It's about
violence. Guns are an excellent
tool for violence. It is violence
that needs to be on the national agenda.
Most male kids when
I was young had a holster and a “play” gun and if we were lucky we had
caps. We had cowboys shooting at
cowboys and the good guys always won.
We had cowboys shooting at Indians and the “good” guys always won. We had Saturday morning cartoons with
brutality.
Now we have such
gore in movies, on television and in video games of such realism that it is all
a big show. Our culture and
society than and now was and is infused with maiming and killing. The violence today has tools undreamed
of when I was a kid.
We are a warrior
nation.
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every
rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and
are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not
spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of
its scientists, the hopes of its children… This is not a way of life at all, in
any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from
a cross of iron.” — Former
U.S. President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, in a speech on April 16, 1953
Violence has been
our way of life since at least the beginning of the nation. “. . . since the United
States was founded in 1776, she has been at war during 214 out of her 235
calendar years of existence. In
other words, there were only 21 calendar years in which the U.S. did not wage
any wars.
To put this in
perspective:
* Pick any year
since 1776 and there is about a 91% chance that America was involved in some
war during that calendar year.
* No U.S. president
truly qualifies as a peacetime president. Instead, all U.S. presidents
can technically be considered “war presidents.”
* The U.S. has
never gone a decade without war.
* The only time the U.S. went five years without war
(1935-40) was during the isolationist period of the Great Depression.
For a Year-by-year
Timeline of America’s Major Wars (1776-2011) see:
or
or
Not only do we have a long and constant history of violence, we are annually the top or among the top arms sellers in the world.
U.S.
Arms Sales Make Up Most of Global Market
By THOM SHANKER
WASHINGTON
— Weapons sales by the United States tripled in 2011 to a record high, driven
by major arms sales to Persian Gulf allies concerned about Iran’s
regional ambitions, according to a new study for Congress.
Overseas weapons sales by the
United States totaled $66.3 billion last year, or more than three-quarters of
the global arms market, valued at $85.3 billion in 2011. Russia was a distant
second, with $4.8 billion in deals.
The
American weapons sales total was an “extraordinary increase” over the $21.4
billion in deals for 2010, the study found, and was the largest single-year
sales total in the history of United States arms exports. The previous high was
in fiscal year 2009, when American weapons sales overseas totaled nearly $31
billion.
“Last
year [2000] the U.S. controlled half of the developing world’s arms market….
This dominance of the global arms market is not something in which the American
public or policy makers should take pride in. The U.S. routinely sells weapons
to undemocratic regimes and gross human rights abusers.”—
Uncle Sam World’s Arms Merchant Again;
In 2000 U.S. Sells $18.6 Billion Worldwide, $12.6 Billion to Developing
Countries, Arms Trade Insider—#53,
Arms Trade Oversight Project, Council for a Livable World, August 20, 2001From: http://www.globalissues.org/article/74/the-arms-trade-is-big-business - Itdoesnotseemtomatterwhoarmsaresoldto
It doesn’t matter who wants to buy our weapons. Money is money. The United States arms most dictatorships. See: http://sciencenordic.com/united-states-arms-most-dictatorships
It doesn’t matter who wants to buy our weapons. Money is money. The United States arms most dictatorships. See: http://sciencenordic.com/united-states-arms-most-dictatorships
The mantra – Guns don’t kill people, people kill people – is
true. We can be proud that we
supply a massive amount of guns and other weapons to help that along. The Shadow World: Inside the Global
Arms Trade. Feinstein, Andrew.
2011. Farrar, Straus, Giroux. N.Y.
Then there is the argument, that only the unbalanced are
guilty of these mass slayings and that the mental health system is broken. That calls into question the mental
balance of many national and international leaders. How many of both the
sellers of weapons and the buyers of weapons actually have psychological
assessments. It also would be
interesting to see the psychological profiles of the people who our weapons are
distributed to around the world.
There is another rationalization away from the reality of
the situation – violence has always been with us. That is also true. A rock, a club, even an arrow is far different than long
range semi-automatic weapons, hand grenades, mines, bunker bombs, and drones.
