Stay classy America

[sixpackshaker]

WWII comparison to today is not fair. We had the smallest military in the Industrialized World at the start of the war. Then we maintained a force that could fight a World War for the last 60 years. We could probably handle 6 Afghanistan conflicts with out affecting the home front. We are situated to fight 2 Desert Storm sized conflicts at one time.

If we did enter into a Full Scale War, it would take us years to burn through our current manufacturing capacity. Then you have to figure that we import nearly all of our consumer goods, that will take either a very long time to interrupt or hurt us fast if we go to war with China and Japan.

 

[DarkAudit]

WWII comparison to today is not fair. We had the smallest military in the Industrialized World at the start of the war. Then we maintained a force that could fight a World War for the last 60 years. We could probably handle 6 Afghanistan conflicts with out affecting the home front. We are situated to fight 2 Desert Storm sized conflicts at one time.

If we did enter into a Full Scale War, it would take us years to burn through our current manufacturing capacity. Then you have to figure that we import nearly all of our consumer goods, that will take either a very long time to interrupt or hurt us fast if we go to war with China and Japan.

A nation at war that is not asked to give up creature comforts or consumer goods is not at war. In spite of all the breathless rhetoric from the politicians, we as a nation have not been asked to sacrifice anything except our privacy and our dignity.

A WWII comparison is entirely fair, because the home front was asked to do it's part for the common good. Unless you have served or know someone who has, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are a reality show happening to someone else.

 

[strawman]

our current manufacturing capacity.

What is the US manufacturing capacity, compared to China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, etc?

 

[sixpackshaker]

What is the US manufacturing capacity, compared to China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, etc?

We still rate as larger than those nations. China is getting close. You have to remember the main thing that we still produce is Military Arms by the Trainload.
Added at: 02:03

A nation at war that is not asked to give up creature comforts or consumer goods is not at war. In spite of all the breathless rhetoric from the politicians, we as a nation have not been asked to sacrifice anything except our privacy and our dignity.

A WWII comparison is entirely fair, because the home front was asked to do it's part for the common good. Unless you have served or know someone who has, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are a reality show happening to someone else.

We HAD to do our part because we had no Army, Navy or Aircorps to handle the war. We HAD to stop producing what Little Goods we were producing to turn to armaments. Remember we were technically still in the Great Depression in 1941. We were pretty used to doing with out.

If we started a war with China tomorrow, we would have a vast superiority in Technology and Amount of Weapons Systems. Keeping things conventional we would whip down their Air Force and Navy in a few Months. The problem comes when we set foot on their soil. Their Standing Army is nearly as large as ours, and their reserves would just wash over our troops with bodies.

There will be no reason for us to shut down what domestic consumer goods production that we currently have.

Now just imagine our riches if we were not currently producing military goods at a world war footing. In reality since the 70's on, we have been doing without to support our behemoth of a military/industrial complex.

 

[drifter]

You have no idea.

The Navy Bought Fake Chinese Microchips That Could Have Disarmed U.S. Missiles.

That article is pretty much entirely wrong. Those Navy chips were counterfeit, but that's it. The original article follows with a worst-case speculation that instead of counterfeits, someday we might end up with hacked chips; the article then details what steps the military might take in trying to ensure that doesn't happen. Those chips weren't hardwired with backdoors and they never could have remotely shut down missiles. Poor showing by Business Insider.

Also, it's ordnance.

 

[@Li3n]

People will cut corners to get more profit when they can get away with it no matter the country...

 

[@Li3n]

and some people refuse to cut corners no matter the country.

Yes, we call them bankrupt or bought out.

 

[GasBandit]

A nation at war that is not asked to give up creature comforts or consumer goods is not at war. In spite of all the breathless rhetoric from the politicians, we as a nation have not been asked to sacrifice anything except our privacy and our dignity.

A WWII comparison is entirely fair, because the home front was asked to do it's part for the common good. Unless you have served or know someone who has, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are a reality show happening to someone else.

As an unknown marine once scrawled on a whiteboard in Iraq -

 

[sixpackshaker]

WOW, that poor Marine has been overseas for a long time...

No one goes to the Mall anymore.

 

[Mathias]

As an unknown marine once scrawled on a whiteboard in Iraq -

My cousin did a 3 round grand tour in Iraq, and he told me this was pretty much the mindset drilled into all the Marines. They all refer to themselves as the Forgotten Generation as a play on the Greatest Generation.
Added at: 20:29
I find myself becoming less and less nationalistic as I get older, personally. I don't foresee humanity making it past 200 years from now unless we absolve all borders sometime in the future. There's so much huff and puff about being an 'Merican ever since 9/11, people don't stop a wonder just what they're so patriotic about. Really, the only major difference between you and some dude in Afghanistan is the land where you happened to be born.

This dude I work with is a Vietnam era ex Coast Guard diver. He's always ranting and raving about how my generation (gen Xer's and Y's) are so terrible, and that we have no appreciation for the sacrifices of the military. Buddy, I get it, but it's not like someone's holding a gun to service members head's to sign up either. I don't tell him that because heaven forbid you make any sort of pacifist claims around people like that.