Hearing at Senate Armed Services Committee

[patches70]

Last Thursday, the Pentagon has admitted what we already know. That the war on terror will never end.

The war on terror was never supposed to end, the war is an end of and unto itself. Welcome to the State of Perpetual War and all the things that encompass such an endeavor.

At the hearing, Michael Sheehan, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, was asked "How long will the war on terrorism last?" he answered

At least 10 to 20 years.

That's on top of the 12 years we've already put in. Welcome America! To your 30 years war.

As bad as all the other scandals are, this is far and away the worst of it all. We have embarked on a cycle of endless war. If the Keynesian economists are right and war is good for the economy (it's not, BTW), then it's green grass and high tides for us all now!

Whooo Hooooo! Who cares that in times of war individual liberties must be (justifiably?) curtailed? Our war time economy is going to steam roll us right on out of this recovery to economic Nirvana and Goldilocks for all.

Yes, the furthest thing from the mind of our 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner is the end of the war on terror. Even the Obama administration has admitted that the war on terror will last for decades.

The second term of the Bush administration and first five years of the Obama presidency have been devoted to codifying and institutionalizing the vast and unchecked powers that are typically vested in leaders in the name of war. Those powers of secrecy, indefinite detention, mass surveillance, and due-process-free assassination are not going anywhere. They are now permanent fixtures not only in the US political system but, worse, in American political culture.

Now that's a rosy picture, isn't it?

And before any of you go blaming Bush (He's certainly got a lot of blame for this debacle for sure), you should see how Obama interprets his War Powers.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/1 ... 88420.html

I'll just let you all soak that up with no further comment.


Needless to say, a whole generation of Americans is going to grow up under all these new powers and never know any different. Never knowing what a thing like Peace is.


We don't need to know the who, or the why or the where, all we need to know is that it's vital that we keep this war going.

Vital for who?


Full Glen Greenwald article here-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... rror-obama

[Ray Rider]

And before any of you go blaming Bush (He's certainly got a lot of blame for this debacle for sure), you should see how Obama interprets his War Powers.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/1 ... 88420.html

I'll just let you all soak that up with no further comment.

Wow. Just. Wow. You never hear about this stuff; it's all drowned out in the clamor over controversial social issues like gun control, same sex marriage, and Obamacare.

[Woodruff]

Last Thursday, the Pentagon has admitted what we already know. That the war on terror will never end.

The war on terror was never supposed to end, the war is an end of and unto itself. Welcome to the State of Perpetual War and all the things that encompass such an endeavor.

Indeed. Thus the problem with a war on an idea.

As bad as all the other scandals are, this is far and away the worst of it all. We have embarked on a cycle of endless war.

I don't know that it's so much a scandal as it is simply poor planning and foresight. It should've been over once we eliminated the threat in Afghanistan (I'm not even convinced getting Osama was that critical, though it was a nice bonus), since we obviously weren't interested in helping the place get back on their feet.

The second term of the Bush administration and first five years of the Obama presidency have been devoted to codifying and institutionalizing the vast and unchecked powers that are typically vested in leaders in the name of war. Those powers of secrecy, indefinite detention, mass surveillance, and due-process-free assassination are not going anywhere. They are now permanent fixtures not only in the US political system but, worse, in American political culture.

I wonder if the conservatives on this site will decry how Glen Greenwald doesn't know anything, now that he's saying things like this? (He's actually been saying things like this for a very long time, but you know...he's a liberal, so he must be up to something) He is one of my favorite writers.

[Phatscotty]

Imagine how much power the next commander in chief will have

[Woodruff]

Imagine how much power the next commander in chief will have

Imagine voters who will continue demanding the status quo. Oh, no imagination necessary...voters like you did it last election.

[BigBallinStalin]

Imagine how much power the next commander in chief will have

Imagine voters who will continue demanding the status quo. Oh, no imagination necessary...voters like you did it last election.

But if we don't vote for Cool Guy #2 then Cool Guy #1 will get elected.

[Phatscotty]

Sorry about your thread Patches

[Woodruff]

Sorry about your thread Patches

You're sorry that everyone here seems to essentially agree with him?