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Conservatives are in denial: America is no longer a superpower (and it hasn’t been for years)
Salon ^ | May 30, 2015 | Michael T. Klare, professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College, Blood and Oil

Posted on 05/31/2015 1:12:59 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

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To: Cincinatus' Wife

it could be argued that America was not a Super Power in 1939 but became so because of our manufacturing and American Spirit.


21 posted on 05/31/2015 2:59:30 AM PDT by vanilla swirl (We are almost fully Soviet now, no gulags because we are not feared.)
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To: CitizenUSA

“- If the big stick is unleashed, supreme victory is the only legitimate goal.”

******

The military is being destroyed from within.

Lowering standards for women in combat because they physically aren’t up to certain tasks.

Promoting homosexuality and “transgender” freaks.

Proposed offering of a “pathway to citizenship” for undocumented Democrats (illegals) who serve in the military (and presumably will fire on citizens if ordered to do so).

Purging of the leadership of anyone who opposes turning the military into a rudderless social experiment.


22 posted on 05/31/2015 3:03:03 AM PDT by peyton randolph (Hillary Kardashian Clinton - famous for being infamous)
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To: bob_denard
No it is still but America is lossing every thing for that Imagine France has the same economic power then america for a country little bite large then two US states as well French people have give every thing for that even their shoes and pants

I would love to make a coherent reply to your contribution... if I could understand it.

Regards,

23 posted on 05/31/2015 3:04:02 AM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: vanilla swirl

I agree,

And now, we are sending American manufacturing to China, yet we talk and talk about why America is falling, but nobody talks about why.

America needs manufacturing. Here, in America.


24 posted on 05/31/2015 3:04:10 AM PDT by Cringing Negativism Network (http://www.census.gov/foreign-tradebalance/c5700.html)
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To: vanilla swirl
it could be argued that America was not a Super Power in 1939 but became so because of our manufacturing and American Spirit.

When the nation ramped up manufacturing and entered WWII it was evident what we were capable of personally and collectively.

25 posted on 05/31/2015 3:07:41 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
America needs manufacturing. Here, in America.

bttt

26 posted on 05/31/2015 3:09:10 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: peyton randolph

Add to your list:

The administration’s disinterest and neglect of veterans.

The administration’s trade of 5 terrorists (that we had in custody) for a deserter (and honoring his parents).


27 posted on 05/31/2015 3:15:11 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: The_Media_never_lie
"I would add, supreme victory, accompanied by swift withdrawal. No more nation building or democracy building."

History, certainly that of the last century, strongly suggests that supreme victory is only accomplished when we don't swiftly withdraw.

28 posted on 05/31/2015 3:20:09 AM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Qui me amat, amat et canem meum.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

I spent thirty years in the defense industry. Largely, we are building the wrong weapons for the wrong reasons. Take the Abrams tank, which I worked on for 10 years. The Army has been trying to cancel it since at least 2004. Congress keeps it alive and in production. Ironically, this consumes the very money the Army could use to deal with one of its serious vulnerabilities. The tank’s engine gobbles 50% more fuel than more modern competitors. This doubles the number of vulnerable tanker trucks which require absolute air superiority to move. With drones getting smaller and smaller nobody can guarantee air superiority when it comes to destroying soft targets like fuel trucks. Another vulnerability is the super carrier. We are committed to spending more and more to protect these huge targets and the carrier killer weapons, with a cost disparity of millions to one, will eventually flood those defenses and kill the carrier. All the rest of the ships are then practically useless as their job is carrier defense. Manned super jets costing hundreds of millions are another idiocy.

There are weapons that could replace these and do the job more effectively and cheaper. But the existing systems and their manufacturers have an unbeatable lobby. We won’t get newer, cheaper, better and more survivable platforms until we are forced into it by catastrophic lose. (The classic case is the destruction of the battleship fleet by the Japanese forcing the carriers to do all of the work. The role of the battleship which was once central to all Navy doctrine became a mere support ship with only one or two exceptions in WWII.)

