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Thanks, shakespearesister!

Brave? No, passionate and concerned. Thanks for reading and commenting!

posted by WriterofLight on March 9, 2006 at 5:54 PM | link to this | reply

"The strong and powerful are obligated to lead and assist . . .

. . . not to dominate and destroy." That, Arley, may well be the prism through which we need to look at all those "landings," especially if we're going to compare them to the "landings" of  troops from other nations. The statement raises the question -  if any of the landings were intended to dominate and destroy, then what was being dominated and destroyed? Innocent lives? Or totalitarian regimes who were incontrovertibly bent on domination and destruction?

Indeed, it struck me as little disingenuous to count all the landings of World War II as one single event for purposes of that tabulation, especially since there is no denying that they fulfilled the last of the conditions I posited above.

I won't have time to work on this for a while, but will as time allows. Thanks for posting!

posted by WriterofLight on March 9, 2006 at 5:53 PM | link to this | reply

You Rock!

You're a brave one.  I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.

posted by shakespearessister on March 6, 2006 at 11:37 AM | link to this | reply

I look forward to hearing more from you in the future.

Writer, if I can be of any assistance in your research please don't hesitate to ask. I will admit to being very skeptical of some of the listings in the I enclosed with my previous comment, however the random dozen or so I picked out seem to be quite valid.

Also, please know that it is not my intention to bash on the military, nor to deliberately downgrade the position of the US, I must however ask only for a level playing field on which to view the evidence, and if the truth is tarnishing to our image, then we need to address it.

Somewhere along the road in the last four or five years I heard a quote that was to me a real eye opener, and gave me pause for a moment. The quote goes something like this: " The reason most of the world hates Americans, is because Americans don't know they're hated." At first I thought this was just another example of propagandist circular reasoning but upon further thought, I realized I might be ignorant of what my government is doing and claiming to have done it "my" name.

The strong and powerful are obligated to lead and assist, not to dominate or destroy. Within my own experience I k now this to be true. As a person who is 6'5", weighs close to 275 pounds and has a 34 inch waist, is professionally trained and combat hardened, I fully understand the temptation to dominate and abuse the blessings I have been given. But personal restraint, and recognition that in a world just overflowing with anger, fear and evil behaviors from both individuals and nations, tells me that we just don't need more aggression.

Again, if I can be of assistance to you, I would consider it an honor to do so. I bid you peace and understanding. Arley White

posted by ArleyWhite on March 5, 2006 at 7:43 PM | link to this | reply

Sir, you may have set a record for the longest comment!

Thanks for posting this. As I always like to do, I did a little research into the source of the information, just to see if there might possibly be any bias in how the data was compiled or in his motivation for doing so. Dr. Grossman is a professor of geography (oddly enough) and American Indian studies at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Here's his website: http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz/

Suffice it to say that I am a bit suspicious. I know space is limited, but the list is thrown out with simply year., location and usually the most cursory of descriptions. The impact of the list is to create the impression, "Oh, my God, we are evil aggressors!"

My suspicions are heightened by some of the citations: Detroit, 1967 and United States, 1968, and Los Angeles, 1992 for riot control; Mideast 1973 Nuclear Threat World-Wide alert during Mideast War; and Yemen 2000, the attack on the U. S. S. Cole. Why, especially, list the attack on the Cole as an American military intervention, if not to defame the military by making the list even longer?

It will be a fascinating study of history to get the real story behind these citations.

posted by WriterofLight on March 5, 2006 at 6:46 PM | link to this | reply

WriterofLight- Thank you for your words of encouragement.

Writer, thanks for taking a moment to review my comments and to share your thoughts. Allow me to offer the evidence you have requested of me. This is a partial compilation with hopefully more to come in the future. May I ask, do you find the aggressiveness of the US to be truly preposterous, or is it really a matter of being highly unsettling? I have attached a brief list of US interventions here for your review. Granted some of these are beyond the scope of my description and time line, however I believe they support my position. I  wish you peace and understanding.Arley White.

From Wounded Knee to Afghanistan
a century of US military interventions

Compiled by Zoltan Grossman
(revised October 8, 2001)

U.S. military spending ($343 billion in the year 2000) is 69 percent greater than that of the next five highest nations combined. Russia, which has the second largest military budget, spends less than one-sixth what the United States does. Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan, Iran, and Syria spend $14.4 billion combined; Iran accounts for 52 percent of this total.

