Posted on 06/28/2006 4:11:39 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
I want to express my congratulations to Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WVa.), who recently became the longest-serving senator in American history. When asked what was the most important vote that he ever made, Byrd replied that it was his vote against the Iraq war. Byrd went on to explain that he has cast more than 17,000 votes during his distinguished career but he stated his most important vote was, without question, against a ''pre-emptive'' war against a country that never invaded the United States.
I recall during the fall of 2002, Byrd admonished his fellow members of Congress, who were ''deadly silent'' about the great issue of war or peace. According to Byrd, Congress refused to even offer a reasonable debate over the impending war against Iraq.
Once again, I salute a great senator, who in every sense of the word has been a political statesman, rather than an opportunistic politician who follows the most recent public opinion polls. I regret that we do not have more members of both the executive and legislative branches who demonstrate the same sense of integrity as Senator Byrd has done throughout his political career.
Peter V. Grafner, Forest Glen
mailto:letters@suntimes.com
That's a question I always ask those who say "Saddam didn't attack the US." The usual response is...silence.
So, now that is the critera for voting to go to war?
No, but he did declare war on us when we declard war on Japan. Also, Hitler was targeting our merchant ships delivering supplies to our Allies in Europe.
Nah - our guys pretty much rolled through North Africa, Italy, France, Holland, Belgium, Austria, and right into Germany, all countries that "never did anything to us." And then, the greatest "unilateral, pre-emptive" strike of all took place not once but twice in Hiroshima and Nagisaki.
And war was declared on us also, twice:
"The British and the American people loudly declared their support for their leaders decision to attack Iraq. It is the duty of Muslims to confront, fight, and kill them."
and
"Oh sons of Arabs and the Arab Gulf, rebel against the foreigner . . . Take revenge for your dignity, holy places, security, interests, and exalted values."
As far as having a member of Congress, who made a conscious decision to join the KKK in his adult life, Byrd is right down there, in the muck and mire, as are the "progressives", most all Democrats, and out and out traitors that make up this Congress.
A pox on their houses, and all that support them.
Iraqq had been at war with us for many years just as Iran declared war against us in 1979. We just treated them as gnats.
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
All of them ... that bite, or pester humans.
Saddam didn't attack us in Gulf War I but we "invaded" then. Who cares... IMO we should have preempted Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria when we went into Iraq and thrown in North Korea just for good measure. US military policy is to habve the ability to fight two major wars at the same time. It worked well against Germany and Japan.
Here's a cool link about many military engagements. I would guess that in majority of these we were not first attacked. Small Wars USMC
North America
Powhatan Confederacy Wars – Virginia Colony, (1622-1644) Pequot Indian War – Connecticut and Rhode Island Colonies, (1637) King Phillips War – First Abenaki Indian War – Massachusetts and Rhode Island Colonies (1675-1676) Bacon’s Rebellion – Virginia Colony (1675-1676) Pueblo Revolt – Arizona and New Mexico Territories, USA (1680-1692) King Williams War - Second Abenaki Indian War – Mass. and Rhode Island Colonies (1688-1689) Tuscarora War – Northern Carolina Colony (1711) Yamasee War – Southern Carolina Colony (1715-1718) Pontiac’s Conspiracy – Ohio River Valley (1763)* If viewed as part of the French and Indian War, than this would not qualify as a Small War. Lord Dunmore’s War – Southern Ohio River Valley (1774) Shay’s Rebellion – Massachusetts, USA (1786-1787) Ohio – Indiana Indian War, USA (1790-1794) The Whiskey Rebellion – Pennsylvania and New York, USA (1794) US Quasi Naval War with France (1798-1800) Fries’s Rebellion – Pennsylvania, USA (1799) Creek War – Georgia and Alabama, USA (1814)* If viewed as part of the War of 1812, this would not qualify as a