Are we at war ?

[2531usmc]

I usually try to stay out of the political stuff and happened on this thread randomly. I'm not trying to provoke anyone but I've got to ask, do you honestly feel that the United States is a cesspool? If so, is there any country on Earth that you'd rather live in?

Hopefully the chaos of the past couple administrations will settle to some form of normal in the foreseeable future. I believe in the American people even if they do not believe as I do in all things. How's that old saying go? "Don't let the b******s get you down," we've faced difficult times before.

I’ve been following the sh#t show at Harvard and their plagiarizing president. I think a tidal wave of change is coming to our colleges and universities. This would be a very positive step in the right direction

 

[Irish Miner]

I'm not sure if we're at war or not but enough crazy shit is going on that it seems pretty prudent to have ample supplies of food, fuel & firewood.

...and ammo

 

[5MilesBack]

As much as I'd like to bash politics, the longer we can keep them out of this thread the longer it'll last without getting locked.

It's a thread about "war". War and conflicts are neck deep in politics.

 

[WeiserBucks]

It's a thread about "war". War and conflicts are neck deep in politics.

I'm well aware, just hoping it doesn't get locked.

 

[5MilesBack]

do you honestly feel that the United States is a cesspool?

Have you seen the rats we have in this nation these days? Rats love cesspools, so ya......they've succeeded in turning it into a cesspool. It's all relative though, to the past, and specific locales. Ya, I can mostly get away from it in my own little world, but as a nation as a whole......we've definitely gone over the edge, and it's happening exponentially these days.

Sure there are pockets around the country of what used to be called normal, but every large city......cesspool. Govt........cesspool. Media........cesspool. Nonstop illegal immigration.......cesspool. Morality........gone........cesspool. We've become what every other nation in the world is.......maybe worse in a lot of cases. Too many people that have wanted to turn America into what every other nation is.......instead of just moving to those nations that were already all they wanted. Just like all the Californians that moved to CO in the early 90's, and turned CO into a hard left red state. Why didn't they just stay in CA if that's what they wanted. Yes, liberalism equals cesspool from the top down and the bottom up.

 

[fshaw]

5Miles I sincerely feel bad for you that current events have given you such a negative outlook. There certainly are some bad things happening across the US, many parents felt the same way in the 60’s and we survived that, but there are great things happening in the US as well. Every day. The partisan media, both main stream and social, both left and right leaning, don’t focus on those things because there is greater profit in dividing us as a society. I try to limit the amount of news I consume because if I don’t, it consumes me. I wish you well and hope that you can come to believe that the pendulum will swing. I’m retired military and in my 60’s so I’m no starry eyed kid. Best to you.

Frank

 

[fshaw]

To answer the OP’s question, I don’t believe we’re at war, but it’s a fine line we’re walking.

 

[PNWGATOR]

5Miles I sincerely feel bad for you that current events have made you feel so negative. There certainly are some bad things happening in the US, but there are great things happening in the US as well. Every day. The partisan media, both main stream and social, both left and right leaning, don’t focus on those things because there is greater profit in dividing us as a society. I try to limit the amount of news I consume because if I don’t, it consumes me. I wish you well and hope that you can come to believe that the pendulum will swing. I’m also retired military and in my 60’s so I’m no starry eyed kid. Best to you.

Frank

@5MilesBack nailed it.

 

[fshaw]

@5MilesBack nailed it.

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. I wish you well.

 

[Beendare]

I wouldn’t call the US a cesspool.

The polls of our current younger generation indicate the majority don’t think the US is worth defending And they wouldn’t serve in the military. Voluntary military is at its lowest level in decades. How did we get there?

Seems to me, the current admin appointing men wearing skirts to top positions is a contributor. A major contributor is our schools and Universities preaching;
1) how bad the US is…
2) Entitlements…
3) World order bullshit

Heck, take a look at the high percentages of kids that cannot Read or do Math at grade level in the US, they prioritize teaching pronouns.

Not a cesspoool…but if we stand by and do nothing…its headed that way.

 

[2531usmc]

I wouldn’t call the US a cesspool.

The polls of our current younger generation indicate the majority don’t think the US is worth defending And they wouldn’t serve in the military. Voluntary military is at its lowest level in decades. How did we get there?

Seems to me, the current admin appointing men wearing skirts to top positions is a contributor. A major contributor is our schools and Universities preaching;
1) how bad the US is…
2) Entitlements…
3) World order bullshit

Heck, take a look at the high percentages of kids that cannot Read or do Math at grade level in the US, they prioritize teaching pronouns.

Not a cesspoool…but if we stand by and do nothing…its headed that way.

