Lucy, I’m very sorry for your loss of your brother.I can’t begin to understand the hurt and pain of not being able to touch him one last time and the pain of your father for his son. I also can’t begin to understand what you went through in helping your father with his grieving.
It is fortunate that Bidet didn’t have to face your family after his incompetent Afghanistan withdrawal which was a complete slap in the face to all of the families of fallen loved ones.
My deepest condolences to you and all of your family for his loss for NOTHING. I hope your brother is with GOD looks upon his family every day.
GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY,
beadencup49, SSGT , CAVALRY SCOUT ,US ARMY RETIRED
I re wrote this to be more meaningful and with a teary eye.
Lucy, I’m very sorry to hear you lost your brother in combat .I sense the agonizing pain you feel in your post .God bless him and your family . 
We wasted many American soldiers lives to make others RICH . Those conflicts were never about good vs evil but about the dollars and in Bush’s case his fucking ego .
So what are we about to start WW3 over ? Who actually has the most to gain here ? There is an estimated 120 billion barrels of OIL and 450 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the South China Sea .
There is close to $5.2 trillion worth of trade passing through the S China Sea , we account for about 1 trillion of that $5.2 . So lets see who are the largest exporters in that area ……….
- China - $880 billion
- South Korea $250 billion
- Singapore $215 billion
- Thailand $170 billion
- Vietnam $160 billion
- Japan $145 billion
- Hong Kong $142 billion
- Indonesia $125 billion
- Germany $120 billion
- Malaysia $110 billion
Again what are we about to start WW3 for ? Most of the goods passing through are goods we import mostly from , you guess it , CHINA !!! Let those scumbags at the UN handle these matters , we all know they are brought and paid for by China we simply donate the most and get dumped on at every turn . I’m like you I sick and tire of WAR , if that even what we call conflicts that we never really want to win . When the enemy enters our Country we go to full scale WAR not half ass bullshit and I want those mother fucking in Congress and the Senate and their children , grandkids on the front lines with the grunts . We shouldn’t be so quick to send our brave troops out to fight for some rich bastard . Once we start to make our own shit again we won’t have to worry about fucking shipping lanes or shit ass Countries .
120 billion barrels of OIL and 450 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the South China Sea (clue)
Just how will China "insist " ? By invading Taiwan ? Is that a concern of OURS ? WHY ?
Perhaps you need to see the REAL reasons those in Washington are beating the drums . Learn to be self-sufficient and we need not worry about shipping lanes that OTHERS fucking use the most . Stop import crap from shit hole Countries that operate with slave labor and no environmental restrictions and pollute the earth . We cry about a living wage and $15 an hour to flip a fucking burger , yet we are all ok with some 13 year old working 10 hours a day for less that a quarter an hour . And we say fuck them I want cheap products , So fuck Taiwan and China let the fucking UN do something .
You’re preaching to the choir, brother. My “if China insists” comment was more or less tongue in cheek, even if it didn’t come off that way.
I also don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that China could want a conflict with the USA down the road. I would hope not, but with the way things in this world are right now…
Yes sir I do. The United States did great harm to Latin America for a century all in the name of standing against communism.
I realize that you and I are just having a debate on this subject and that you’re not the one who will decide whether or not America is going to go to war with China in the name of containing communism again. But I’m satisfied that you’ve never once read one of the Pentagon’s reports to congress on China’s military capabilities and likely won’t ever.
But I am one who has and does, and am quite concerned about the prospects of America getting its ass kicked by China, who is now aligned with Russia and Iran, whereas in your bullheadedness to “take on communism” you seem completely unwilling to acknowledge the grave dangers it posses….
That’s just wrong, the wasted losses in Afghanistan occurred over the course of 20 years with a trillion dollars wasted and 1,921 US soldiers killed, 20,752 wounded, 18 CIA operatives killed and 1,822 US civilian contractors killed…
We gained NOTHING for this investment over 20 years….
Why did Biden leave so many behind to get killed?
My God , one doesn’t have to be a fucking genius to see we are NOT 10% the military force we were even 20 years ago . Those entering our military services today are NOT there to fight but more likely looking for a date . 
the PLA’s objective is to become a “world-class” military by the end of 2049—a
goal first announced by General Secretary Xi Jinping in 2017. China will develop a military by mid-century that is equal to—or in some cases superior to—the U.S.
military, or that of any other great power that the PRC views as a threat.
China has already achieved parity with—or even exceeded—the United States in several military
modernization areas, including:
Shipbuilding: The PRC has the largest navy in the world, with an overall battle force of
approximately 350 ships and submarines including over 130 major surface combatants. In
comparison, the U.S. Navy’s battle force is approximately 293 ships as of early 2020.
