Europeans Are Not Cowards. It's That We Know War.

The International Herald Tribune ^ | January 28, 2004 | Fletcher Crossman

[quidnunc]

Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina – Listening to Richard Perle on the radio recently was a little hard for a European like me. Perle, a former chairman of the Defense Policy Board, stated that European nations "do not have the most courageous of instincts," with the implication that America has to intervene in international affairs because Europeans are afraid to. Perle's comments take place against a chorus of similar sentiments to be heard on America's airwaves in recent months.

An average listener would be forgiven for believing that Europeans are a cowardly bunch of ungrateful wimps, whose anti-American bombast is a merely a cover for their complicity with evil regimes.

It may be true. But as a European myself — I'm from Britain — it doesn't feel true. And I wonder if our cultural disconnect comes from two very different experiences of war.

-snip-

[11B3]

No single individual - not even the President - can commit us to combat. Even Clinton, with his agendas, required the help of his enablers in Congress and the media to send troops into harm's way.

Men like Perle have their place in government - to offset the agendas of the extreme left who masquerade as moderates. Without this balance, our Republic would no longer exist.

[jpsb]

Well there are a lot of people here that agree with the euro scum too. Britain is lucky to have Tony Blair now that the Iron Lady is retired. Britain always seems to find a great leader in time of war. We should be so lucky. (Truman, LBJ, Charter, Clinton)

[middie]

Two days after Pearl Harbor Germany honored its bilateral pact with Japan and declared war on the U.S. While our declaration of war with Germany was a foregone certainty, the Hitler government preempted our Congress and took the initiative. Thus, the speculations here are meaningless. It was not the predecessors of today's Democratic left who vigorously opposed our entry into WW II, rather, it was those today who would be a part of the religious and policy far right of the GOP.

The nature and perspective of issue oriented wings of the two parties are not static, they have changed over time to occupy the position once filled by the other. It's just as the Republican and Democratic parties have changed their orientation at least twice since the 1880s.

[Lucky Dog]

Exactly under whom would you have considered serving?

[OldFriend]

Re your #81......AMEN!

[noutopia]

I was stationed at Ramstien when the terrorist blew up Headquaters.Bader meinhoff were a bad bunch.

[jpsb]

Cap Weinberger? Cap Weinberger was a great secartary of defense, one of the best. You are thinking of the wiz kid whose name escapes me. hmmmmm, LBJ sec of defense, hmmmmm, damn someone will remmebr it or I will as soon as I hit the post button. Damn he just came out against the war in Iraq, oh well.

[11B3]

It appears to me that you merely would have trouble serving, regardless of who was in charge - which speaks volumes.

From an Infantryman's point of view, your chances of death on any given patrol is directly proportional to your OWN actions, not those of someone thousands of miles away. We all knew that when your time is up, your time is up - no matter what it is you are doing. That's why some make it through that artillery salvo unscathed, while someone two feet away is turned to red mist.

Military service - especially combat arms - requires a self-confidence as well as a type of faith that some people don't ever possess. There's nothing wrong with that - and once you come to grips with it you won't be so touchy about it.

[Lucky Dog]

Sorry, you're right... I really wanted to say MacMara.

[mr.pink]

Going straight to a personal attack.

Slugs like Perle deserve no better.

But here's my take anyhoo.

The European veterans are more than entitled to take offense at a dandy like Perle lecturing them on courage...or lack there of.

and American conservatives should be asking what exactly makes Perle a conservative (not one person on this forum has ever been able to make the case).....instead of allowing him and his gang's actions to continue to discredit it.

[Dan from Michigan]

Robert McNamara.

[jpsb]

Yea, he sucked big time! I served under him, no fun.

[Cincinnatus.45-70]

"I'd also not like to be forgiven for recognizing them as socialist, wannabe commies, whose gubmints can't be trusted."

And don't forget, whose gubmints don't trust the people, either. Witness the general confiscation or iron control of firearms. It started with Hitler and has continued. They've all become powerless sheep, and don't notice it.

[jpsb]

thanks

[BluH2o]

Europeans didn't have any problem ramping up for WWII ... after only a 21 year interval from the chaos and bloodshed of WWI. WWII ended in Europe in May 1945, nearly 60 years ago ... three generations have grown to maturity in that period. Not buying into the "We know war" argument ... something else is in play here.

[Lucky Dog]

This keyboard cannot spell... MacNamara

[saradippity]

They may have started plenty but we were always there whenever the "right" people called us. For all we know most Europeans were probably just pawns in whatever game their rulers were playing and in many cases didn't even believe the cause was justified.

Let us hope and pray that with the plethora of information now available to the average person we are better able to know the truth and base decisions on fact and truth and not what we are told is fact or truth.

Remember 40,000,000 Europeans died in the war over there,it must have been horrendous.

[jpsb]

My keyboard sucks too. I type one word and an entirely different word appears on the screen. happy to see I am not alone in this.

[q_an_a]

The last paragraph concludes that they are the wise old soldier disgusted with the fight waiting and watching as the brash march off to war. He says this like no American vet has come back and tried to stop our kids from going to war, but we know what it takes to be free and unlike England all Americans have a chance at the American Dream and we are willing to fight for it not just for ourselves but for others too.

[Lucky Dog]

Well, any comments on 11B3 assesment of your expression?