our "saving" Somalia with food handouts actually harmed them, because the free food caused the inhabitants of that place to stop growing food, the prices went so low because of the freebies. Now they are starving because of our welfare and us. We sent help to "save" them, and they killed our soldiers and dragged their bodies through the streets. Wonderful appreciation!

Our billion dollars spent in Haiti hasn’t changed that backward little place a bit, other than to destroy the jobs it did have before we decided to 'reform' them. There was little reason for us to enter WW I, as it was almost over before got into it. A heinous public crime by Woodrow Wilson.

There is ample documentation, and several books written, proving that FDR got us into WW II, just to get us out of the depression...which it did...at a cost of almost 400,000 American lives, millions injured, and a 50% reduction in the value of the dollar. There is further writing and documentation that seem to prove we provoked Pearl Harbor, and knew about it in plenty of time to defend ourselves. The Congress passed, and the President signed, the Neutrality Act of 1935, designed to keep us out of foreign wars. Roosevelt violated it by sending "lend lease" to England in American ships, an act of war that provoked Germany to declare war on us, and was one of the reasons, among many, that caused the Japs to bomb Pearl Harbor. Speaking of WW II, we didn’t get into it until after Hitler betrayed Stalin with his "Operation Barbarossa," which sent hundreds of thousands of German troops to invade Russia. Hitler lost miserably, and was doomed to lose from that time on. Everything went wrong. The fierce Siberian winter got them, freezing soldiers and their machines. Did we really have to go to war in Europe? Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, and Portugal were neutral, and stayed out of it. British Prime Minister Chamberlain came back from a conference with Hitler in 1938, with that stupid umbrella, and said, 'all would be just fine.' Chamberlain was probably the most inept P. M. in the history of Britain, and was so inept, that in referring to Czechoslovakia, he said it was, "a faraway country of which we know little." He was forced from office on May 10, 1940. They asked for trouble, were weak-willed, poorly led, and we bailed them out. It's been said that Winston Churchill was a hopeless, inept drunk who gave wonderful speeches, falsely making him appear great.

"And while I am talking to you mothers and fathers, I give you one assurance. I have said this before, but I shall say it again and again and again. Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars." - Franklin Roosevelt, while campaigning for re-election in 1940. He lied, and knew it when he uttered those words. 34 million American boys were drafted because of his most disgusting of public crimes.

Viet Nam cost us 58,000 American lives, and Korea 53,000, both public crimes. Robert Strange McNamara, Secretary of Defense under LBJ, in his 1995 book, "In Retrospect," admitted the war was a huge mistake, and that "We were terribly wrong on Viet Nam." Was this carnage necessary? Has it really been necessary for us to fight two world wars, plus Korea, Viet Nam, and others? Couldn't Europe have defeated Hitler, after being weakened in Russia? The Kaiser was for all practical purposes already defeated before we entered WW I. That war was called, "the war to end all wars."

Switzerland declared its independence and neutrality in 1291. They don't worry about terrorism, nor have any of the afflictions we have, that come as a direct result of being a busybody. While I suspect it might be some sort of plum to say we are the "one remaining super power," being neutral wouldn't change that. By bringing all the troops home, getting out of the United Nations, and for that matter getting the United Nations out of America, ceasing all foreign aid, and taking no sides in any world conflict, it would be amazing how little terrorism, and other assorted, but related problems we would have to worry about.

When my kids were young, we used to tell them MYOB when the fights began. This simply means, "mind your own business," a good idea for America. While we may shed tears over deaths and destruction of the seemingly perpetual foreign wars, jealousies, and battles, we needn't send our troops to stop them.

