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Originally Posted by Rochard
Bingo! That's just it.
Why is this a new problem? Why all of a sudden over the past twenty years do we have shootings like this? I mean, they happened before then, but never like this.
Thirty years ago firearms was for hunting or for target practice. Hunting was a rifle, and target practice - for my family - was shooting clays. My step father had beautiful hunting rifles and shotguns; They must have been worth a fortune! Now it's all AR15s and "home defense".
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Two words:
Psychotropic Drugs
Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, and so on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rochard
I honestly doubt American citizens would ever have the need to rise up against it's government. Two hundred years later we are spoiled little bitches and have no idea how good we've got it.
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You are probably correct about that, and most don't know how good they have it.... today. That's why I say fast forward 50 or 100 years, we don't know how good or bad it will be then. However, in terms of fighting someone, it may not be the federal government that is the issue. Could be a local government, or even a state after it succeeded from the union. Could be invading troops from Mexico. We really have no idea what possibility could play out in the future. Could be those pesky Koreans like in Red Dawn.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rochard
What's happening in Syria is most interesting. The "rebels" have been very slowly gaining ground, but it's costing a lot - with the Syrian military, the rebel's losses, and the civilian population - and I'm wondering if they can pull it off. However, it's not fair to compare Syria to what could happen in the US. The US military is vastly different from Syria's.
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Yes, but again, your statement holds true
today.
I don't think (or want) anything will happen in our lifetime. It's the future I'm thinking of. The USA is a new country, just over 200 years old. That's nothing. 50 - 100 more years could bring another civil war or complete poverty. No country stays the same forever. The USA will change for the better or for the worse, flip a coin. And then it will happen again and again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rochard
But when US citizens are armed and firing on the military, I am guessing the military would fire back.
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Hope we never live to see that day to find out. American forces may not be so trigger happy, but UN forces or private contractors... that is another story. No way to know how something like that would be play out and who would be involved.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rochard
Vietnam was a very different time and is most interesting to study from a historic point of view. I have a book called "The Thin Grey Line" which details the journey of a small group of people through West Point and then Vietnam - and the aftermath. The government failed to support the military, the public was against both the military and the government, and the military itself was at it's low point with lots of drug use and violence.
As for the Taliban and Iraq, well, seems to me both the Taliban and Saddam were both QUICKLY removed from power. Saddam promised us the "mother of all battles" and what a let down that was. What's happening now in both Afghanistan and Iraq is failed country building, not a failure on the part of the US military.
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That's just my point. Even though the leaders were quickly removed from power in the case of Taliban and Saddam, we can not secure either nation. Both of those places are still a mess. Then add the Vietnam conflict to it, and my point is you can not beat people who are fighting for their own freedom on their own land. They can prolong the event and wear you out for decades, killing you off 1 at a time if they have to. Home court advantage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rochard
This seems to be part of the problem in Syria. The "rebels" are poorly armed and are fighting a military of tanks and jets. Originally the rebels didn't have anything other than small arms - assault rifles. Slowly they started getting anti aircraft weapons, and god only knows what else.
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Exactly. The entire "Arab Spring" was an incredible thing to watch, and I doubt it's close to over. If you would have asked any of them 5 years ago if they thought that was going to happen, I'd guess the answer would be no. Whatever the true reason is for their uprising, it has been impressive to watch. If they can handle the transition is another story. Egypt looks like it is being held together by a thread.