War and Politics

OK. First, let me say that I realize this conversation took place at a bar and people had been drinking for quite some time before this conversation started. I should have known better than to get involved in this conversation, but I jumped right in. It started off with someone saying they don't believe in the Marines. That's just a ludicrous statement. The Marines exist. We were able (with an ex-Marine present) to get him to agree that yes, the Marines exists, but he doesn't see the need for a military. His point was that everyone should be able to get along. Unrealistic, but at least it's a defensible position - sort of.

That's where it got interesting. Someone said that the whole reason we have war today is because of religion. While I can see how you can come to that conclusion, I think it's just surface analysis. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all start from the same place. The real reason for war is economics, pure and simple. Look at many of the great conflicts in history - the Crusades, the 100 Years War, the Seven Years War, the American Revolution, World War I and II and the conflicts of today. They are all about land and money.

As much as we'd like to think that the American Revolution was all about freedom, it wasn't. The original line in the Declaration of Independence wasn't that all people are entitled to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" it was they were entitled to "Life, Liberty and Property."

I realize this is kind of a diatribe about a bar conversation, but I was annoyed. As my uncle used to tell me, just follow the money trail. That's the root cause of the war.