Do your own search.
UPDATE
The Obama years have been a boom time for America's weapons makers. Since
2009, the United States has approved arms deals worth some $200 billion—more
than under any other presidency. The deals include sending Apache helicopters to Qatar, "bunker buster"
bombs and cluster munitions to Saudi Arabia, and Hellfire missiles all over the place. Predicting an increase
in weapons sales fueled by the war against ISIS, an unnamed American weapons
manufacturing executive told Reuters last year: "Everyone in the region is talking
about building up supplies for 5 to 10 years. This is going to be a long fight.
It's a huge growth area for us."
The United States currently controls more than half of
the global arms market. Its top five customers are Saudi Arabia, the
United Arab Emirates, Australia, Iraq, and Israel. By comparison, Russia, the
next biggest global weapons supplier, controls just 14 percent
of the market.
We are a warrior society and culture. Our history is one of aggression. In saying this I realize I may be
angering and alienating many men and women who with honor, integrity and
dignity served our country in battle.
(I did not experience war because I was in the military between Korea
and Viet Nam.) It is not my
intention to demean their service, for many this was the defining experience of
their lives. The question remains
for all of our military “adventures” – who benefits?
Cui Bono - Commonly the
phrase is used to suggest that the person or people guilty of committing a
crime may be found among those who have something to gain, chiefly with an eye
toward financial gain. The party that benefits may not always be obvious or may
have successfully diverted attention to a scapegoat.
Of the 100
companies on the list, 44 are based in the U.S., including Boeing, Northrop
Grumman and Lockheed Martin. The American companies account for more than 60%
of arms sales revenue of the 100 manufacturers. Seven of SIPRI’s (Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute) top 10 are American, one is British,
one is Italian and one is a multinational EU conglomerate. The U.S. federal
government has contract deals with all seven American companies. These seven
are among the top 10 U.S. federal contractors by amount procured, according to
the government’s Federal Procurement Data System See: http://247wallst.com/2012/02/28/ten-companies-profiting-most-from-war/print/
The question is not simply
who benefits from the end result of the war but from the total action of the
war. The bottom line is the bottom
line. Our men and women have
lined the coffers of big business and the very wealthy. And often the result of the conflict
also lines the coffers of big business and the very wealthy while the common
people live with wounds physical, psychological and spiritual.
Blinding ourselves, some of us gain employment, some gain access to materials and goodies from the low paying labor and natural resources purloined as a results of our bullying, aggressions and our arms sales. Dulled by inertia, seduced by promises of "trickle down", conned by propaganda, we are numbed by the narcotic of things. Grabbing the coat tails and gladly distracted by the "red carpet glitter", we aspire to emulate the merchants and bankers of war. And we keep silent.
Blinding ourselves, some of us gain employment, some gain access to materials and goodies from the low paying labor and natural resources purloined as a results of our bullying, aggressions and our arms sales. Dulled by inertia, seduced by promises of "trickle down", conned by propaganda, we are numbed by the narcotic of things. Grabbing the coat tails and gladly distracted by the "red carpet glitter", we aspire to emulate the merchants and bankers of war. And we keep silent.
The issue of our culture
and society of violence is one of honest self-appraisal. We have a large sector of our
society/culture that espouses Christian morals and ethics. The United States and the world are
shocked and mourn the deaths at the Sandy Hook Elementary School and grieve
with the families and friends of the murdered. Where is the outrage by ministers, pastors, priests and
their congregations at the 1000s, hundreds of thousand of children, women, and
men non-combatants from our aggression worldwide and/or our arm sales
globally? Many in this sector seem
to be more concerned with what happens in the privacy of the bedroom than the
murder of innocents by weapons we use and provide to the world. I don’t believe Jesus is at the head of
the parade with an AR15 singing “Onward Christian Soldiers.”
It is time we addressed
our violence.
