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DesMoinesDem

(1,569 posts) Fri Jan 9, 2015, 12:08 PM Jan 2015

The greatest trick Obama ever pulled was convincing the world America isn't still at war

The holiday headlines blared without a hint of distrust: “End of War” and “Mission Ends” and “U.S. formally ends the war in Afghanistan”, as the US government and Nato celebrated the alleged end of the longest war in American history. Great news! Except, that is, when you read past the first paragraph: “the fighting is as intense as it has ever been since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001,” according to the Wall Street Journal. And about 10,000 troops will remain there for the foreseeable future (more than we had a year after the Afghan war started). Oh, and they’ll continue to engage in combat regularly. But other than that, yeah, the war is definitely over.

This is the new reality of war: As long as the White House doesn’t admit the United States is at war, we’re all supposed to pretend as if that’s true. This ruse is not just the work of the president. Members of Congress, who return to work this week, are just as guilty as Barack Obama in letting the public think we’re Definitely Not at War, from Afghanistan and Somalia to the new war with Isis in Iraq and Syria and beyond.

Thirteen years on, the near limitless war authorization Congress passed for the Afghanistan war remains in place, with no sign that Congress wants to even debate revoking it. This is what will allow US troops to continue fighting, despite the mission supposedly being “formally” over. Just a month before Obama made his farcical announcement last week, he signed a secret order to ensure US troops continue to engage in combat missions against various “militant groups” in Afghanistan for all of 2015.

Another place the United States is Definitely Not at War? Pakistan, where, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the US conducted multiple drone strikes between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, killing at least nine people. We don’t know who died, but the Associated Press assured us they were “militants”, despite the US government’s definition of “militant” having been manipulated beyond comprehension.

...

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/06/obama-america-still-at-war-congress-illegal

4 replies

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The greatest trick Obama ever pulled was convincing the world America isn't still at war (Original Post) DesMoinesDem Jan 2015 OP

someone was convinced we're no longer at war? must have missed that. unblock Jan 2015 #1

1941? You missed a few Sopkoviak Jan 2015 #2

of course -- i meant continuously unblock Jan 2015 #3

kick bigtree Jan 2015 #4

unblock

(52,256 posts)

1. someone was convinced we're no longer at war? must have missed that.

Reply to DesMoinesDem (Original post)

Fri Jan 9, 2015, 12:30 PM

Jan 2015

we're america. we're always at war. have been since december 8, 1941. earlier if you count lend-lease as an act of war.

as george carlin said, it's what we're good at.

Sopkoviak

(357 posts)

2. 1941? You missed a few

Reply to unblock (Reply #1)

Fri Jan 9, 2015, 12:36 PM

Jan 2015

American Wars

The American Revolution
1775-1783

The Indian Wars
1775-1890

Shay's Rebellion
1786-1787
Rebellion
Anti-(state)Government Rebels vs. Massachusetts

The Whiskey Rebellion
1794
Rebellion
Anti-Tax Rebels in Western Pennsylvania

Quasi-War With France
1798-1800
Inter-State (Naval) War
France

Fries's Rebellion "The Hot Water War"
1799
Rebellion
Anti-Tax Rebels in Pennsylvania

The Barbary Wars
1800-1815
Inter-State War
The Barbary States
(Tripoli, Algiers & Morocco)

The War of 1812
1812-1815
Inter-State War
Great Britain
The Growing & Troubled Republic

Primary Name of Conflict Dates of Conflict
(U.S. Involvement Only)
Type of Conflict Primary Opponent(s)
of the United States

Mexican-American War
1846-1848
Inter-State War
Mexico

U.S. Slave Rebellions
1800-1865
Slave Rebellions
Various Slave groups

"Bleeding Kansas"
1855-1860
Civil War (state of Kansas)
Pro-Slavery vs. Anti-Slavery Kansans

Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
1859
Rebellion
Anti-Slavery Rebels (Led by John Brown)

United States Civil War
1861-1865
Civil War
United States (The North)
vs.
The Confederate States (The South)

U.S. Intervention in Hawaiian Revolution
1893
Internal Rebellion & Foreign Intervention

The Spanish-American War
1898
Inter-State War

U.S. Intervention in Samoan Civil War
1898-1899
Civil War & Foreign Intervention

U.S.-Philippine War
1899-1902
Colonial War, War of Imperialism

Boxer Rebellion
1900
Internal Rebellion & Foreign Intervention
Chinese Government & "Boxer" Rebels

The Moro Wars
1901-1913
Colonial Wars
Philippine Muslim Rebels

U.S. Intervention in Panamanian Revolution
1903
Secessionist Revolution & Foreign Intervention
Colombia

The Banana Wars
1909-1933
Civil Wars & Foreign Intervention
Various Rebel Groups In Central America

U.S. Occupation of Vera Cruz
1914
Inter-State War
Mexico

Pershing's Raid Into Mexico
1916-1917
Inter-State, Border War
Mexican Government & Mexican Rebels ("Bandits&quot

World War I
1917-1918 (American involvement only)
Inter-State War
Germany

Allied Intervention in Russian Civil War
1919-1921
Civil War & Foreign Intervention
Russian Bolshevik (Soviet) Government

unblock

(52,256 posts)

3. of course -- i meant continuously

Reply to Sopkoviak (Reply #2)

Fri Jan 9, 2015, 12:50 PM

Jan 2015

bigtree

(85,998 posts)

4. kick

Reply to DesMoinesDem (Original post)

Fri Jan 9, 2015, 02:10 PM

Jan 2015

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