As a retired veteran, I’d like to point out that this topic is a bit too complicated to summarize as “fine.”
The military industry itself with be fine. Heck, it may thrive! But the individuals who make up that military will definitely experience hardship along the way.
During Trump’s first term as president, he tried to ban trans people from serving with an executive order. Which he can do as Commander in Chief over the military. That order was very quickly shut down though, because we had a mostly Democrat government that pushed back against anything extreme he attempted that didn’t benefit both parties’ goals. He had his hands tied more than once, which is why his first term was relatively quiet. Back then, I was still serving and I remember our military leaders standing up to Trump on that order and making him back down.
During this second term though, Republicans have a majority in the federal government and have basically given Trump a blank check to do whatever he wants with little pushback. So trans people ARE banned now, and he’s replaced a bunch of high ranking generals with his own civilian yes men, giving them rank and authority without a career of military service or going through proper legal approval processes. The military leaders told him no once, so he’s replaced them with his own loyalists who won’t challenge his executive orders now.
Not to mention, with the push for ICE to round up anyone who’s (essentially) not white, we’re seeing military members and their families affected by that as well. There was a time when serving in our military was a sort of fast-track to citizenship. I worked with a guy once who was Brazilian, but by serving a term in the US military, he would earn his citizenship and get to stay in America. That’s going away under Trump’s new regime.
And Trump is talking about gaining access to voting records, which would just give him more incentive to target anyone who doesn’t vote Republican. Everyone, military or not, will be affected if it comes to that. Being an active service member as our country falls to fascism isn’t a free pass; if you don’t believe in the new order, you’re going to be targeted and, at best, kicked out. At worst, you could be labeled a terrorist threat to our nation and “disappeared” to Guantanamo Bay.
Also, as a 100% disabled veteran, I’m only retired now because my VA pay and benefits can cover my meager and quiet lifestyle without taking on another job. But if Trump has his way, my benefits will be a fraction of what they are (if not removed completely), and I’d be forced to find work to survive.
Military members (and especially veterans) will suffer. But the military industrial complex will be fine.
But Tsarist Russia, the USSR and modern Russia all believed themselves to be Russians, living in Russia.
The USSR was a system, countries change, but it was all Russia. You said “read a book my dude” (which was a lame thing to say)… But if you were to take your own advice and picked up a book on the history of RUSSIA (the country)… It would include all these era as sections of that book.
Because they’re all parts of the history, of the country called Russia. It didn’t disappear just because it changed. It’s a landmass.
So maybe take your own advice here. Pick up a book on the country… See that it’s still there “my dude”. 😎
Here’s my exact statement from my comment which this thread is a child of:
“Country’s don’t disappear so easily.”
You want to talk to OP about the “American Empire”… And how you all want it to stick around and keep invading countries for oil. That’s your call, but it doesn’t relate to the above statement.
You can have your own thread about that, but my statement was about countries. Not empires.
Yes, the dollar remains entrenched. Yes, military dominance buys time. But the accumulation of social fragmentation, institutional decay, global distrust and unchecked corporate influence isn’t new or far from inconsequential.
The narrative of being a corrupt “democracy” (that’s really a plutocracy), which lives mostly by having the largest military industrial complex in the world and invading smaller resource rich nations?
You think THAT narrative is about to fall apart? How so?
As far as empires go, it’s not even an original narrative. It’s how most Empires have acted.
I mean you guys have always been manifest destiny, America’s the best place on earth, gerrymandering, money is votes, corporations are people, donations are political free speech, loud, assholes. What are you saying is going to change?
Nazis held a rally in Madison Square Garden once. Gitmo held people in cages, set dogs on people, did water boarding torture, then even more extreme torture was done via extraordinary rendition.
The patriot act changed people’s rights, invaded people’s privacy, as did PRISM. Obama killed American citizens, as did the Move Bombing.
America has done lots of stuff like this before, lots of it’s been ongoing since before Trump… For instance Border Patrol existing in a grey area of legality, and having basically no oversight.
The US dollar can’t readily be replaced as reserve currency.
Nixon took the USD off the gold standard over a banking holiday. It may not be replaced but if trade goes on a gold exchange, which seems like BRICS might do, it can happen fast.
Gold isn’t a feasible world reserve currency. It might be handy to have, but most people don’t have it. Where as the number of US bills in global circulation (M0) is so large, that any country wishing to print/distribute enough of their currency to replace it - would automatically depreciate that currency many times over.