Small War. First Seminole War – Florida, USA (1816-1818) Turner’s Rebellion – Virginia, USA (1831) Black Hawk War – Illinois and Wisconsin, USA (1832) Second Seminole War – Florida Everglades, USA (1835-1842) Navajo Uprising – Arizona and New Mexico Territories, USA (1849-1863) Sioux Wars – Wyoming, Minnesota, and South Dakota Territories (1854-1890)* After the conclusion of the American Civil War in 1865, MOST Indian Wars ceased from being Small Wars with the exception of the Ute – Mormon conflicts, and moved into the realm of Total War as waged by the US in an attempt to annihilate non-compliant Indian tribes/bands. These conflicts include: The Third Seminole War (1855-1858), the Apache Wars (1861-1900), Red River War (1874-1875), the Battles of the Rosebud and Little Bighorn (1876), Nez Perce War (1877), and Wounded Knee Massacre (1890) Kansas – Missouri Civil War – “Bleeding Kansas”, USA (1854-1861) Brown’s Raid at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, USA (1859) The Ute Wars – Utah Territory, USA (1865-168, 1879) US Army vs. Silver Miners Strike in Idaho, USA (1892) US Intervention in Hawaii Revolution (1893) US Army vs. Chicago Rail Strike, USA (1894) US Occupation of Bluefields, Nicaragua (1894) US Occupation of Corinto, Nicaragua (1896) US Occupation of Juan del Sur, Nicaragua (1898) US Occupation of Bluefields Nicaragua (1899) US Army Occupation of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho mining region (1899-1901) Yaqui Indian War in Mexico (1899-1904) US Army vs. Creek Indian Revolt – Oklahoma (1901) US Intervention in Panamanian Revolution (1901-1914) US Intervention in Honduran Revolution (1903) US Intervention in Dominican Republic Revolution (1903-1904) US Intervention in support of Cuban Elections (1906-1909) Dollar Diplomacy Protectorate established in Nicaragua by US (1907) US Intervention in Honduras in support of Operations against Nicaragua (1907) US Intervention in Panamanian Elections (1908) US Occupation of Bluefields and Corinto, Nicaragua (1910) US Intervention in Honduran Civil War (1911) US Intervention in Cuban Civil War (1912) US Intervention in Panamanian Elections (1912) US Intervention to protect economic interests in Honduras (1912) US Occupation of Nicaragua – Counterinsurgency (1912-1933) US Intervention in Mexican Revolution (1913) US Intervention in Dominican Republic (1914) US Occupation of Vera Cruz, Mexico (1914) US Army vs. Colorado Mining Strike (1914) US Intervention against Mexican nationalists (1914-1918) US Occupation of Haiti (1914-1934) US – Mexico Border Disputes – Pancho Villa (1916-1917) US Occupation of Dominican Republic (1916-1924) US Intervention and creation of economic protectorate in Cuba (1917-1933) US Intervention in Panamanian post-election violence (1918-1920) US Intervention in support of Honduran Elections (1919) US Intervention against Guatemalan Unionists (1920) US Army vs. West Virginia Mine Workers, USA (1920-1921) US Intervention in Honduran Elections (1924-1925) US Intervention in Panamanian General Strike (1925) US Intervention in Nicaragua (1927-1934) US Intervention in Marti Revolt – El Salvador (1932) US Army vs. Bonus Marchers (1932) US Army vs. Black Civil Unrest in Detroit, Michigan, USA (1943) US vs. Soviet Union – Cold War (1945-1991)* Was Fought Globally. US vs. Puerto Rican Independence Revolt (1950) US Intervention in Guatemala (1954) US Intervention for School Integration – Little Rock, Arkansas, USA (1957) US Intervention in Panamanian Unrest (1958) US sponsored Guatemalan Coup (1960) US assassination operations against Fidel Castro and Raul Castro (1960-1968) Bay of Pigs Invasion – US vs. Cuba (1961) US assassination operations against General Trujillo – Dominican Republic (1961) US assassination operations against Francois Duvalier – Haiti (1961) Cuban Missile Crisis – US vs. Soviet Union (1962) US assassination operations against Francisco Caamano – Dominican Republic (1965) US Intervention in the Dominican Republic (1965-1966) US Intervention in Guatemala Insurgency (1966-1967) US Intelligence/Covert Operations in Nicaragua (1966-1979) US Army vs. Black Civil Unrest in Detroit, Michigan, USA (1967) US Deployment of 21,000 troops after M.L. King assassination, USA (1968) US Intervention in Costa Rica (1970-1971) Siege of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, USA (1973) US Intervention in