The following is a partial list of U.S. military interventions from 1890 to 2000. This guide does NOT include demonstration duty by military police, mobilizations of the National Guard, offshore shows of naval strength, reinforcements of embassy personnel, the use of non-Defense Department personnel (such as the Drug Enforcement Agency), military exercises, non-combat mobilizations (such as replacing postal strikers), the permanent stationing of armed forces, covert actions where the U.S. did not play a command and control role, the use of small hostage rescue units, most uses of proxy troops, U.S. piloting of foreign warplanes, foreign disaster assistance, military training and advisory programs not involving direct combat, civic action programs, and many other military activities.

Among sources used, besides news reports, are the Congressional Record (23 June 1969), 180 Landings by the U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Ege & Makhijani in Counterspy (July-Aug. 1982), and Daniel Ellsberg in Protest & Survive. "Instances of Use of United States Forces Abroad, 1798-1993" by Ellen C. Collier of the Library of Congress Congressional Research Service.

SOUTH DAKOTA 1890 (-?) Troops 300 Lakota Indians massacred at Wounded Knee. ARGENTINA 1890 Troops Buenos Aires interests protected. CHILE 1891 Troops Marines clash with nationalist rebels. HAITI 1891 Troops Black workers revolt on U.S.-claimed Navassa Island defeated. IDAHO 1892 Troops Army suppresses silver miners' strike. HAWAII 1893 (-?) Naval, troops Independent kingdom overthrown, annexed. CHICAGO 1894 Troops Breaking of rail strike, 34 killed NICARAGUA 1894 Troops Month-long occupation of Bluefields. CHINA 1894-95 Naval, troops Marines land in Sino-Jap War. KOREA 1894-96 Troops Marines kept in Seoul during war. PANAMA 1895 Troops, naval Marines land in Colombian province. NICARAGUA 1896 Troops Marines land in port of Corinto. CHINA 1898-1900 Troops / Boxer Rebellion fought by foreign armies. PHILIPPINES 1898-1910(-?) Naval, troops Seized from Spain, killed 600,000 Filipinos. CUBA 1898-1902(-?) Naval, troops Seized from Spain, still hold Navy base. PUERTO RICO 1898(-?) Naval, troops Seized from Spain, occupation continues. GUAM 1898(-?) Naval, troops / Seized from Spain, still used as base. MINNESOTA 1898(-?) Troops Army battles Chippewa at Leech Lake. NICARAGUA 1898 Troops Marines land at port of San Juan del Sur. SAMOA 1899(-?) Troops Battle over succession to throne. NICARAGUA 1899 Troops / Marines land at port of Bluefields. IDAHO 1899-1901 Troops / Army occupies Coeur d'Alene mining region. OKLAHOMA 1901 Troops Army battles Creek Indian revolt. PANAMA 1901-14 Naval, troops Broke off from Colombia 1903, annexed Canal Zone 1914-99. HONDURAS 1903 Troops Marines intervene in revolution. DOMINICAN REP. 1903-04 Troops U.S. interests protected in Revolution. KOREA 1904-05 Troops Marines land in Russo-Japanese War. CUBA 1906-09 Troops / Marines land in democratic election. NICARAGUA 1907 Troops "Dollar Diplomacy" protectorate set up. HONDURAS 1907 Troops Marines land during war with Nicaragua. PANAMA 1908 Troops / Marines intervene in election contest. NICARAGUA 1910 Troops Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto. HONDURAS 1911 Troops / U.S. interests protected in civil war. CHINA 1911-41 Naval, troops Continuous occupation with flare-ups. CUBA 1912 Troops / U.S. interests protected in Havana. PANAMA 19l2 Troops / Marines land during heated election. HONDURAS 19l2 Troops / Marines protect U.S. economic interests. NICARAGUA 1912-33 Troops, bombing 20-year occupation, fought guerrillas. MEXICO 19l3 Naval / Americans evacuated during revolution. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1914 Naval / Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo. COLORADO 1914 Troops / Breaking of miners' strike by Army. MEXICO 1914-18 Naval, troops Series of interventions against nationalists. HAITI 1914-34 Troops, bombing 19-year occupation after revolts. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1916-24 Troops 8-year Marine occupation. CUBA 1917-33 Troops / Military occupation, economic protectorate. WORLD WAR I 19l7-18 Naval, troops Ships sunk, fought Germany RUSSIA 1918-22 Naval, troops Five landings to fight Bolsheviks. PANAMA 1918-20 Troops "Police duty" during unrest after elections. YUGOSLAVIA 1919 Troops Marines intervene for Italy against Serbs in Dalmatia. HONDURAS 1919 Troops Marines land during election campaign. GUATEMALA 1920 Troops 2-week intervention against unionists. WEST VIRGINIA 1920-21 Troops, bombing Army intervenes against mineworkers. TURKEY 1922 Troops Fought nationalists in Smyrna (Izmir). CHINA 1922-27 Naval, troops Deployment during nationalist revolt. HONDURAS 1924-25 Troops Landed twice during election strife. PANAMA 1925 Troops / Marines suppress general strike. CHINA 1927-34 Troops / Marines stationed throughout the country. EL SALVADOR 1932 Naval / Warships sent during Farabundo Marti revolt. WASHINGTON DC 1932 Troops / Army stops WWI vet bonus protest. WORLD WAR II 1941-45 Naval,troops, bombing, nuclear Fought Axis for 3 years; 1st nuclear war. DETROIT 1943 Troops Army puts down Black rebellion. IRAN 1946 Nuclear threat Soviet troops told to leave north (Iranian Azerbaijan). YUGOSLAVIA 1946 Naval / Response to shooting-down of U.S. plane. URUGUAY 1947 Nuclear threat Bombers deployed as show of strength. GREECE 1947-49 Command operation U.S. directs extreme-right in civil war. CHINA 1948-49 Troops Marines evacuate Americans before Communist victory. GERMANY 1948 Nuclear threat Atomic-capable bombers guard Berlin Airlift. PHILIPPINES 1948-54 Command operation CIA directs war against Huk Rebellion. PUERTO RICO 1950 Command operation Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce. KOREA 1950-53 Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats U.S.