Land-based conventional ballistic and cruise missiles: The PRC has more than 1,250 groundlaunched ballistic missiles (GLBMs) and ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) with ranges
between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. The United States currently fields one type of conventional
GLBM with a range of 70 to 300 kilometers and no GLCMs
Integrated air defense systems: The PRC has one of the world’s largest forces of advanced longrange surface-to-air systems—including Russian-built S-400s, S-300s, and domestically produced
systems—that constitute part of its robust and redundant integrated air defense system
architecture
The PLA’s evolving capabilities and concepts continue to strengthen the PRC’s ability to counter
an intervention by an adversary in the Indo-Pacific region and project power globally.
The People’s Liberation Army Army (PLAA) is the largest standing ground force in the world.
In 2019, the PLAA continued to transition into a modern, mobile, and lethal ground force by
fielding upgraded combat systems and communications equipment and enhancing its ability to
conduct and manage complex combined-arms and joint operations.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)—the largest navy in the world—is an
increasingly modern and flexible force that has focused on replacing previous generations of
platforms with limited capabilities in favor of larger, modern multi-role combatants. As of 2019,
the PLAN is largely composed of modern multi-role platforms featuring advanced anti-ship, antiair, and anti-submarine weapons and sensors.
Naval Shipbuilding and Modernization: The PLAN remains engaged in a robust
shipbuilding and modernization program that includes submarines, surface combatants,
amphibious warfare ships, aircraft carriers, and auxiliary ships as well as developing and
fielding advanced weapons, sensors, and command and control capabilities
China seeks to become a leader in key technologies with military potential, such as AI, autonomous
systems, advanced computing, quantum information sciences, biotechnology, and advanced
materials and manufacturing. China’s implementation of AI and a quantum communication
network demonstrates the speed and scale with which it intends to deploy certain emerging
technologies.
Blah ,blah ,blah . China can place 1,400,000,000 on the ground to defend their Country , our ground forces can shoot for 30 years and not kill them all !!!
So bottom line fuck Taiwan , it’s the UN’s concern and we know what the UN will do besides take a huge chunk of US taxpayer money . 
Bush administration has been unable to produce any evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. It is increasingly obvious that the entire basis on which the White House and the American media “sold” the war was a lie. A FUCKING LIE !!!
So the next fucking lie that could destroy the planet will be protect those shipping lanes from those Chinese bastards , pay no attention to the man behind the curtain , just die for the cause . 
120 billion barrels of OIL and 450 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the South China Sea . 
Unification of the two is part of the Chinese constitution. It’s an inevitability and besides it being none of America’s business, we are incapable of preventing it.
Actually the administration sold the lie provided by the CIA establishment.
The more interesting thing is the assessment was available the CIA web site but the old link is now inactive.
What’s particularly troubling to me is that Americans seem never to learn any lessons when it comes to war and the bullshit that the government feeds us with regards to alleged threats. And virtually all news media presents a united front on any push for war. I don’t know what all the reasons are for that, but too many news agencies are financially invested in the defense industry and I don’t think that should be allowed.
The U.S. cut its formal diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1979, when it formally recognized the Beijing government.
This right here is welcome by you I know, but is extremely troubling to me……
There has NEVER been a war or conflict were the rich didn’t gain and our brave troops died !!!
NO MORE !!!
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. would continue to provide Taiwan "the sorts of capabilities that it needs to defend itself."
IT NEEDS TO DEFEND ITSELF !!!
IT NEEDS TO DEFEND ITSELF !!!
IT NEEDS TO DEFEND ITSELF !!!
DEFEND ITSELF
DEFEND ITSELF
DEFEND ITSELF
I’m totally beside myself , I can NOT fucking believe we agree , world will collide , the universe will explode … 
Perhaps if we continue to poke our nose where it does not belong. These commandos that we have in Taiwan training their military are not consistent with our no formal agreement to defend them…
Communist China’s miliary budget isn’t constrained as ours is . They can spend almost unlimited amounts of money without caring how it affects the people.
What weapons the can’t develop, they steal the technology instead.
The US spent 10 times the amount of money on its military as the next 10 competitors combined for decades. Now that has significantly changed in the last 15 years as China began to improve and modernize its military and build its own blue water navy following the US’s illegitimate invasion of Iraq. However, we are still outspending China 3 to 1 as our 2020 budget was 767 billion to their 245 billion……
It’s not a matter of funding at this point….
Does China allow trannys in the military?
That my friend is a two way street, always has been….
One colonel in an artillery regiment said: “In China, homosexuality is not possible in the army, unlike in the West. The conditions of the army are very hard and gay people would not be able to accept that. Maybe it is possible that someone is gay, but it would not be possible to be [openly gay].”