Jamaica (1976-1980) US assassination operations against General Omar Torrijos – Panama (1978-1981) US Intervention in El Salvadoran Civil War (1981-1992) El Salvadoran Civil War (1981-1992) US / Contra Intervention in Nicaraguan Civil War (1981-1990) Nicaraguan Civil War (1978-1980) Operation Urgent Fury – US vs. Cuba in Grenada (1983-1984) US assassination operations against Miguel d’Escoto – Nicaragua (1983) US Intervention in Nicaragua (1984) US assassination operations against the nine comandantes of the Sandinista National Directorate (1984) Operation Just Cause – Panamanian Intervention (1989) Operation Steel Box/Golden Python (US and Federal Republic of Germany) 1990 US support of police actions in Los Angeles, California (1992) Operation Uphold Democracy – Haiti (1994) Operation Gatekeeper (California vs. Illegal Immigrants) 1994-1999 Operation Hold-the-Line (Texas vs. Illegal Immigrants) 1994-1999 Operation Safeguard (Arizona vs. Illigal Immigrants) 1994-1999
Africa
US Barbary War– Tripolitan War (1800-1805) US Barbary War– Algerine War (1815) First British vs. Sudanese War (1881-1885) Batetelan Congo Uprisings vs. Belgium (1895, 1897-1900) Mozambican Revolts vs. Portugal (1895-1899) Second British vs. Sudanese “Mahdist” War (1896-1899) French Conquest of Chad (1897-1914) Ugandan Mutiny vs. British (1898-1899) Britain vs. The Boer Republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State - Second Boer War (1899-1902) Somali “Mad Mullah” Jihad vs. Britain, Italy, Ethiopia (1899-1905) Madagascar Rebellion vs. France (1947) Kenyan War of Independence vs. British – “Mau Mau War” (1952-1963) Algerian War of Independence vs. France (1954-1962) French vs. Tunisia Clashes (1958, 1961) Rwanda Hutu Uprising (1959) Congo “Crisis” (1960-1967) US Intervention in the Congo (1960-1964) Cameroon Rebellion (1960-1963) South African Civil War (1960-1994) Mali-Burkina Faso Border Dispute (1960-1986) Angolan War of Independence vs. Portugal (1961-1975) US assassination operations against Patrice Lumumba – Zaire (1961) Eritrean War of Independence vs. Ethiopia (1962-1991) First Mali Tuareg Rebellion (1963) Tutsi Invasion of Rwanda (1963) Algeria – Morocco Border War (1963-1964) Portugal vs. Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde Islands (1963-1975) Zanibar Uprising (1964) Tutsi Invasion of Rwanda (1964) Mozambique War of Independence vs. Portugal (1964-1975) Somali Border Wars with Ethiopia and Kenya (1964-1967) Congo (Brazzaville) Rebellions (1965-1969) US assassination operations against Pierre Ngendandumwe – Burundi (1965) Buganda Separatist Revolt in Uganda (1966) US Intervention in Ghana (1966) Namibian War of Independence (1966-1990) Biafra War – Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) Rhodesian Civil War or Zimbabwe War of Independence vs. Britain (1967-1979) Mercenary (Portugal) Invasion of Guinea (1970) US assassination operations against Mobutu Seko – Zaire (1975) Angolan Civil War to include Soviet Union, Cuba, South Africa, and US Mercenaries (1975- 2002) Mozambican Civil War – The Renamo War” to include Rhodesia and South Africa (1975-1992) US Intervention in Zaire (1975-1978) US Intervention in Angola (1976-1992) Egypt – Libya Border War (1977) Somalia vs. Egypt – “Ogaden War” (1977-1978) Uganda – Tanzania War (1979) US assassination operations against Muammar Qaddafi – Libya (1980-1986) Gambian Marxist Coup Attempt (1981) US assassination operations against General Dlimi – Morocco (1983) Guinea Bissau – Senegal Border Dispute (1984-1991) US vs. Libya and Terror (1986) Southern Black Rebellion in Mauritania (1989-1991) First Liberian Civil War (1989-1996) Second Mali Tuareg Rebellion in Mali (1990-1991) Rwandan Civil War (1990-1994) US Intervention in Liberian Civil War (1990) Operation Restore Hope – Somalia (1992-1993) Yemen – Eritrea Border / Hanish Islands Conflict (1996) Zairian Civil War to include Angola, Rwanda, Uganda (1996-1997) US Intervention in Rwandan Hutu Refugee Camps – Zaire (1996-1997) Congo (Kinshasa) Civil War to include Angola, Chad, Namibia, Rwanda, and Uganda (1998-2002) Second Liberian Civil War (1997-2003) US Intervention in Liberian Civil War (1997) Guinea Bissau Civil War (1998-1999) US vs. Al Qaeda – Sudanese Missile Attack (1998) Rwanda vs. Uganda Conflict (1999) Caprivi Uprising vs. Namibian Government (1999) Liberia vs. Sierra Leone and Guinea – Guerilla War (1999-2003) UK Intervention in Sierra Leone (2000) Ivory Coast Civil War (2002) US Intervention in Liberian Civil War (2003)
