My theory is that someone in the government is worried that we're about to be attacked by aliens, and they want to be ready for the Independence Day-style battles.

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"It's not a system. It's a country." -- John McClane, Live Free or Die Hard

Well yes. There are many factors I think. First, I think it is human nature to want to put others down to make one self feel better about themself. It is the foundation for racism, "I'm better than them". As a whole, you see so many Americans who are so patriotic, flags stickers on their trucks, etc. and I am sure if you asked Americans if the USA is the best country on earth, 99.9% would say yes. And because the USA is so large many people never leave the country. I mean I could get in my car and drive 3000 miles and never cross a border. And when I got out of my car 3000 miles later, it would be almost identical, same restaurants, same language, mostly the same food and culture. So many americans don't have the experience to know that many places in the world are uniquely wonderful. As a result, they think america is vastly superior to everyone. And we need a strong military for safety from the enemies of America.

Also because america is so homogenous, people don't see other ways and get very settled in their ways. There is not so much to debate. They can watch sit-coms at night, work and go to McDonalds for lunch and not be very inquisitive.

Part of this is America takes great pride with the belief that they are the strongest country and can kick anyone's butt at will. And are willing to see their taxes go to achieve this.

And then there is the gullible factor. I say that before the 2004 elections, a couple of years after 9/11 when it was well known that Saddam had nothing to do with it, over half of republicans thought that Saddam planned the attacks. To this day, 41% of all americans think Saddam planned 9/11:
http://atlanticreview.org/archives/7...ed-in-911.html
So if you line up 10 Americans, 4 of them will not know who attacked this country after 8 years to hear that it was not Iraq.

And then there is the well informed and educated who think it is right. That it is a dog eat dog world and it is better to be the big dog. My father in law is a Phd and will argue that establishing a democracy to influence the direction of the middle east and secure a reliable source of oil is plenty of justification for invading Iraq and the lost lives and money. That "the best interest of America" trumps all else, including 100,000 Iraqi lives... they just should have sucumbed to our plans. That there is no need to bring terrorism or WMD or anything else in to justify the Iraq war. These people think life is all about competition and if you can't compete, you should fail rather than get a hand out from them. That is what the church soup kitchens is for. Cut all welfare and food stamps and tell them to get a job. And if they can't get a job, then they deserve to live homeless. And as such, as a country, we should be able to invade and threaten and force other countries to what we desire militarily. That is "winning the competition" And if we cut our military so that we are just spending what the next largest military does, it means a couple of countries could gang up on us and take our lunch money.

The problem is that so many americans don't see is that for every nuclear submarine we build we could have a new highway, train, school and pay off our debt. That borrowing hundreds of billions to fund the military makes us weaker not stronger. Because we are now in a position that China could simply stop buying US debt, sell their US government bonds, and instantly cripple this country. We have literaly placed our economic testicles in the hands of the chinese...... this is not a position of strength.

Unfortunately yes. Most Americans have never been outside the US, and believe the progaganda they are bombarded with all their lives. You know, how Americans are the best, every other country sucks, everyone is bad except for us 'cause we claim to love Jesus more than everyone else, even though many Americans today would shoot him if they heard him speak his gospel of peace.

Our country is screwed. We are going to be like Bosnia or Afghanistan unless the conservative movement is somehow destroyed.

War takes American minds (such as they are) off the rape and pillage going on at home.

Better still, foreign wars are funded by the American taxpayer. Leaving Wall St the resources to plunder domestically.

A rather elegant equation, don't you think?

Of course, it also allows Fox News to promote those backwoods values of heroism, sacrifice and repelling the barbarians at the gates.

All good stuff.

http://costofwar.com/

sad, sad, sad

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"All that exists is One. People only call this One by different names". - VEDAS

"War is so unjust and ugly that all who wage it must try to stifle the voice of conscience within themselves." - TOLSTOY

Astonishing how many people in this thread are putting faith in this conspiracy theory...

Do you believe that 9/11 was a conspiracy aswell? To use as an excuse to start a war on terrorism? that the bombing in the UK, the shooting at fort hood, the christmas bomber, that reports and video of certain cities in the middle east burning/enslaving/torturing any americans that they see, etc were all part of some conspiracy to create hatred for some false Islamic jihad going on? That 300 million muslims DON'T actually want to see America burn in hell?

Watch the documentary Obsession. The middle east and africa is a cesspool of extremism, and a very dangerous to the safety of EVERYONE who isn't an extremist Muslim.

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And 700 million do?

OK, do it.

huh? make sense.

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Your sense or mine?