Those are some of the wrong weapons. The wrong reasons are politics and corporate welfare. These weapons are too big to fail with too many (voter’s) jobs at stake. Donald Rumsfeld tried to transition the military to better platforms for the 21st century. Those wails for his resignation were due to the argument over who would control what the military bought, the Secretary of Defense or Congress. Rumsfeld fought some winning battles but lost platform war.


29 posted on 05/31/2015 3:22:26 AM PDT by Gen.Blather
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To: Gen.Blather

You’re making good points.

There is a proper, strong position between what you described and what Hillary sees as “Smart Power” (learning to empathize with the enemy).


30 posted on 05/31/2015 3:31:51 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

A nation is formed from its people.

When a nation recruits the most immoral and degenerate people from across the globe, it naturally will degenerate itself.

It is further degenerated by the promotion of homosexual agendas, transgenderism, liars, extortion in IRS policy, and promotion of a minority elite which identifies criminality with success, never being satiated with their loot, but always wanting greater ill-gotten gains.

Mankind is probably much safer by the demise of the US with our present political debaucle.


31 posted on 05/31/2015 3:32:24 AM PDT by Cvengr ( Adversity in life & death is inevitable; Stress is optional through faith in Christ.)
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To: Cvengr

And the nest that’s been incubating these anti-American types is Big Education.

From K-12 and then on to universities and their SCHOOLS of

journalism

government

education

social justice

women and gender studies

etc


32 posted on 05/31/2015 3:36:59 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cvengr

What hogwash.

America however, needs to return to greatness.

We need to return American production, and we need to stop importing everything from a massive communist country which intends to replace us on the global stage.

And conservative Americans need to realize that means, we need to stand up for the United States for a change.

In deed.

We need to represent America once again. That means American production as well.


33 posted on 05/31/2015 3:37:05 AM PDT by Cringing Negativism Network (http://www.census.gov/foreign-tradebalance/c5700.html)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

What else would you expect a professor of peace to say? Nor is it any surprise that he would praise Rand, which is evidence that Rand will be as successful as his dad in his quest to become President.


34 posted on 05/31/2015 3:48:00 AM PDT by Robert DeLong (u)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Bingo.


35 posted on 05/31/2015 3:48:35 AM PDT by peyton randolph (Hillary Kardashian Clinton - famous for being infamous)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
His argument essentially has the same core problem as the global warming alarmists. A very short term view of very long term problems.

His symptoms are all very much in the current time and none of which are as bad as our national debt explosion or the erosion of our manufacturing base.

36 posted on 05/31/2015 3:48:48 AM PDT by USNBandit (sarcasm engaged at all times)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

I don’t know about the whole ‘superpower’ thing but I question that there is an America, at least how most here would define it.


37 posted on 05/31/2015 3:51:09 AM PDT by Altura Ct.
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

I see us more as Gulliver on the beach tied up by the Lilliputians.

We have to throw off the little rat Democrats and GOP quislings and get the heck up again.


38 posted on 05/31/2015 3:53:39 AM PDT by exit82 ("The Taliban is on the inside of the building" E. Nordstrom 10-10-12)
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To: Crazieman

With a couple exceptions, a good article.

The exceptions:

An obvious anti-Republican bias.

If we were willing to pay the price, we could indeed fund a military capable of continuing to play the role he says we can’t afford anymore. That price would be to drastically cut social spending. Which we aren’t going to pay, which means he is basically right.


39 posted on 05/31/2015 3:56:57 AM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

” and what Hillary sees as “Smart Power” (learning to empathize with the enemy).”

If you have an enemy you must kill them until they not only surrender but give up whatever makes them your enemy. There is no other way. To do otherwise is to wait until your enemy has an advantage and kills you instead. Hillary’s “smart power” is treason. It unnecessarily costs the lives of US citizens and soldiers.


40 posted on 05/31/2015 4:02:20 AM PDT by Gen.Blather
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