How does the "War on Terror" compare to WWII ?

[kentuck]

Or even to Vietnam or Korea?

"We are in the middle of a war!", callers to C-SPAN exclaim. It's as if some people don't understand that we are in a "war"? You would never know from the lack of sacrifice from anyone except the troops themselves. Bush keeps asking for taxcuts in the middle of a war? How insane is that?

We are in war conditions in Iraq, I will admit. But those are of our own making. Iraq did not attack us. However, Afghanistan seems to be a small police action in comparison to Vietnam or Korea. How serious is this "war"? Is it much bigger than it appears? Or is it being exaggerated for political effect?

We were attacked by terrorist criminals - not by the Islamic nations of the Mideast. At least, that is my understanding. So, should we all be as excited as Zell Miller and some of the callers to C-SPAN or should we try ot keep this in a more sane perspective. Yes, there are terrorists that would do us harm. They were smaller in numbers until we invaded Iraq. Still, they are not an army ready to invade at any moment. Am I wrong on this? Should I be more fearful?

[democratreformed]

1. I'm sorry, but, to me, the "War on Terror" is one BIG JOKE.

I have not, nor will I ever, understand how these idiots expect to fight INDIVIDUALS in every country on Earth.

With that said, I think there are things that can be done about terrorism - but I don't for one minute think any of things are remotely kin to military action.

On edit: I just can't bring myself to be more fearful. Every time someone spouts that line about ppl. wanting to kill us, I just want to laugh hysterically.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. Sacrifice? What Sacrifice?

The sheeple have got everything they always had, including cheap gasoline.
The only thing's been compromised is the Bill of Rights.

[AntiCoup2K4]

5. Cheap gasoline? Where's that at?

Price has basically doubled here since that fucking asshole's been in office. Where's the cheap stuff?

Of course, the good news there is that it's pissing off a lot of SUV driving Repukes ;)

[AntiCoup2K4]

3. There is a very real parallel to WWII

Adolf Hitler was financed by Prescott Bush.
Al Qaeda was financed by the CIA, (founded by Prescott Bush), under the direction of George Bush Sr.

[pretzel4gore]

11. the cia named it

Al CIA Do.....:)
probably urban legend, but if cnn/foxnews says it, then it must be troo!

[MrBenchley]

4. FDR wasn't in business with the Yamamoto family

and didn't attack Bolivia after Japan attacked us...

[merh]

6. War on Terror can not be compared to WWII, none of this can!

War on terror is very similar to the Commie Threat and how we hide under our desks with our heads tucked between our knees during nuclear bomb drills!

[drdigi420]

7. It's more like the war on drugs

not supposed to be won

supposed to be perpetuated

it's a war for profit

[TreasonousBastard]

8. There is a certain element that insists we have an "enemy"...

and we did have a very real one in WWII.

After that, it was Communists hiding in your closet.

Then, when everyone realized Communists were not going to cut our throats while we slept, it was common criminals, who just might cut our throats. That wasn't really a very good one, so now, it's terrorists.

Eisenhower, who was one jenn-yoo-wine war hero that no one seems to want to mention any more, warned us of this. So did Orwell.

Having an "enemy" is necessary to maintain the apparatus of war. It is necessary to justify the massive expenditures in the war and security machines. Who would eagerly give up his rights if not for some greater threat? Who would pay for the military if not for the fear of invasion?


"War" is a charged word, and gets the patriotic juices flowing. It was misused in the wars on poverty and drugs, and we see just how well those wars went. But, the word still gets people charged up, no matter what the results. That we haven't been invaded since 1812, ans have no real idea what devastation a real war brings to the theater it's in helps us to trivialize it.

Up through Viet Nam, we all paid for real wars. In WWII, we were in a total war economy, and not one person in the country was untouched by the war. In Viet Nam, we suffered exconomic loss, and had the draft. We knew we were at war. Now, we are in a "war" that we pretend we are not fighting, and don't have to pay for. All of the destruction, death, injury and cost is hidden from us. We are in Bizzarro world.

Terrorist threats are real, and we see something happening somewhere in the world every day, but it is now being used as a means to control us and keep the war machine going.

Clinton rightly viewed terrorism as a criminal activity that should be dealt with through proven police methods, and his way actually worked. Clinton and Reno defused a large number of potential plots and actually caught and convicted the first WTC bombers.

What have these guys actually accomplished?

[StayOutTheBushes]

9. All I can figure is maybe they are referring state sponsored

terrorism. Who knows? They don't explain themselves very well.

[ItsMyParty]

10. The other 'wars' were ...well, wars

This is a condition....like having cancer return now and then. You could cure your cancer once and for all if you shot yourself dead but that doesn't count as a 'cure'. In fact, this is a condition the rest of the world has been living in forever but, as usual, if it happens here it's the "worst thing that ever happened in the whole history of mankind..ever". Time we grew up and intelligently addressed the problem of making us safer at home instead of running around shooting rabbits.

[LynnTheDem]

12. RWWs are so stupid

The only comparison between this War on an Emotion and WWII is that bush is using terror EXACTLY the way HITLER used terror as a cover to silence all dissent, take power from the people, turn the nation into a police state, and invade & occupy other nations.

From the Patriot Act and "homeland/fatherland" to the "Americans better watch what they say", from concentration/death camps to the abuse & torture of innocent civilians, from the invasion & occupation of Iraq to the planned invasions of Iran etc; bush's SPEECHES even come from Hitler's, especially his "God chose me" crap.

And Americans wonder how the Germans let it happen...

[kentuck]

13. "And Americans wonder how the Germans let it happen..."

And the Germans had much less access to the information that Americans have and we are following a very similar path, in my opinion. So Americans have less of an excuse than did the German people for following Hitler...

[mmonk]

14. That's what bothers me

My father spent 3 1/2 years in Europe fighting them (Nazi Germany). If he were alive today, he would be very very upset

[F.Gordon]

15. My head spins everytime I hear this BS

Cheney:

Sept. 11th, 2001, made clear the challenges we face. On that day we saw the harm that could be done by 19 men armed with knives and boarding passes. America also awakened to a possibility even more lethal: this enemy, whose hatred of us is limitless, armed with chemical, biological, or even nuclear weapons.

Just as surely as the Nazis during World War Two and the Soviet communists during the Cold War, the enemy we face today is bent on our destruction. As in other times, we are in a war we did not start, and have no choice but to win. Firm in our resolve, focused on our mission, and led by a superb commander in chief, we will prevail.

We go from "knives and boarding passes" to "chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons". We go from a few guys who exploited our airline security system and committed an act of terror to "an enemy bent on our destruction".

The Japanese didn't send 19 men to Pearl Harbor armed with knives and dock passes.

The woor on tar is being fought against Foo Fighters. The enemy has no country (well, maybe Saudi Arabia) and we can't even define who the enemy is. Since the bush* gang is found of using this WWII comparison, bush* should tell the American people that he can't continue his tax cuts because the money is needed to fund the military. We should be selling War Bonds. We should be converting our Auto factories to military production. We should implement the draft. bush* should be asking the American people to ration and recycle for the war effort.

[kentuck]

16. Well stated !

"We go from "knives and boarding passes" to "chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons". We go from a few guys who exploited our airline security system and committed an act of terror to "an enemy bent on our destruction".