Middle East:
(Note – the US invasion of Afghanistan 2001 is not included here due to the fact that the Taliban was a recognized State entity, thus the competitors were two State’s utilizing all elements of national power in a conventional conflict. US utilized the invasion of Afghanistan to further pursue the Global War on Terror.) US Intervention in Turkey – Smyrna Nationalist Revolt (1922) > Arab Revolt – Palestine (1936-1939) UK occupation of Palestine (1945-1948) US vs. Soviet Union in Iran (1946) > Israeli War of Independence (1948) UK Operations in the Canal Zone (1951-1954) US vs. Iran – assassination operations against Mossadegh (1953) UK Intervention in Aden, Yemen (1955-1967) UK Intervention in Radfan, Yemen (1955-1967) UK Intervention in the Suez (1956) Suez Crisis/War – US vs. Soviet Union and Egypt (1956) US assassination operations against Gamel Nasser – Egypt (1957) Lebanese Civil War (1958) US “Nuclear Threat” vs. Iraq over potential Kuwait Invasion (1958) Dhofar Rebellion in Oman (1960-1979) US assassination operations against General Abdul Kassem – Iraq (1960) North Yemen Civil War (1966-1968) UK Intervention in Oman (1969-1976) Jordanian Civil War (1970) Iran vs. Oman (1970) US Intervention in Iraq (1972-1975) Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) Yemeni War (1979) Iran versus Mujahadeen Khalq Guerrilla War (1979-2004) Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989) Operation Eagle Claw – US vs. Iran (1980) > Israel vs. Iraq (1981) US vs. Libya Gulf of Sidra warplane incident(1981) US Intervention in Lebanon (1982-1984) Operation Peace for Galilee - Isreal vs. Lebanon (1982-1986) US vs. Iran warplanes incident(1984) Israeli-Lebanese Border War (1984-2000) US assassination operations against Sheikh Fadlallah – Lebanese Shi’ite Leader (1985) US vs. Iran “Tanker War” – Operations Earnest Will and Nimble Archer (1987-1989) The First Intifada – Israel vs. PLO (1987-1993) US vs. Libya warplanes incident (1989) Operation Desert Shield – Saudi Arabia (1990-1991) Operation Provide Comfort I and II – Iraq/Kurdistan (1991-1996) Operation Southern and Northern Watch Iraq (1991-2003) > Operation Accountability – Israel vs. Lebanon (1993) Yemeni Civil War (1994) Yemen-Eritrea Border Conflict (1996) Operation Grapes of Wrath – Israel vs. Lebanon (1996) Saudi-Yemen Border Conflict (1998) Iran vs. Afghanistan Border Conflict (1998) US vs. Al Qaeda – Afghanistan Missile Attack (1998) US vs. Al-Qaeda – Yemen – USS Cole Attack (2000) The Second Intifada – Israel vs. PLO (2000-2004) Afghanistan and ISAF vs. Taliban Holdouts and Tribal Warlords South America US Falkland Intervention (1832) US Intervention in Argentina (1890) US vs. Chilean Nationalists (1891) US vs. Navassa Haitian Revolt (1891) > Chaco War (1932-1935) Ecuador-Peru Border War (1941) US Intervention – “Nuclear Threat” in Uruguay (1947) US Intervention in Ecuador (1960-1963) US Intervention in Peru (1960-1965) US Intervention in Brazil (1961-1964) US Intervention in Uruguay (1964-1970) US Intervention in Bolivia – Operation Blast Furnace (1964-1975) US assassination operations against Che Guevara – Bolivia (1967) US assassination operations against Salvador Allende – Chile (1970) US assassination operations against General Rene Schneider (1970) US Intervention in Chile (1973) US Operation Condor to include Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile (1973-1985) > Argentine “Dirty War” (1976-1989) > Ecuador-Peru Border War (1981) UK vs. Argentina – Falkland War (1982) US Intervention in Suriname (1982-1984) Operation Urgent Fury – US vs. Cuba in Grenada (1983-1984) US Intervention in Bolivia – War on Drugs (1986) Ecuador-Peru Border War (1995) US Intervention in Venezuela (2002)
Asia
