Since September Eleventh, there has been a great deal of media focus on “terrorism” and the so-called “war on terrorism”. The root causes – as in any war – have been ignored and a new jingoism is emerging, with such Orwellian terms as “pre-emptive strike” and ‘preventive detention” being substituted for “unprovoked attack” and “arrest without charge”.
Since the United States has taken the lead in counter-terrorism, it is no wonder that there is now a “war on terrorism”. The U.S. is a militaristic nation with eleven major wars in its 226 year history, for an average of one major war every twenty years, as each new generation is prepared for combat.
(War of Independence, 1775 - 1783; War of 1812, 1812 - 1815; Mexican War, 1846 - 1848; War Between the States/Civil War, 1861 –1865; Indian Wars - Between 1865 and 1890 alone, there were also 64 wars against Native American Nations; Spanish-American War, 1898 ;World War I – U.S. participation, 1917 -18 ;World War II –U.S. participation, 1941 -45 ; Korean War, 1950 -53 ;Vietnam Conflict, 1961 - 72; Gulf War 1990 - 91 - ...? )
Since, according to the U.S. Constitution, only Congress has the legal right to declare war and since Congress did not declare war on Vietnam, it is not officially called a “war”.
Since the United States has taken the lead in counter-terrorism, it is no wonder that there is now a “war on terrorism”. The U.S. is a militaristic nation with eleven major wars in its 226 year history, for an average of one major war every twenty years, as each new generation is prepared for combat.
(War of Independence, 1775 - 1783; War of 1812, 1812 - 1815; Mexican War, 1846 - 1848; War Between the States/Civil War, 1861 –1865; Indian Wars - Between 1865 and 1890 alone, there were also 64 wars against Native American Nations; Spanish-American War, 1898 ;World War I – U.S. participation, 1917 -18 ;World War II –U.S. participation, 1941 -45 ; Korean War, 1950 -53 ;Vietnam Conflict, 1961 - 72; Gulf War 1990 - 91 - ...? )
Since, according to the U.S. Constitution, only Congress has the legal right to declare war and since Congress did not declare war on Vietnam, it is not officially called a “war”.