• ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    I have a co-worker who fought in Vietnam. I showed him the thing about the Pentagon straight up admitting that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was bullshit, but he refused to accept it. Still feels that we had to fight that war because if we had allowed the communists to win, it would have meant that communism would have taken over the world … even though we actually did lose that war.

    • WhiteOakBayou@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      The “domino theory” of communism never played out the way they said it would. Just a waste of blood and treasure.

      • Kairos@lemmy.today
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        12 hours ago

        Any time someone brings up the draft I remind them the last time the U.S. did a draft it was for a war that they lost, and justified due to things that never actually happened after the U.S. lost.

        So basically the U.S. enslaved and sent tens of thousands of people to their deaths for no reason.

        • WhiteOakBayou@lemmy.world
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          12 hours ago

          They then abolished the draft due to public pressure but a little bit later started selective service registration just in case

          • schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works
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            11 hours ago

            Draftees make horrible soldiers, especially in unpopular wars which, lets be honest, have been all of the US’ military engagements since 1945. I think the military would rather do without them and the grenades that tend be dropped into the tents of sleeping COs.

            • MrVilliam@sh.itjust.works
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              2 hours ago

              My wife and I were talking about a draft for Iran and whether they would widen the age range they’re looking for and try to draft me. I said that if they tried, I would promise them that if they handed me a gun that I would use it to kill as many high ranking American officers as I could because I’m much more dangerous than a pacifist or conscientious objector; I will actively sabotage a war that I don’t believe in and that I’m forced to participate in. So I think they’d let me stay home. If you force me to give my life for a cause, I’m gonna be the one to pick the cause.

      • FlyingCircus@lemmy.world
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        12 hours ago

        Well it largely never played out because western capitalists spilled so much blood making sure it wouldn’t. If people had been free to decide for themselves, many more countries would have gone communist, as it has better outcomes for the majority of people than capitalism.