& South Korea fight China & North Korea to stalemate; A-bomb threat in 1950, & vs. China in 1953. Still have bases. IRAN 1953 Command operation CIA overthrows democracy, installs Shah. VIETNAM 1954 Nuclear threat Bombs offered to French to use against siege. GUATEMALA 1954 Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat CIA directs exile invasion after new govt nationalizes U.S. company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua. EGYPT 1956 Nuclear threat, troops Soviets told to keep out of Suez crisis; MArines evacuate foreigners LEBANON 1958 Troops, naval / Marine occupation against rebels. IRAQ 1958 Nuclear threat Iraq warned against invading Kuwait. CHINA 1958 Nuclear threat China told not to move on Taiwan isles. PANAMA 1958 Troops / Flag protests erupt into confrontation. VIETNAM 1960-75 Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats Fought South Vietnam revolt & North Vietnam; 1-2 million killed in longest U.S. war; atomic bomb threats in 1968 and 1969. CUBA 1961 Command operation CIA-directed exile invasion fails. GERMANY 1961 Nuclear threat Alert during Berlin Wall crisis. CUBA 1962 Nuclear threat, Naval Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with USSR. LAOS 1962 Command operation Military buildup during guerrilla war. PANAMA 1964 Troops / Panamanians shot for urging canal's return. INDONESIA 1965 Command operation Million killed in CIA-assisted army coup. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1965-66 Troops, bombing Marines land during election campaign. GUATEMALA 1966-67 Command operation Green Berets intervene against rebels. DETROIT 1967 Troops / Army battles Blacks, 43 killed. UNITED STATES 1968 Troops / After King is shot; over 21,000 soldiers in cities. CAMBODIA 1969-75 Bombing, troops, naval Up to 2 million killed in decade of bombing, starvation, and political chaos. OMAN 1970 Command operation U.S. directs Iranian marine invasion. LAOS 1971-73 Command operation, bombing U.S. directs South Vietnamese invasion; "carpet-bombs" countryside. SOUTH DAKOTA 1973 Command operation Army directs Wounded Knee siege of Lakotas. MIDEAST 1973 Nuclear threat World-wide alert during Mideast War. CHILE 1973 Command operation CIA-backed coup ousts elected marxist president. CAMBODIA 1975 Troops, bombing Gas captured ship, 28 die in copter crash. ANGOLA 1976-92 Command operation CIA assists South African-backed rebels. IRAN 1980 Troops, nuclear threat, aborted bombing Raid to rescue Emba-ssy hostages; 8 troops die in copter-plane crash. Soviets war-ned not to get involved in revolution. LIBYA 1981 Naval jets Two Libyan jets shot down in maneuvers. EL SALVADOR 1981-92 Command operation, troops Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash. NICARAGUA 1981-90 Command operation, naval CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution. LEBANON 1982-84 Naval, bombing, troops Marines expel PLO and back Phalangists, Navy bombs and shells Muslim and Syrian positions. HONDURAS 1983-89 Troops / Maneuvers help build bases near borders. GRENADA 1983-84 Troops, bombing Invasion four years after revolution. IRAN 1984 Jets / Two Iranian jets shot down over Persian Gulf. LIBYA 1986 Bombing, naval Air strikes to topple nationalist gov't. BOLIVIA 1986 Troops Army assists raids on cocaine region. IRAN 1987-88 Naval, bombing US intervenes on side of Iraq in war. LIBYA 1989 Naval jets Two Libyan jets shot down. VIRGIN ISLANDS 1989 Troops St. Croix Black unrest after storm. PHILIPPINES 1989 Jets / Air cover provided for government against coup. PANAMA 1989-90 Troops, bombing Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed. LIBERIA 1990 Troops Foreigners evacuated during civil war. SAUDI ARABIA 1990-91 Troops, jets Iraq countered after invading Kuwait; 540,000 troops also stationed in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Israel. IRAQ 1990-? Bombing, troops, naval Blockade of Iraqi and Jordanian ports, air strikes; 200,000+ killed in invasion of Iraq and Kuwait; no-fly zone over Kurdish north, Shiite south, large-scale destruction of Iraqi military. KUWAIT 1991 Naval, bombing, troops Kuwait royal family returned to throne. LOS ANGELES 1992 Troops Army, Marines deployed against anti-police uprising. SOMALIA 1992-94 Troops, naval, bombing U.S.-led United Nations occupation during civil war; raids against one Mogadishu faction. YUGOSLAVIA 1992-94 Naval Nato blockade of Serbia and Montenegro. BOSNIA 1993-95 Jets, bombing No-fly zone patrolled in civil war; downed jets, bombed Serbs. HAITI 1994-96 Troops, naval Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office three years after coup. CROATIA 1995 Bombing Krajina Serb airfields attacked before Croatian offensive. ZAIRE (CONGO) 1996-97 Troops Marines at Rwandan Hutu refuge camps, in area where Congo revolution begins. LIBERIA 1997 Troops Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners. ALBANIA 1997 Troops Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners. SUDAN 1998 Missiles Attack on pharmaceutical plant alleged to be "terrorist" nerve gas plant. AFGHANISTAN 1998 Missiles Attack on former CIA training camps used by Islamic fundamentalist groups alleged to have attacked embassies. IRAQ 1998-? Bombing, Missiles Four days of intensive air strikes after weapons inspectors allege Iraqi obstructions. YUGOSLAVIA 1999-? Bombing, Missiles Heavy NATO air strikes after Serbia declines to withdraw from Kosovo. YEMEN 2000 Naval Suicide bomb attack on USS Cole. MACEDONIA 2001 Troops NATO troops shift and partially disarm Albanian rebels. UNITED STATES 2001 Jets, naval Response to hijacking attacks. AFGHANISTAN 2001 Massive U.S. mobilization to attack Taliban, Bin Laden. War could expand to Iraq, Sudan, and beyond. (The first bombing began on October 7, 2001. Several Afghan cities come under aerial attack. The story continues).

