ch.annel2-i.s-n.ow-a.ngry

But this really gets me. From the Wall St. Journal:  

As the scale of the economic crisis becomes clear and comparisons to the Great Depression of the 1930s are tossed around, there is a very real danger that America could succumb to the feeling that we no longer have the luxury of worrying about distant lands, now that we are confronted with a “real” problem that actually affects the lives of all Americans. As we consider whether various bailout plans help Main Street as well as Wall Street, the subtext is that both are much more important to Americans than Haifa Street.

One problem with this emotion is that it ignores the sequel to the Great Depression — the rise of militaristic Japan marked by the 1931 invasion of Manchuria, and Hitler’s rise to power in Germany in 1933, both of which resulted in part from economic dislocations spreading outward from the U.S. The inward-focus of the U.S. and the leading Western powers (Great Britain and France) throughout the 1930s allowed these problems to metastasize, ultimately leading to World War II.

Is it possible that American inattention to the world in the coming years could lead to a similarly devastating result? You betcha.

Do people really still believe there are countries out there that want to attack us for being us, and not for us killing people day in day out in foreign countries? The only security situation this chump describes is one of our own making. He forgot to mention the rampant inflation (a loaf of bread cost in the billion of Deutschmarks at the time), and ultra-liberal lassiez-faire democracy that was prevalent in Germany at the time. Also, he forgot to mention the absolutely insanity of Hitler - as bad as al Qaeda may be, at least they have only called to wipe out our way of life - not our entire race.

And I’ll tell you this - once we stop giving al Qaeda an excuse to attack us (i.e. not fucking around in middle eastern countries’ affairs we have no business being in anyway) they’ll have a really hard time convincing people to go die for them. “Kill the great satan! They drink lattes and drive cars!” “But, praise allah, why should we die for them to not drink coffee?” “They… dress funny!”

I mean, think about how hard it is to get your average citizen to vote. It takes a lot to get a guy to kill himself to kill you, they have to really think there is something at stake. Once we stop militarily intervening, what could they possible have to recruit with?