[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

Another infantile , unbelievably solipsistic rant. Between official spokesmen for the US government--who sound more like gansta rappers shouting insults, mockery and challenges--and edtorialists from the corporate press--who sound like shrieking 6th grade girls in a clique fight-- it's hard to feel either proud of or secure about our foreign policy. Here are some links to the price paid by various countries in WWI and WWII:

WWI casualties by country

WWII casualties by country

You'll notice that in WWI Russia suffered 1,700,000 dead; 4,950,000 wounded; - 6,650,000 total casualties out of 12,000,000 mobilized. You'll notice that in WWII the Soviet Union suffered 25, 568,000 total casualties; 8,668.000 military and 16,900,000 civilian.

You'll notice that in WWI France suffered 1,365,735 dead; 4,266,000 wouded; 477,800; missing/unrecoveravble; 6,109,535 total casualties out of 8,410,000 mobilized. You'll notice that in WWII France suffered 810,000 total causalties; 340,000 military and 470,000 civilian.

You'll notice that in WWI Germany suffered 1,808,546 dead; 4,247,143 wounded; 772,522missing; 6,828,211 total casualties our of 11,000,000 mobilized. You'll notice that in WWI Germany suffered 7,060,000 total casualties; 3,250,000 military and 3,810,000 civilian.

You'll notice that in WWI the USA suffered 116,608 dead; 204,002 wounded; - 320,610 total casualties out of 4,743,826 mobilized. You'll notice that in WWII the USA had 295,000 military casualties. No civilian casualties are mentioned.

I'm sure some of you must have noticed where all the great battles of WWI and WWII were fought. The idea that "Old Europe" needs the United States to tell them about war, or to be mau-maued by the Empire-builders in the Bush administration and the corporate media about the costs of war, borders on the viscious.

In fact, I'm developing a theory that there is something even worse than mere visciousness at work here. For over thirty years--The Thirty Years War perhaps?--European Americans have been taught to hate themselves by every The Government bureaucrat and corporate manager. Since we have almost no other cutural outlet beyond the State and the Corporation any more, that's a pretty thorough indoctrination.

The country has been brutally torn away from its European roots. There is no more study of Greece or Rome and the rest of European history is presented as two blips on the timeline--the Inquisition and the Holocaust.

Christian religious leaders have embraced self-loathing as their vocation and have transmitted it to their flocks in various ways in various denominations. One of the most popular ways is to de-Europeanize the Church and embrace the Old Testament with its endless tales of land-grabbing. So much more instantly gratifying than: My Kingdom is not of this world.

When Rumsfield does his gansta rap routine and disses "Old Europe" he's gleefully engaging in the Great National Pastime--burying "dead, white European males".

Down the memory hole with it all--all their stuggles; all their art; all their literature; all their music; all their sacrifices; all their glories and all their failings. They have nothing to say to us.

We have Michael's nose, Bill's penis, Oprah's butt and George says "Jesus" every once in a while.

What more could anyone ask?

HOW DARE THEY ASK FOR MORE?

[dfwgator]

Slavs are European too!

[RoughDobermann]

I'm sure some of you must have noticed where all the great battles of WWI and WWII were fought.

Sure, in WWII, North Africa and the South Pacific. The French were a tremendous help in those theaters. Thanks...

[Pietro]

of note:

"WWII France suffered 810,000 total causalties; 340,000 military and 470,000 civilian."

Perhaps if more french"men" had stood up more french ladies would not have fallen down (or not had those severe haircuts so common in '45).

Geo. Patton said we don't want our soldiers to die for their country; we want the other sons of bitches to die for theirs.

That's a plan. get w/ the program or get out of the way.

[LS]

Listing war dead is a pretty STUPID INFANTILE SOLIPSISTIC thing to do. If the cheese-eating surrender monkeys had not been obsessed with war in 1870, there arguably would not have been a Franco-Prussian War (or, certainly, if they had bothered to LOOK at the U.S. Civil War, the French wouldn't have LOST it!)

Don't pretend France wasn't lusting after "revanche" when it lurched into WW I. This was about Serbia? Please.

Then, having stumbled into two wars and managed to lose one and very nearly lose the other, the French sat on their hands while Hitler occupied the Rhineland with a TOTAL . . . TOTAL, mind you, in all Germany, of FIVE DIVISIONS (France alone had about 40).

No, your own rant is that of a "6th grade girl," and a pitiful defense (when none is possible) of a useless nation that lost its moral compass after Algeria.

[ggekko]

Tallying up totals of war dead in order to confer some kind of moral authority on the country with most casualties is an ethical and moral anti-concept. Russia and Germany signed a non-agression pact in order to more efficiently carve up Poland. Half or Russia's war dead were probably due to Stalin's own near-infinite callousness and contempt with which he treated his own troops. Stalin consistently used his troops as cannon fodder in order to keep his regime in place. This was one of the few tactics at Stalin's disposal since he had systemically purged the cream of his officer corps before the War.

Germany similarly should not attain any moral auhority or sympathy for its criminal assault on civilization. It is hard to understand how the French had so many casualties since they lost france in two weeks at the start of the war and only provided one division of "Free French" during the liberation of the country.

The US has had a military tradition since the Revolutionary War of being willing to trade treasure for blood. This is a good tradition that I hope we never relenquish. I am proud of the fact that our troops have historically been the best equipped and most lethal in the world. This is part of an honored tradition of attemtping conserve the lives of our warriors.


Political correctness and anti-Europeanism are not at the root of our current troubles with "old europe". Germany and France are attempting to recreate the Holy Roman Empire with themselves in control of it. They would like to control the entire European landmass from Brussells and freeze us out. The problem is that Jaques Chirac is no Charlemagne.

[Darlin']

Do you have a point ? If so, what is it ?

[dennisw]

That's not a post. That's performance art.

[1rudeboy]

I read your #28 twice. It is a work of literature. I don't even care if I agree with you, I think I'll read it again.