Year-by-year
Timeline of America’s Major Wars (1776-2011)
1776 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamagua Wars, Second Cherokee
War, Pennamite-Yankee War
1777 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Second Cherokee
War, Pennamite-Yankee War
1778 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee
War
1779 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee
War
1780 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee
War
1781 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee
War
1782 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee
War
1783 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee
War
1784 – Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee War, Oconee War
1785 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
1786 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
1787 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
1788 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
1789 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
1790 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
1791 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
1792 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
1793 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
1794 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
1795 – Northwest Indian War
1796 – No major war
1797 – No major war
1798 – Quasi-War
1799 – Quasi-War
1800 – Quasi-War
1801 – First Barbary War
1802 – First Barbary War
1803 – First Barbary War
1804 – First Barbary War
1805 – First Barbary War
1806 – Sabine Expedition
1807 – No major war
1808 – No major war
1809 – No major war
1810 – U.S. occupies Spanish-held West Florida
1811 – Tecumseh’s War
1812 – War of 1812, Tecumseh’s War, Seminole Wars, U.S. occupies
Spanish-held Amelia Island and other parts of East Florida
1813 – War of 1812, Tecumseh’s War, Peoria War, Creek War, U.S.
expands its territory in West Florida
1814 – War of 1812, Creek War, U.S. expands its territory in Florida,
Anti-piracy war
1815 – War of 1812, Second Barbary War, Anti-piracy war
1816 - First Seminole War, Anti-piracy war
1817 - First Seminole War, Anti-piracy war
1818 – First Seminole War, Anti-piracy war
1819 – Yellowstone Expedition, Anti-piracy war
1820 – Yellowstone Expedition, Anti-piracy war
1821 – Anti-piracy war (see note above)
1822 – Anti-piracy war (see note above)
1823 – Anti-piracy war, Arikara War
1824 – Anti-piracy war
1825 – Yellowstone Expedition, Anti-piracy war
1826 – No major war
1827 – Winnebago War
1828 – No major war
1829 – No major war
1830 – No major war
1831 - Sac and Fox Indian War
1832 – Black Hawk War
1833 – Cherokee Indian War
1834 – Cherokee Indian War, Pawnee Indian Territory Campaign
1835 – Cherokee Indian War, Seminole Wars, Second Creek War
1836 – Cherokee Indian War, Seminole Wars, Second Creek War,
Missouri-Iowa Border War
1837 – Cherokee Indian War, Seminole Wars, Second Creek War, Osage
Indian War, Buckshot War
1838 – Cherokee Indian War, Seminole Wars, Buckshot War, Heatherly
Indian War
1839 – Cherokee Indian War, Seminole Wars
1840 – Seminole Wars, U.S. naval forces invade Fiji Islands
1841 – Seminole Wars, U.S. naval forces invade McKean Island,
Gilbert Islands, and Samoa
1842 – Seminole Wars
1843 – U.S. forces clash with Chinese, U.S. troops invade African coast
1844 – Texas-Indian Wars
1845 – Texas-Indian Wars
1846 – Mexican-American War, Texas-Indian Wars
1847 – Mexican-American War, Texas-Indian Wars
1848 – Mexican-American War, Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War
1849 – Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo
Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians
1850 – Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo
Wars, Yuma War, California Indian Wars, Pitt River Expedition
1851 – Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo
Wars, Apache Wars, Yuma War, Utah Indian Wars, California Indian Wars
1852 – Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo
Wars, Yuma War, Utah Indian Wars, California Indian Wars
1853 – Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo
Wars, Yuma War, Utah Indian Wars, Walker War, California Indian Wars
1854 – Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo
Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and
Indians
1855 – Seminole Wars, Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian
Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Yakima War, Winnas
Expedition, Klickitat War, Puget Sound War, Rogue River Wars, U.S. forces
invade Fiji Islands and Uruguay
1856 – Seminole Wars, Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo
Wars, California Indian Wars, Puget Sound War, Rogue River Wars, Tintic War
1857 – Seminole Wars, Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo
Wars, California Indian Wars, Utah War, Conflict in Nicaragua
1858 – Seminole Wars, Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo
Wars, Mohave War, California Indian Wars, Spokane-Coeur d’Alene-Paloos
War, Utah War, U.S. forces invade Fiji Islands and Uruguay
1859 Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, California
Indian Wars, Pecos Expedition, Antelope Hills Expedition, Bear River
Expedition, John Brown’s raid, U.S. forces launch attack against Paraguay, U.S.
