Civil War 2 (CWII) - War is about one thing - Killing Your ENEMY before they Kill You!

There is a huge difference between Civil Unrest, Public Protest, disagreement and sometimes even hatred for those that have differing political views or other agendas than your own. Many that are hard Left or hard Right are easy to identify only because they have a forum called Media (in all its varied forms) to expose their core beliefs to the masses on a daily basis. This is an Extremely Small portion of the population. Also, there are the people that you know well from family on down to casual acquaintances, which is again a Very Small group itself as compared to the population as a whole.

All of the above (and countless more scenarios) most usually are not life threatening. When the word WAR is attached though, it becomes a game changer. War is not just about disagreement and the private or public expression of it. War, for the most part is about killing your perceived enemy before they can do unto you. That being said, how would battle lines be drawn and how could you confidently identify your enemy if (God forbid) there was the spark that ignited a second Civil War contained within the borders of the United States?

In most past and present Civil Wars, including ours, there were and are things that make enemy identification less difficult. I will list a few of these and hope the more experienced FReepers can add to the list and the conversation.

1. Unlike most countries involved in past (including ours) and present Civil War the opposing sides are for the most part separated by the land mass. Not the case here, as we all pretty much live together in the same State, City, Neighborhood, Apartment buildings, etc. I could be more specific, but you get my point.

2. Unlike military combatants, we for the most part would not be in Uniform for identification.

3. What to do about the people that not only live close by, but live in your Mega Unit apartment complex and gated communities, etc. Which of these have chosen a side and will kill you and yours on site?

5. What about the large number of criminals (or soon to be criminals) that are not into it for the outcome, but for the gratification of joining in on the mayhem for various other reasons.

I know that this in no way even touches the thousands of known and unknown potential scenarios that would be involved, but would like to hear your thoughts on the subject as it pertains to both the Right, The Left, the military, politicians, and the middle of the road, and others that may find themselves embroiled in such a ghastly situation.

I hope you didn’t get the impression I was throwing that on you, or even on others on this thread.

Personally, I am not “anti-war” any more than I am “pro-war”. I believe that war is often necessary, and when it is, it should be prosecuted.

As for whether I “love” war or not, I am sure there are many people who would look at the things I say in life, and where my interests lie, and think that I am a “war lover”. I think that would be understandable, but it would also be wrong.

I grew up as a military dependent of a career naval officer, and spent four years in myself. I have a pretty extensive library of books, and am somewhat a student of military history.

War is unique in the way that it forces all the good, love, gallantry, devotion, loyalty and talent that man is capable of into the exact same time and space as all the terrible negative things we are capable of, the abject cruelty, wanton destruction, blood lust, prejudice, waste, knavery, deceit, you name it.

All of these diametrically opposed things placed into the same crucible to be ground together, and what comes out of it is the ruby jewel that the balance wheel of history pivots on.

All the great things in history, and all the terrible things.

So, I do find it fascinating, as most people who take the time to consider it likely would. (some can’t, some won’t, and some are too lazy and uninterested)

I once read something a Vietnam veteran said (and I have to paraphrase it here because I don’t have the book anymore): “When I was in Vietnam, the only thing I could even think of was going home. I wanted to go home so badly I dreamt of it, I could feel it, I could almost taste it. But when I got home, the only thing I could think about was going back. I missed being somewhere where things mattered, things were important. I was important to the men around me, and they were important to me. I loved them like brothers, and they loved me. When I got back home, nothing was important enough to matter. Over there, we were geared up, armed to the teeth, and nobody messed with us. Back here, we didn’t mean anything to anyone. I felt completely lost and meaningless.”

In my job (medicine) I have had the opportunity to meet many veterans, and had the opportunity to spend several hours at at time with them each time due to the nature of my job...there was a lot of dead time to fill with conversation. I was privileged to speak at length with them, and while very few of them discussed details of their combat service, most were more than willing to discuss the state of the military, political implications, and various aspects of military life. And I get the impression from my conversations with them that even though their time in combat may have been relatively short, that time acted like a gate in their lives where everything was one way before, and another way after. Most of them also would not trade the experience, and were universally proud that they were able to do their job, but did express they would never want to go through anything like it ever again.

With all that, it does bring to mind General Lee’s famous quote: “It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it.”

Speaking for myself, as I have said, I am not anti-war. But universally, in all accounts of war, once it has started, very few of those involved in it wish for anything else other than to have it end, so I think jumping in with anything other than the most compelling of circumstances is not a good idea, and wishing for it to happen, well, one should always bear in mind to be careful of what one wishes for.

I’ve not been in combat, but I have many friends who have and are. I was active duty USAF for ten years and have spent another ten in the reserve. My son is a Navy corpsman, and I am deployed right now, though I work at staff level.

I have to admit that I love seeing terrorists killed. I can also tell you that things are not the same. When I was here years ago, we all felt that we had a mission and were making a difference. Clarity of purpose is one of the distinct and positive characteristics of war—even in the midst of all the confusion.

Now I watch ISIS taking areas that we bought with blood and see innocent people tortured and killed. I am not a big interventionist, but I am sickened by our lack of effort-we destabilized this area and we have a moral obligation that we have not kept. I do believe that not going to war can be worse than war.

I think we are largely in agreement, especially that last paragraph of your post.

And I also don’t have any issue in taking satisfaction with terrorists getting greased. There was a video a few years ago of a bunch of Marines who called in an airstrike on a building that had a bunch of Iraqis holed up in it who had taken out a few Marines trying to take them down. When the ordinance hit the building and blew it to smithereens, the Marines whooped and hollered as if their team had just scored a touchdown.

I am certain that anti-war people who saw that were horrified, these barbaric men turning killing into a game and cheering wildly, or whatever.

When I saw it, I understood it completely. It is one thing to sit outside and watch and judge, as many do. It is another thing to be inside it.

Thanks for your service, FRiend.

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