We’re so screwed……

 

[hunt1up]

I wouldn’t call the US a cesspool.

The polls of our current younger generation indicate the majority don’t think the US is worth defending And they wouldn’t serve in the military. Voluntary military is at its lowest level in decades. How did we get there?

Seems to me, the current admin appointing men wearing skirts to top positions is a contributor. A major contributor is our schools and Universities preaching;
1) how bad the US is…
2) Entitlements…
3) World order bullshit

Heck, take a look at the high percentages of kids that cannot Read or do Math at grade level in the US, they prioritize teaching pronouns.

Not a cesspoool…but if we stand by and do nothing…its headed that way.

I'd contend that military enrollment is down to our two resounding victories in Iraq and Afghanistan. I recall being in high school during 9/11 and in 2003 an Army recruiter came in just after we went into Iraq. A buddy of mine ended up joining, I ALMOST did. I recall us asking the recruiter about the wars and he said something like, "Ohh, those will be over in a few months."

A little off the subject but I read a study or two that said the rising rate of obesity is a factor in lower military recruitment. Obesity being the #1 disqualifier and we all know our country is getting fatter.

 

[Ozarkansas]

Wall of text incoming:

We’ve been in a “hybrid war” with Russia since arguably 2008, when they invading Georgia to “protect ethnic minorities” and prevent them from becoming any closer aligned with the west. Since then they’ve been trying to divide us as a society and bolstering any corrupt, anti-western regime that opposes us ( Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Hamas, and prior to 2014; Ukraine). they also get very involved in western democratic elections to get the results they want. I’m not talking about claims of outright collusion, I’m talking about massive disinformation campaigns and troll farms that can sway public opinion, increase division (as has happened to us), or get openly pro-Russian politicians elected (as has happened to Hungary). Apparently after trump won in 2016 the disinformation material produced by Russia went from heavily white-supremacist/right wing to heavily black nationalist/leftist. A lot of it comes from Twitter but I’ve seen month-old Facebook accounts with Turkish names and a confederate flag profile pic spreading their propaganda as well.
on the flip side of that, Russia is losing several hundred men per day to NATO equipment in Ukraine, so we’re definitely getting payback. They’ve also proven they’re too weak militarily to be a threat to anyone except the unaligned Eastern European countries and the -stans. I’m much more worried about China than Russia.


TL;DR: we’re in a Hybrid/proxy war with Russia, but the good news is we’ve recently learned they suck at actual war. China however is still very much a threat.

 

[Backyard]

A little off the subject but I read a study or two that said the rising rate of obesity is a factor in lower military recruitment. Obesity being the #1 disqualifier and we all know our country is getting fatter.[/QUOTE]

That, and the testing qualifications are more stringent and aren’t the same for every MOS. (There actually wasn’t any testing when I went in 40 years ago) If there isn’t an opening for the level at which a person tests at, they aren’t accepted.
So it’s not just a matter of less interest in volunteering anymore either.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WeiserBucks]

do you honestly feel that the United States is a cesspool?

We have elected officials telling us that men can get pregnant, there's 237 genders, the US secretary of mental health is a man who chopped off his johnson, open borders, meth/heroin are mostly legal, random bags of coke laying around the White House, Cesspool in the majority of areas.

 

[JMasson]

I'd contend that military enrollment is down to our two resounding victories in Iraq and Afghanistan. I recall being in high school during 9/11 and in 2003 an Army recruiter came in just after we went into Iraq. A buddy of mine ended up joining, I ALMOST did. I recall us asking the recruiter about the wars and he said something like, "Ohh, those will be over in a few months."

A little off the subject but I read a study or two that said the rising rate of obesity is a factor in lower military recruitment. Obesity being the #1 disqualifier and we all know our country is getting fatter.

Every BCT/ OSUT is doing a “fat camp” and “dumb kid camp”. They can’t be morbidly obese but if they’re overweight (don’t know what the acceptable standard is) they are allowed to enlist and go to “fat camp” until they meet the standard to attend BCT/ OSUT. This program took effect at Fort Benning/ Moore just after I PCSd off the Trail. My buddies that are still wearing their hat tell me the program seems to be working.

The COVID vax, failed foreign policy, scandals covered by the media (and all over social media) and vets not encouraging enlistment (among a myriad of other problems) are more of a contributing factor to the massive decrease in recruiting. There is also a feeling that we (service members) are sent to die for the interests of the military industrial complex and that’s certainly not a misplaced sentiment. Were a lot of lives lost in Afghanistan and Iraq? Yes. What did they die for? I’m sure everyone has an opinion, I won’t share mine.

