"Mike Lindo" wrote:

(snip) The European countries and also
Japan do not spend a large percentage
on defense because they are depending
on the U.S. to pull their, "chestnuts out
of the fire", if anything comes up. (snip)


It angers me to see people in this country trashing Germany, Italy, and
Japan for not spending enough on defense. These countries have little choice
in the matter. The United States, with allies, set limits on the size and
character of their militaries following WWII. As such, it would take
significant changes to their laws to increase the size and capabilities of
their militaries (changes that would not likely be accepted by the USA, past
allies, or neighboring countries).

As for the other countries, both the UK and France have nuclear weapons
and can defend themselves, Switzerland and Sweden are long time neutrals,
Norway is a quasi-neutral, Spain is a quasi-neutral, Portugal is a
quasi-neutral, Austria is a quasi-neutral, and Russia still has one of the
largest militaries in the world. In the end, only the Netherlands, Denmark,
and Belgium are weak on defense, and that only because their populations are
too small to support a larger military.

So, if you want to see Germany, Italy, and Japan rearm, the people you
should be talking to are sitting in Washington. However, these are
independent countries with world views very different than our own. As such,
don't expect any more support for our global ambitions after these countries
rearm. Indeed, those renewed militaries may turn out to be a threat to those
ambitions.


Dwight Stewart (W5NET)

http://www.qsl.net/w5net/

I don't think that that's the whole picture. Those countries use that as an
excuse not to participate in more peace keeping duties, in which the U.S.
has to fill the gaps, by these countries lack of full participation.
Changes in their laws probably will not happen due to their peoples lack of
willingness to participate in cleaning out the "rat nests" of the world. At
least until a few planes drop in an kill a few thousands of their citizens!


"Dwight Stewart" wrote in message
link.net...

It angers me to see people in this country trashing Germany, Italy, and
Japan for not spending enough on defense. These countries have little
choice
in the matter. The United States, with allies, set limits on the size and
character of their militaries following WWII. As such, it would take
significant changes to their laws to increase the size and capabilities of
their militaries (changes that would not likely be accepted by the USA,
past
allies, or neighboring countries).

Dwight Stewart (W5NET)

http://www.qsl.net/w5net/

You demonstrate this regularly.

"Mike Lindo" wrote in message
om...

I don't think

Is that all you can say in your response? Nothing of substance?

Enough of this! This subject is off topic anyway. Goodbye.

--
"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle
behind each blade of grass." --Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto


"CW" wrote in message
...
You demonstrate this regularly.

"Mike Lindo" wrote in message
om...

I don't think

I quoted the only meaningful thing you have said. Welcome to my kill file.


"Mike Lindo" wrote in message
m...
Is that all you can say in your response? Nothing of substance?

Enough of this! This subject is off topic anyway. Goodbye.

--
"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle
behind each blade of grass." --Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto


"CW" wrote in message
...
You demonstrate this regularly.

"Mike Lindo" wrote in message
om...

I don't think

"Mike Lindo" wrote:
I don't think that that's the whole picture.
Those countries use that as an excuse not
to participate in more peace keeping duties,
in which the U.S. has to fill the gaps, by
these countries lack of full participation.
Changes in their laws probably will not
happen due to their peoples lack of
willingness to participate in cleaning out the
"rat nests" of the world. At least until a few
planes drop in an kill a few thousands of
their citizens!


What do you expect from them, Mike? Following WWII, we fed them a daily
diet of propaganda saying war is wrong. It shouldn't be too surprising that
they're now opposed to wars. We got what we asked for and are now
complaining about it.


Dwight Stewart (W5NET)

http://www.qsl.net/w5net/

War is wrong! That is, if the purpose is just to gain land, resources,
power, etcetera. Now, if the war was to free an enslaved, murdered, and
tortured people, would that not be a good enough reason for war? Are we to
go back to pre World War II where we ignored the millions that were being
persecuted and sent to concentration camps? Oh well, so much for this off
topic stuff. Probably ticked off too many people already. Killfiled too
g. Later Dwight.

Mike Lindo
KG6IOC


"Dwight Stewart" wrote in message
nk.net...


What do you expect from them, Mike? Following WWII, we fed them a daily
diet of propaganda saying war is wrong. It shouldn't be too surprising
that
they're now opposed to wars. We got what we asked for and are now
complaining about it.


Dwight Stewart (W5NET)

http://www.qsl.net/w5net/