Staying ouf of it

WHEN SEPTEMBER rolls around each year, people begin to think about the end of summer, football, returning to school. In 1939, after september 1, the world was thinking about war. Germany had invaded Poland, France and England had declared war on Germany, and the world was wondering what would happen next, how big the war would become, how long it would last, how many would die.

Except in america. Over in our neck of the woods, people  were thinking about football and the advent of autumn as usual. For two years and three months, world war two raged in europe, a largely one sided affair in which Hitler conquered one country at at time, without much resistance, and the american people regarded it all with only distant curiosity.

The american people, for all their intelligence and compassion, didn't seem to care about this new war.. The memory of world war one was too recent, the great depression was still in full swing, though economic conditions in the U.S. were significantly better than they had been in the nineteen thirties; there was simply too much to be concerned with at home, let the europeans deal with their own problems.

The average american citizen simply did not see anything happening in europe as a direct threat to the united states. Prosperous nations, like prosperous people, for the most part do not want to be troubled with the troubles of others. And even though in 1939 the economic collapse in america was now in its tenth year, there was still faith that soon it would become much better, and eventually return to normal.

America was basically a successful, prosperous nation, and would be so again, if left alone to solve its own problems. The idea that involvement in a massive war would stimulate the american economy and return it to full health was not given serious consideration anywhere, although this is exactly what would ultimately happen.

The French and English begged for help, all through 1940 and 1941, the united states responded with "lend - lease", assisting with material support, but, until pearl harbor, isolation, which has always been characteristic of the american people, prevailed. To risk american lives in foreign wars was unacceptable. 

President Roosevelt, who knoew that war was inevitable, became so desperate that he felt he had no choice but to prod a potential enemy, such as japan, into attacking, which he did. 

The american people are no less isolationist now than they were then. Without the world trade center attack, american foreign military involvement would be considerably less. And for those among us who understand that maintaining a world wide military power with a nation trillions of dollars in debt is not sustainable, have heart: fundamental american isolationism will one day bring most american military assets and commitments home, hopefully, before it is too late.

Bb

Please show THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS! thanks!


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