 

[JMasson]

Wall of text incoming:

We’ve been in a “hybrid war” with Russia since arguably 2008, when the invading Georgia to “protect ethnic minorities” and prevent them from becoming any closer aligned with the west. Since then they’ve been trying to divide us as a society and bolstering any corrupt, anti-western regime that opposes us ( Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Hamas, and prior to 2014; Ukraine). they also get very involved in western democratic elections to get the results they want. I’m not talking about claims of outright collusion, I’m talking about massive disinformation campaigns and troll farms that can sway public opinion, increase division (as has happened to us), or get openly pro-Russian politicians elected (as has happened to Hungary). Apparently after trump won in 2016 the disinformation material produced by Russia went from heavily white-supremacist/right wing to heavily black nationalist/leftist. A lot of it comes from Twitter but I’ve seen month-old Facebook accounts with Turkish names and a confederate flag profile pic spreading their propaganda as well.
on the flip side of that, Russia is losing several hundred men per day to NATO equipment in Ukraine, so we’re definitely getting payback. They’ve also proven they’re too weak militarily to be a threat to anyone except the unaligned Eastern European countries and the -stans. I’m much more worried about China than Russia.


TL;DR: we’re in a Hybrid/proxy war with Russia, but the good news is we’ve recently learned they suck at actual war. China however is still very much a threat.

China is a real threat. The biggest problem with China is how do you fight them? They’ve got us whipped in the cyber-space (which is arguably one of the most important realms of modern warfare). They can out-pace us in material production. They’re insulated from an invasion by thousands of miles of ocean (similar to us). They have a massive population that can contribute to the war effort. They don’t really get involved militarily in other country’s conflicts (either overtly or covertly), so we can’t fight a proxy war against them. They’re a tough nut to crack and that would be a massive fight, on multiple fronts, through every domain of warfare. Millions of people would die. It’d be something to see.

 

[hunt1up]

I usually try to stay out of the political stuff and happened on this thread randomly. I'm not trying to provoke anyone but I've got to ask, do you honestly feel that the United States is a cesspool? If so, is there any country on Earth that you'd rather live in?

Hopefully the chaos of the past couple administrations will settle to some form of normal in the foreseeable future. I believe in the American people even if they do not believe as I do in all things. How's that old saying go? "Don't let the b******s get you down," we've faced difficult times before.

I appreciate your perspective. Due to work travel and play I think I've been to 40ish or so states. Blue ones, red ones, rural areas, big cities, rich places, and dumpy ones. Everywhere I've been in our country I've always been met with nothing but kindness.. California? Nice people. Texas? Nice people. Wyoming, Florida, doesn't matter. There's certainly some a-holes mixed in throughout, but overall we've still got a pretty good thing going. Yes the place is run by a band of misfits but for the mostpart people just want to live and let live. The fact that we operate such a diverse country as well as we do is pretty amazing.

Turn on the news and it's as if the whole place is on fire. It's really not true. Should we always be vigilant? Certainly.

 

[CorbLand]

I wouldn’t call the US a cesspool.

The polls of our current younger generation indicate the majority don’t think the US is worth defending And they wouldn’t serve in the military. Voluntary military is at its lowest level in decades. How did we get there?

Seems to me, the current admin appointing men wearing skirts to top positions is a contributor. A major contributor is our schools and Universities preaching;
1) how bad the US is…
2) Entitlements…
3) World order bullshit

Heck, take a look at the high percentages of kids that cannot Read or do Math at grade level in the US, they prioritize teaching pronouns.

Not a cesspoool…but if we stand by and do nothing…its headed that way.

I know you said its not a cesspool but all the people calling it a cesspool and then scratching their heads wondering why nobody wants to defend it make me laugh.

You nailed some of it but seeing as we havent really fought a legitimate war in the last 80 years isnt helping either.

The thing the US needs right now is a win. We need our putting a man on the moon, Miracle on Ice, Oct 3, 2001 first pitch. If you look back at the hard times the US has had, many have led to some small moment that put faith back into the people. That is what we need and that isnt going to be accomplished by constantly talking about how bad everything is.

 

[MattB]

5Miles I sincerely feel bad for you that current events have given you such a negative outlook. There certainly are some bad things happening across the US, many parents felt the same way in the 60’s and we survived that, but there are great things happening in the US as well. Every day. The partisan media, both main stream and social, both left and right leaning, don’t focus on those things because there is greater profit in dividing us as a society. I try to limit the amount of news I consume because if I don’t, it consumes me. I wish you well and hope that you can come to believe that the pendulum will swing. I’m retired military and in my 60’s so I’m no starry eyed kid. Best to you.

Frank

Totally agree.

Pretty easy to tell who watches too much news (and probably which news network at that).