forces invade Mexico
1860 – Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache
Wars, California Indian Wars, Paiute War, Kiowa-Comanche War
1861 – American Civil War, Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars,
Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Cheyenne Campaign
1862 – American Civil War, Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars,
Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Cheyenne Campaign, Dakota War
of 1862,
1863 – American Civil War, Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars,
Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Cheyenne Campaign, Colorado
War, Goshute War
1864 – American Civil War, Texas-Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars,
California Indian Wars, Cheyenne Campaign, Colorado War, Snake War
1865 – American Civil War, Texas-Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars,
California Indian Wars, Colorado War, Snake War, Utah’s Black Hawk War
1866 – Texas-Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian
Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians, Snake War, Utah’s Black Hawk
War, Red Cloud’s War, Franklin County War, U.S. invades Mexico, Conflict
with China
1867 – Texas-Indian Wars, Long Walk of the Navajo, Apache Wars, Skirmish
between 1st Cavalry and Indians, Snake War, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Red Cloud’s
War, Comanche Wars, Franklin County War, U.S. troops occupy Nicaragua and
attack Taiwan
1868 – Texas-Indian Wars, Long Walk of the Navajo, Apache Wars, Skirmish
between 1st Cavalry and Indians, Snake War, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Red Cloud’s
War, Comanche Wars, Battle of Washita River, Franklin County War
1869 – Texas-Indian Wars, Apache Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and
Indians, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Comanche Wars, Franklin County War
1870 – Texas-Indian Wars, Apache Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and
Indians, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Comanche Wars, Franklin County War
1871 – Texas-Indian Wars, Apache Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and
Indians, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Comanche Wars, Franklin County War, Kingsley
Cave Massacre, U.S. forces invade Korea
1872 – Texas-Indian Wars, Apache Wars, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Comanche
Wars, Modoc War, Franklin County War
1873 – Texas-Indian Wars, Comanche Wars, Modoc War, Apache Wars, Cypress
Hills Massacre, U.S. forces invade Mexico
1874 – Texas-Indian Wars, Comanche Wars, Red River War, Mason County
War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
1875 – Conflict in Mexico, Texas-Indian Wars, Comanche Wars, Eastern
Nevada, Mason County War, Colfax County War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
1876 – Texas-Indian Wars, Black Hills War, Mason County War, U.S. forces
invade Mexico
1877 – Texas-Indian Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians,
Black Hills War, Nez Perce War, Mason County War, Lincoln County War, San
Elizario Salt War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
1878 – Paiute Indian conflict, Bannock War, Cheyenne War, Lincoln County
War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
1879 – Cheyenne War, Sheepeater Indian War, White River War, U.S. forces
invade Mexico
1880 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
1881 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
1882 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
1883 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
1884 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
1885 – Apache Wars, Eastern Nevada Expedition, U.S. forces invade Mexico
1886 – Apache Wars, Pleasant Valley War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
1887 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
1888 – U.S. show of force against Haiti, U.S. forces invade Mexico
1889 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
1890 – Sioux Indian War, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians, Ghost
Dance War, Wounded Knee, U.S. forces invade Mexico
1891 – Sioux Indian War, Ghost Dance War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
1892 – Johnson County War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
1893 – U.S. forces invade Mexico and Hawaii
1894 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
1895 - U.S. forces invade Mexico, Bannock Indian Disturbances
1896 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
1897 – No major war
1898 – Spanish-American War, Battle of Leech Lake, Chippewa Indian
Disturbances