US vs. Sumatra (1831-1832) US Intervention in Sino-Japanese War – Occupation of China (1894-1895) US Intervention in Sino-Japanese War – Occupation of Seoul (1894-1896) US Intervention in Samoan Civil War (1898-1899) Boxer Rebellion (1898-1900) The Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) The Moro Wars – Philippines (1901-1913) US Intervention in Korea for Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) US Occupation of China (1911-1941) Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War (1918-1922) US Intervention in China against Nationalist Revolt (1922-1927) US Occupation of China (1927-1934) Chinese Civil War (1929-1949) Soviet Union (Stalin) Great Purge vs. Enemies in the Party and Military (1934-1938) France vs. Vietnam – First Indochina War (1945-1954) US Occupation of Japan (1945-1957) UK Operations in India (1945-1948) India vs. Pakistan - First Kashmir War (1947-1948) Operation Polo – Liberation of Hyderabad, India (1948) UK vs. Communist Insurgency in Malaya (1948-1960) US Evacuation of China (1948-1949) US Intervention in the Huk Rebellion, Philippines (1948-1954) US assassination operations against Kim Koo – Korea (1949) US assassination operations against Kim Il Sung – North Korea (1951) US assassination operations against Jawharlal Nehru – India (1954-1955) > First Taiwan Straights Crisis (1954-1955) US Intervention in First Indochina War – “Nuclear Threat” (1954) Second Indochina War – US Vietnam War (1956-1975) US vs. Peoples Republic of China – “Nuclear Threat” over Taiwan (1958) > Second Taiwan Straights Crisis (1958) > Liberation of Goa – Portugal vs. India (1961) Sino - Indian War (1962) US assassination operations against Sukarno (1962) UK Intervention in Borneo (1962-1966) Operation Ranch Hand - US vs. NLF (South Vietnam – 1962-1971) > Sarawak Communist Insurgency – Malaysia (1963-1990) India vs. Pakistan - Second Kashmir War (1965) Indonesian Army Coup (1965) Sino – Indian Chola Incident (1967) US Operation Phoenix (1968-1971) Sino-Soviet Border War (1969) US Intervention in Cambodia (1969-1975) Cambodian Civil War (1970-1975) India vs. Pakistan - Bengali War of Independence (1971) Khmer Rouge vs. US - Mayaguez Incident (1975) Sino – Viet War (1977) Sino – Viet Border Conflict (1980-1987) Viet – Thai Border Conflict (1980 -1987) Laotian Civil War (1960-1975) Punjab Insurgency (1984-1989) Indian Intervention in the Maldives – India vs. Sri Lankan Rebels (1988) US Intervention in Philippine Coup Attempt (1989) Third Taiwan Straights Crisis (1995-1996) US vs. Abu Sayyef in the Philippines (2002-2003)
Europe
(The following Balkan Wars were not included as Small Wars due to the fact that these conflicts became the primary concern of each Nation State, that competitors were primarily State Armies, State economies were focused on wartime production, and that conventional total war was prosecuted by each: First Blakan War of 1912-1913, the Second Balkan War of 1913, Bosnian Civil War of 1992-1995. In addition, the Russo-Finnish War of 1939-1940 is not included either as a Small War.) Decembrist Uprising – Russia (1825) Polish Revolt (1830-1831) Second Polish Revolution (1863-1864) Russian Revolution (1905) Ottoman Empire (Turkey) Armenian Massacre (1915-1916) UK vs. Northern Ireland (1916-1969) US Intervention in Yugoslavia is support of Italy (1919) Greek Civil War (1943-1949) US Occupation of Germany (1945-1954) US vs. Soviet Union in Yugoslavia (1946) US intervention in counterinsurgency in Greece (1947-1949) US vs. Soviet Union in Berlin Airlift – Germany (1948) UK Intervention in Cyprus (1955-1959) Soviet Union vs. Hungary (1956) US vs. Soviet Union – Berlin Wall Crisis (1961) US Intervention in Greece (1964-1974) US assassination operations against Charles de Gaulle (1965-1966) Czechoslovakia vs. Soviet Union (1968) Slovenian War of Independence vs. Yugoslavia (1991) Croatian War of Independence vs. Yugoslavia (1991) Krajina Rebellion vs. Croatian Military (1991-1995) NATO Naval Blockade of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-1994) Fikrit Abdic Uprising in Bihac vs. Bosnian Government (1993-1995) US Peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1995-2004) US Intervention in Kosovo (1999) NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia (1999) Presevo Rebellion in Serbia (2000-2001) NATO Intervention in Macedonia to disarm Albanian Rebels (2001) Albanian Uprisings in Macedonia (2001)
The best time to put out a fire is while it is still small.
So what, Sheets isn't big up on his vote against the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
"The best time to put out a fire is while it is still small."
Exactly.
"So what, Sheets isn't big up on his vote against the Civil Rights Act of 1964?"
So he says.
Maybe he's more happy about his more recent vote against Janice Rogers Brown, yes?
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