The world uses the US dollar as the reserve currency because it already got everywhere, it’s already out there in people’s hands in the strangest of places. Mostly where borders meet, and instability exist.
America’s hard power would have to decline far far far faster than it currently is… and I can’t think of what would make that happen. Maybe if Trump passes a law that all US military vehicles have to be dismantled and destroyed? Outside of that, the US dollar as the reserve currency will likely remain.
Also BRICS may not have enough gold in reserve to back their currencies, and it’s unlikely so many countries would all agree to risk that instability all at once. So I don’t agree with your idea that “it can happen fast”.
…all that said, America’s real problem is that it probably doesn’t have a democracy anymore. Like, unless participation and protest numbers go through roof - that part of America may be… damaged beyond repair. That’s what citizens should be focusing on.
I think the idea that America was always “On top of the world, world’s number 1 best at everything” has always been a joke. Different countries are “the best in the world” at different things. Like, look up any list on Wikipedia “by country” and maybe you’ll get that.
If you’re still spouting “But America was best in the world at everything” nonsense - you’re probably lost… and it’s probably all just about Americans losing their illusions about American greatness.
America is great, but lots of people wouldn’t want to live there, and it’s far from being the world’s number 1 at everything.
Neither. The US dollar can’t readily be replaced as reserve currency.
The US Military sector will be fine.
You’ve done shitty things before, and had various states of psuedo fascism before.
US debt has always been meaningless (little more than a political buggaboo).
…and you’ve lost the world’s respect before by voting in idiots, stripping away rights, and destroying minorities.
Nothing particularly new is happening.
Country’s don’t disappear so easily.
The US going full-on German Reich is new.
As a retired veteran, I’d like to point out that this topic is a bit too complicated to summarize as “fine.”
The military industry itself with be fine. Heck, it may thrive! But the individuals who make up that military will definitely experience hardship along the way.
During Trump’s first term as president, he tried to ban trans people from serving with an executive order. Which he can do as Commander in Chief over the military. That order was very quickly shut down though, because we had a mostly Democrat government that pushed back against anything extreme he attempted that didn’t benefit both parties’ goals. He had his hands tied more than once, which is why his first term was relatively quiet. Back then, I was still serving and I remember our military leaders standing up to Trump on that order and making him back down.
During this second term though, Republicans have a majority in the federal government and have basically given Trump a blank check to do whatever he wants with little pushback. So trans people ARE banned now, and he’s replaced a bunch of high ranking generals with his own civilian yes men, giving them rank and authority without a career of military service or going through proper legal approval processes. The military leaders told him no once, so he’s replaced them with his own loyalists who won’t challenge his executive orders now.
Not to mention, with the push for ICE to round up anyone who’s (essentially) not white, we’re seeing military members and their families affected by that as well. There was a time when serving in our military was a sort of fast-track to citizenship. I worked with a guy once who was Brazilian, but by serving a term in the US military, he would earn his citizenship and get to stay in America. That’s going away under Trump’s new regime.
And Trump is talking about gaining access to voting records, which would just give him more incentive to target anyone who doesn’t vote Republican. Everyone, military or not, will be affected if it comes to that. Being an active service member as our country falls to fascism isn’t a free pass; if you don’t believe in the new order, you’re going to be targeted and, at best, kicked out. At worst, you could be labeled a terrorist threat to our nation and “disappeared” to Guantanamo Bay.
Also, as a 100% disabled veteran, I’m only retired now because my VA pay and benefits can cover my meager and quiet lifestyle without taking on another job. But if Trump has his way, my benefits will be a fraction of what they are (if not removed completely), and I’d be forced to find work to survive.
Military members (and especially veterans) will suffer. But the military industrial complex will be fine.
Tell that to the USSR
Never heard of it
Russia is still on the map… before the USSR was the Tsar… but it was still Russia the whole time, and it’s still Russia today.
America ain’t going anywhere.
Russia is not the USSR. Read a history book my dude. The USSR was much more than just Russia.
But Tsarist Russia, the USSR and modern Russia all believed themselves to be Russians, living in Russia.
The USSR was a system, countries change, but it was all Russia. You said “read a book my dude” (which was a lame thing to say)… But if you were to take your own advice and picked up a book on the history of RUSSIA (the country)… It would include all these era as sections of that book.
Because they’re all parts of the history, of the country called Russia. It didn’t disappear just because it changed. It’s a landmass.
So maybe take your own advice here. Pick up a book on the country… See that it’s still there “my dude”. 😎
Is Italy the same thing as the Roman Empire?