1899 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1900 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1901 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1902 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1903 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1904 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1905 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1906 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1907 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1908 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1909 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1910 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1911 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1912 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
1913 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars, New Mexico Navajo War
1914 – Banana Wars, U.S. invades Mexico
1915 – Banana Wars, U.S. invades Mexico, Colorado Paiute War
1916 – Banana Wars, U.S. invades Mexico
1917 – Banana Wars, World War I, U.S. invades Mexico
1918 – Banana Wars, World War I, U.S invades Mexico
1919 – Banana Wars, U.S. invades Mexico
1920 – Banana Wars
1921 – Banana Wars
1922 – Banana Wars
1923 – Banana Wars, Posey War
1924 – Banana Wars
1925 – Banana Wars
1926 – Banana Wars
1927 – Banana Wars
1928 – Banana Wars
1930 – Banana Wars
1931 – Banana Wars
1932 – Banana Wars
1933 – Banana Wars
1934 – Banana Wars
1935 – No major war
1936 – No major war
1937 – No major war
1938 – No major war
1939 – No major war
1940 – No major war
1941 – World War II
1942 – World War II
1943 – Wold War II
1944 – World War II
1945 – World War II
1946 – Cold War (U.S. occupies the Philippines and South Korea)
1947 – Cold War (U.S. occupies South Korea, U.S. forces land in Greece
to fight Communists)
1948 – Cold War (U.S. forces aid Chinese Nationalist Party against
Communists)
1949 - Cold War (U.S. forces aid Chinese Nationalist Party against
Communists)
1950 – Korean War, Jayuga Uprising
1951 – Korean War
1952 – Korean War
1953 – Korean War
1954 – Covert War in Guatemala
1955 – Vietnam War
1956 – Vietnam War
1957 – Vietnam War
1958 – Vietnam War
1959 – Vietnam War, Conflict in Haiti
1960 – Vietnam War
1961 – Vietnam War
1962 – Vietnam War, Cold War (Cuban Missile Crisis; U.S. marines fight
Communists in Thailand)
1963 – Vietnam War
1964 – Vietnam War
1965 – Vietnam War, U.S. occupation of Dominican Republic
1966 – Vietnam War, U.S. occupation of Dominican Republic
1967 – Vietnam War
1968 – Vietnam War
1969 – Vietnam War
1970 – Vietnam War
1971 – Vietnam War
1972 – Vietnam War
1973 – Vietnam War, U.S. aids Israel in Yom Kippur War
1974 – Vietnam War
1975 – Vietnam War
1976 – No major war
1977 – No major war
1978 – No major war
1979 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan)
1980 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan)
1981 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan and Nicaragua), First Gulf
of Sidra Incident
1982 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan and Nicaragua), Conflict
in Lebanon
1983 – Cold War (Invasion of Grenada, CIA proxy war in Afghanistan and
Nicaragua), Conflict in Lebanon
1984 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan and Nicaragua), Conflict
in Persian Gulf
1985 - Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan and Nicaragua)
1986 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan and Nicaragua)
1987 – Conflict in Persian Gulf
1988 – Conflict in Persian Gulf, U.S. occupation of Panama
1989 – Second Gulf of Sidra Incident, U.S. occupation of Panama,
Conflict in Philippines
1990 – First Gulf War, U.S. occupation of Panama
1991 – First Gulf War
1992 – Conflict in Iraq
1993 – Conflict in Iraq
1994 – Conflict in Iraq, U.S. invades Haiti
1995 – Conflict in Iraq, U.S. invades Haiti, NATO bombing of Bosnia and
Herzegovina
1996 – Conflict in Iraq
1997 – No major war
1998 – Bombing of Iraq, Missile strikes against Afghanistan and Sudan
1999 – Kosovo War
2000 – No major war
2001 – War on Terror in Afghanistan
2002 – War on Terror in Afghanistan and Yemen
2003 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, and Iraq
2004 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen
2005 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen
2006 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen
2007 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen
2008 – War on Terror in
Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen
2009 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen
2010 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen
2011 – War on Terror in
Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen; Conflict in Libya (Libyan
Civil War)
Thanks for putting this information together John, I appreciate it.
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