The Chrysanthemum and the Sword

Cross posting from a Bookworm comment section. Mostly because of this link, I wanted to save. It is a very nice book about Japanense culture, which I think is a way to acquire wisdom about the current war as well. Here is also a relevant link to Blackfive, concerning a subject I brought up below. People are fed up with the passive Bush administration and US High Command. They have enough loyalty and dignity not to openly attack Bush because of their disgust and distaste, but it is only barely. And it is of course, a recommendation for America, not for Bush, that Americans are still so restrained and polite. What is funny is that there's another book, with a reversed title. Sword and the Chrysanthemum

I get confused about it as well, don't worry.
****

I’m listening to Duncan Hunter on Fox right now, and he knows his stuff. Chairman of the Armed Services Committe.

Hunter not only has good points, but his delivery is spot on.

Such things as America recovered from the 9/11 economic hit, and such things as going into Japan and Germany, setting up a free government, and then leaving. Iraq isn’t some new fancy thing America has never done before.

The only thing I would disagree on, is that we didn’t leave Germany and Japan, which Hunter implied and claimed that we did for the last step. 3 steps. Invade then setup free gov. Get military up to protect gov and people. Leave. Japan didn’t have a military because we were their military by agreement, and the German military is on and off again. Our bases are still there, and a big part of our projected force.

So what we are doing in Iraq isn’t new, but it isn’t the same old same old any idiot could do, like the Democrats implied.

In Iraq we are creating a real military. Defined as a force that is combat tested, blooded, and hardcore for the fighting. Not what we did in Germany and Japan. America doesn’t want to leave Iraq, America wants to win, winning as defined as “the enemy becomes obliterated and is unable or unwilling to kill Americans”. Whether that means you kill 90% of the enemy or 10%, doesn’t really matter to Americans. Just that you do it. So this means America has to use all the knowledge we learned from Japan and Germany, and apply it to the new challenge in Iraq. Government programs should be setup to study how America dealt with Japan and so forth, get the Vietnam guys back as well, we want to know their stuff as well. Bush should get on the stump and talk about how important it is for every American and servicemember to read The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, a government funded research book. In fact, he should send free copies out, and get it out on the net. America hungers for new ideas, to combat the miasma of media propaganda and depression out of Iraq. The hunger is so great it is beginning to consume whatever is available.

The less Bush talks about killing the enemy, the lower his polls get. Just natural. Bush talks about how he knows his job is to protect America. No, Bush, stop talking about protection, instead start talking about how many people you are going to execute and blow up, that threaten America. That is what Americans want to hear, that is what we need when we see American casualties.

“Dead or Alive, Osama bin Laden”. Either you’re with us, in which you will be alive, or you are against us in which we will invade and kill you. That is what Americans want.

Link

Sure, people have problems with the Republicans. But as Americans, their duty is to find better solutions if they do not like the current ones. They betray not only their duty to themselves, but their entire nation, by being wanton children interested more in instant gratification than survival.

This Hunter guy had the gall to tell Bush to send in all the Iraq battalions to fight in Baghdad, on the basis that more fights/battles equals a better military force. How dare he offer good advice when the Democrats are busy confusing Bush and making Bush waste his energy on their interests.

Comment by Ymarsakar | October 29, 2006