 

posted by ArleyWhite on March 5, 2006 at 9:16 AM | link to this | reply

Welcome, Arley!

Thanks for reading and commenting. With all respect and appreciation for your service, as well as your right to speak out, let me do a little speaking out of my own.

I like your wry analysis of the 2000 and 2004 elections. Thanks for affirming, however roundabout it may be, that the millions of voters like me who voted for Bush are not idiots.

I invite you, sir, to give me specific examples of the blatant lies you find objectionable. I just got through refuting the latest allegation of lying, on this very blog.

As far as Bush's belief that God wants him to be president, I simply take that as a matter of faith on his part, just as I believe God wants me to be doing what I do. When his term is up in 2008, he will - I hope - seek God's will for what to do next.

George W. Bush’s trial by fire came on September 11^th, 2001. Not the same trial that you and his father faced, but a trial by fire nonetheless.

I frankly find your allegation about the United States being the most violent nation on the planet to be preposterous. I submit as evidence the circumstances of these landings of our troops in other countries as compared to “landings” by other nations. For example: How many of our “landings” resulted in our enslaving and committing genocide against the citizens of the countries in which we landed, as happened in each nation invaded by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan? How many of our “landings” resulted in the countries in which we landed being turned into veritable prisons, from which the citizens would attempt under threat of death to escape, as happened in the nations that fell under Soviet control before and after World War II? How many of our "landings" resulted in us committing wholesale destruction of cultures, as the Communist Chinese are doing in Tibet? You can count "landings" against "landings" for sheer statistical ends, but do not neglect the circumstances surrounding them. 

By contrast, how many “landings” by other countries have resulted in liberation of the citizenry from dictatorships or relief from natural disaster, as has resulted from ours? Are you counting the "landings" in countries devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami in your count? How about the Berlin airlifts? Are these acts of aggression by your definition?

