What we support and defend

[Ken White]

Ain't it funny how you like the only two options that absolve you of responsibility for the issue?

Neither Steve nor I said the others weren't true; they are true to one extent or another -- but 3 and 4 drive those others. Thus what we wrote is correct, it just does not address the other factors. Mostly because they didn't merit a comment IMO...

Your response to our comments is interesting because your presumption of our dismissal of your wisdom and issuing a gratuitous pejorative comment speaks volumes -- not to mention that in any event, neither he nor I are remotely responsible for any of those things.

[Fuchs]

Neither Steve nor I said the others weren't true; they are true to one extent or another -- but 3 and 4 drive those others. Thus what we wrote is correct, it just does not address the other factors. Mostly because they didn't merit a comment IMO...

Your response to our comments is interesting because your presumption of our dismissal of your wisdom and issuing a gratuitous pejorative comment speaks volumes -- not to mention that in any event, neither he nor I are remotely responsible for any of those things.

Hmm, "responsibility" was probably not the best choice of a word. How about "sharing the same defect"?


I had a couple moments lately where seemingly somewhat reasonable Americans wrote so extremely telling things that I am basically re-evaluating the idea that entire nations may have gone stupid.

SWC provided one of those moments, here.
The most obvious things, treated as wise (wo)man's valuable insights - a decade after it should have been self-evident to have those thoughts without a bloody multi-year experiment or even two.


I've become (even) more sceptical about the wisdom of people who write about national security-related topics in English. Too many of 'em have worked hard and long to erode my presumption their group's of intelligence.

[Steve Blair]

Neither Steve nor I said the others weren't true; they are true to one extent or another -- but 3 and 4 drive those others. Thus what we wrote is correct, it just does not address the other factors. Mostly because they didn't merit a comment IMO...

Your response to our comments is interesting because your presumption of our dismissal of your wisdom and issuing a gratuitous pejorative comment speaks volumes -- not to mention that in any event, neither he nor I are remotely responsible for any of those things.

Correct. The other things existed before the large standing army, so have nothing directly to do with that standing army. 3 and 4 are the root causes for the large Army in American history (which is a recent creation...as in post 1945). You've stated before, Fuchs, that you're not an American history scholar, so that might explain why you don't see the impact of 3 and 4 on the normal size of ground forces in this country or how that relates to the traditional view of the military (in terms of size and status) within American society. As for the rest of your last post...