Here’s my exact statement from my comment which this thread is a child of:
“Country’s don’t disappear so easily.”
You want to talk to OP about the “American Empire”… And how you all want it to stick around and keep invading countries for oil. That’s your call, but it doesn’t relate to the above statement.
You can have your own thread about that, but my statement was about countries. Not empires.
Countries like actual landmasses with coordinates and stuff? I don’t think that was ever really in question.
So now we’ve established the comment was about countries, and you don’t need to question it… I guess we’re done here then 👍
Yes, the dollar remains entrenched. Yes, military dominance buys time. But the accumulation of social fragmentation, institutional decay, global distrust and unchecked corporate influence isn’t new or far from inconsequential.
Oh yeah, your democracy is fucked. But you asked about the “American Empire”, which has hardly been about having a strong democracy.
In fact, in many ways Empire and Democracy are opposing forces.
Plenty of Empires have been undemocratic (you won’t be the first). So is your question about Empire, or Democracy now?
Empire and democracy often clash. The U.S. has long sold itself as both. If the democratic side collapses the whole narrative falls apart.
America is barely a democracy, you either choose Democrats or Republicans.
Both of them are horrible options, one clearly far worse than the other, but both suck.
In practice you have one more government to choose from than a dictatorship
The narrative of being a corrupt “democracy” (that’s really a plutocracy), which lives mostly by having the largest military industrial complex in the world and invading smaller resource rich nations?
You think THAT narrative is about to fall apart? How so?
As far as empires go, it’s not even an original narrative. It’s how most Empires have acted.
I mean you guys have always been manifest destiny, America’s the best place on earth, gerrymandering, money is votes, corporations are people, donations are political free speech, loud, assholes. What are you saying is going to change?
Cracks are widening. Empires don’t fall for being corrupt, they fall when the cost of holding it all together stops being worth it.
Oh you think it’s costing Trump and his cohorts too much money to be worth it anymore?
I don’t think so - I think they’ve all massively increased their wealth whilst in office. So what cost are you talking about?
You’d be surprised… no, you’d be shocked :)
I read that in Trump’s voice.
I dunno man. I’m not very old but it seems like lots of shit is happening now that has never happened here.
I’m probably older than you:
Nazis held a rally in Madison Square Garden once. Gitmo held people in cages, set dogs on people, did water boarding torture, then even more extreme torture was done via extraordinary rendition.
The patriot act changed people’s rights, invaded people’s privacy, as did PRISM. Obama killed American citizens, as did the Move Bombing.
America has done lots of stuff like this before, lots of it’s been ongoing since before Trump… For instance Border Patrol existing in a grey area of legality, and having basically no oversight.
Nixon took the USD off the gold standard over a banking holiday. It may not be replaced but if trade goes on a gold exchange, which seems like BRICS might do, it can happen fast.
Gold isn’t a feasible world reserve currency. It might be handy to have, but most people don’t have it. Where as the number of US bills in global circulation (M0) is so large, that any country wishing to print/distribute enough of their currency to replace it - would automatically depreciate that currency many times over.
The world uses the US dollar as the reserve currency because it already got everywhere, it’s already out there in people’s hands in the strangest of places. Mostly where borders meet, and instability exist.
America’s hard power would have to decline far far far faster than it currently is… and I can’t think of what would make that happen. Maybe if Trump passes a law that all US military vehicles have to be dismantled and destroyed? Outside of that, the US dollar as the reserve currency will likely remain.
Also BRICS may not have enough gold in reserve to back their currencies, and it’s unlikely so many countries would all agree to risk that instability all at once. So I don’t agree with your idea that “it can happen fast”.
…all that said, America’s real problem is that it probably doesn’t have a democracy anymore. Like, unless participation and protest numbers go through roof - that part of America may be… damaged beyond repair. That’s what citizens should be focusing on.
All of those things remain true until one day they don’t. Do you really think that the United States and its position on top of the world is eternal?
I think the idea that America was always “On top of the world, world’s number 1 best at everything” has always been a joke. Different countries are “the best in the world” at different things. Like, look up any list on Wikipedia “by country” and maybe you’ll get that.
If you’re still spouting “But America was best in the world at everything” nonsense - you’re probably lost… and it’s probably all just about Americans losing their illusions about American greatness.
America is great, but lots of people wouldn’t want to live there, and it’s far from being the world’s number 1 at everything.
As far as I know, it is just a whole lot of ice there…