Peace and blessings to you as well, sir, and I hope you continue to share your thoughts.

posted by WriterofLight on March 3, 2006 at 8:32 PM | link to this | reply

Let me spell this out for you, Glenn!

Educators are supposed to educate. That means they are supposed to teach the subject they were hired to teach. When a teacher uses the classroom to spout his or her personal opinions rather than teaching the subject at hand, s/he is doing nothing less than cheating the students and the taxpayers who fund the school.

The students are being cheated because their grades, scholarships, future degrees and careers depend on knowing the subject matter that they go to school to learn. A teacher who indulges in personal opinion rather than teaching what the kids need to learn is wasting their time and jeopardizing their education.

The taxpayers are being cheated because these teachers aren't doing their jobs. You've implied in past comments that you are a businessman. A teacher using the classroom to spout personal opinions rather than to teach what the kids are expected by demands of college admission to learn is exactly the same as an employee of yours who uses the time for which you are paying him for his own personal business. That employee is cheating you, and these teachers are cheating the taxpayers.

You're also naive about teachers who indulge in this kind of behavior. They do not tolerate dissent, and those who dare dissent are made to pay for it by having their grades lowered. Too often, the students who do disagree resort to simply parroting back what the teacher wants to hear, while keeping their complete disagreement with the teacher to themselves.

And you say the kid who exposed this flake is the one disrupting the education process? It's the dreaded Emoticon Hammer for you,.buddy!

 

posted by WriterofLight on March 3, 2006 at 8:03 PM | link to this | reply

Bush is an Idiot?

I don't know that I can say Bush is an Idiot, I mean after all, he managed to grab control of the most powerful nation on the planet, and I don't think that is an accomplishment normally attributed to idiots. However, I must admit I have a great number of concerns about how he is running this country. The facts are there in relatively plain view that he has blatently lied on a number of very key points, points that have resulted in the deaths of fellow Americans, both military and civilian. He has openly stated that he believes that God wanted him to lead the US. Is he telling us he can read God's mind, or is he hearing voices?  In either case, I would suggest caution, he could be unstable. George W. Bush, is nowhere near the same quality of man his father was. Not that all men must be tried by fire to prove their mettle, but George senior was, and proved he was capable of sound rational decisions, George junior however, was raised a spoiled little rich kid, who had access to daddy's money all of his life, and now he thinks he has a clear view of what the world needs. Sorry, I can't buy into that.

Oh by the way, the US is by far the most violent nation on the planet. If you are willing to check the facts, and there are facts, you will find that the US has landed troops in other countries more than one hundred times since 1900. Just in case you are concerned about these numbers, WW1 and WW2 each count as only one time each. We are by far the most aggressive nation on the planet. (As a veteran, and a citizen of this country for almost fifty years, I believe I have the right to express my concerns, and to state the facts I know to be true and documented.) I wish you the best and bid you peace. Arley White

posted by ArleyWhite on March 3, 2006 at 7:51 PM | link to this | reply

DrJPT,

What are you talking about? In a healthy education environment educator and student are equal participants in the process! That reality is missing from many institutions today!

posted by Glennb on March 3, 2006 at 9:06 AM | link to this | reply

WriterofLight,

I am having a problem with you and your spinning! America has a Constitution! What are "educators" suppose to do? This kid, if he were so concerned about the teacher's lectures he could have voiced his opinion in an open format and forum. For a discussion among his peers! No! He wanted to take it out to the "paid hacks" and pundits who have the open public airways to spread "their" agenda!

This teachers opinions did not disrupt the educational process this zealot kid did! Now he has a one-sided forum to express his opinion! An act this educator has been denied!

George Bush is more dangerous than Hitler! Hitler was a leader! Bush is being led around by his "Racist" ideology!

posted by Glennb on March 3, 2006 at 9:01 AM | link to this | reply

Common Sense Necessary

The teacher was disrespectful to the President and apparently has not learned when to keep opinions to self.  Suppose he had talked about the principal of the school or a parent?  Would that be considered less offensive?  I do not think teachers with little control of their mouth need to teach others.  This is my opinion only.  As a past school administrator, this is a problem of which many are unaware.

The action has caused a school disruption that was unnecessary!

posted by Dr_JPT on March 3, 2006 at 2:21 AM | link to this | reply

WriterofLight, I am an educator and it is such a shame that the wonderful

window of teaching is closed by such a j____a_____!

posted by MountainClimber57 on March 2, 2006 at 8:08 PM | link to this | reply