With Mexico on the south, Canada on the north, the wide Pacific on the west, and Atlantic on the east, who is going to harm us or invade us? Who would want to, if we stayed at home and minded our own business? The hundreds of billions we would save by eliminating foreign aid, and bringing the armed forces down to the number needed to defend our own shores, could be used to develop a missile defense system, which we need, and don't have. Any pip-squeak, third world dictatorship can launch missiles at us, and we haven't the slightest way of warding them off, shooting them down in mid air, or in any way defending ourselves from such an attack. Here we are, the "one remaining super power," as we like to call ourselves, and we have no defense against missiles. I have no idea of what defense we might have if a suitcase atom bomb or other compact poison were casually brought into America.

"You can catch a lot more flies with sugar than you can with vinegar," a homespun truism. And boy, do we catch flies! Every time some disaster occurs overseas, be it an earthquake, pestilence, flood, or mayhem of some type, guess who feels obligated to pour out the bucks from D.C., and send a thousand troops to solve the situation? Good old dumb America that's who. When we have earthquakes, floods, or fires, do foreign nations offer to help us? Do Germany, England, or our so-called "allies" send us building materials, food, or help, when we wash out or heave up? Of course not, and what’s more they don’t even offer. Think about who likes and dislikes us in the world and why. None of the Islamic nations can stand us, thinking we are some sort of "white devils" that love the Israelis. The Jews in Israel are called "our closest friends in the mid-east," but so what? I’ll be delighted to be your close friend if you give me ten million dollars a day, and supply me with arms and ammunition. Let Israel fight its own battles, and if American Jews want to send money to Israel, fine, but not the United States government. If we did nothing else but stop sending money and support to Israel, that would eliminate most terrorist threats.

The Communists don't like us, and are so jealous they can't stand it. They don’t understand this 'freedom' idea, which we have diluted over the years. For that matter, anyone jealous of anyone else, almost naturally is their enemy, be it a pretty girl, rich man, or a hostile, poverty-ridden nation. The jealousy would not be as evident and threatening, if it weren’t shoved in their face constantly, with well-equipped troops, big buck infusions, and hated influence on or near their shores, all of which we have and use. Actually, not many nations like us, even though we bankrupt ourselves helping them out of their various jams. The Japanese don't, other than the money they can glom off of us when we buy their stuff. They still have never admitted guilt in WW II, other than a vaguely worded half hearted 'apology' made just a couple of years ago.

SOLUTIONS

We've tried the popularity dodge, giving billions of bucks to swindling, looting, contemptuous nations, not worth a spit in the eye. All we have received from them is jealousy, bad debts, hatred, murder, and envy. The starry eyed ineffectuals and bloated idealists, who started us on the road of giving away the national wealth, were dead wrong.

If we stayed home, didn't try to influence or help any other nation, and just set a wonderful example on the home front, the world might beat a path to our door, which I hope we would not open. We need to stop allowing foreigners to enter America at will, and stop them from being able to buy our property. We can't own any of theirs, why should they be able to purchase ours? Try to buy a home in Mexico, Canada, France, or Japan. Lots of luck! Would it be boring to have balanced budgets, no troops overseas, and a federal government a tenth the size? Try me! The consequences of being a world class intruder, are that we are out billions each year, and have aroused the animosity of just about everyone.

Being neutral, if disasters befell other nations, American corporations, endowments, or private trusts could offer them a loan, or private industries could sell them equipment on credit to help them over a hump, but no troops, no money, no freebies, and no advice from government. Neutrality is a wonderful thing.

Where is the morality of a Congress or President sending innocent boys overseas to fight someone else’s battles? Lives have been lost in each and every foreign "adventure" or war, no matter the good intentions or seeming urgency. Let's draft the Senators and Representatives and their kids first, if this is such a righteous cause. Why didn't we send Bill Clinton to Haiti or Somalia, since he thought it was so great. Ronald Reagan said Viet Nam was a "noble cause." Like hell it was, and the D.C. Viet Nam Memorial to the dead won’t compensate for that ghastly error. America's role in the world should be to stay at home, be free, defend our own shores, and set a good example. The Constitution says America is to "Provide for the common defense," and this cannot be interpreted to mean overseas. We can still brag about being the "one remaining super power," only let’s do it at home!

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