Re: War

[Jeffrey Goldberg <{$news}$@goldmark.org>]

On Sep 11, 2001 David Buttery <davidbutteryANTISPAM@yahoo.co.uk> wrote
   in <Xns911A2566C4F3davidbutteryyahoouk@130.133.1.4>:

> Webfoot <richard@freeze.fsworld.co.uk> wrote on 11 Sep 2001:
>
> > I dont think war is any answer. Plus the americans have never won a
> > war

> What? 1776, 1812, 1918, 1945?

1776:  Would have lost without France.

1812:  The US lost that war (at Waterloo), but the winner didn't have much
   interest in the US by then, and so only look parts of Maine and added
   them to Canada.

1918, 1945:  Those involved big alliances.  The US was on the winning
  side, but it is hard to say that the US won those wars.

For wars that the US did win, I would say:  Mexican/American war, Spanish
American war, Gulf war (yes, there was an alliance, but overwhelmingly US
effort.  And yes the US lost the post-war efforts), Kosovo.

I have no strong feelings about this issue.  I just thought that both
sides in that discussion were talking nonsense.  (PS:  Europeans might
like to know that Americans are taught about "the war of 1812" as if it
had nothing to do with what was going on in Europe then.)

-j


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Jeffrey Goldberg
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