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mollydrew's avatar

What is important enough to go to war to defend?

Asked by mollydrew (641points) August 14th, 2010

I was thinking about how a country will defend their boarders, their resourses, their beliefs by using force, going to war. How important theses “things” are that you will defend them to your death. As a mother with the all too real knowledge that my child will go to war I have been wondering what is important enough?

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23 Answers

Winters's avatar

to each their own reason/ beliefs. everyone has their own reasons or beliefs for what is worth fighting for. Believe it or not, several people simply want war to protect their financial assets.

TexasDude's avatar

I would fight like a motherfucker if the US was ever invaded en masse by a belligerent invader.

Outside of self-defense, my views on what constitutes a just war are rather complicated, so I’ll just throw out the abstract concepts of freedom and human dignity.

Pandora's avatar

As a mother, I don’t think there is anything more valuable than my sons life. However I bore him and now he is grown. It is his life to choose what he deems important to protect with his life. I may not agree that their is anything more valuable but he has the freedom to determine that for himself. It is not my place to say. He has his own set of morals and beliefs to follow.

Ron_C's avatar

If we fail to defend our borders, we lose the right to be considered a country. When we are attacked by a country like Japan and Pearl Harbor, we should go to war. The 9–11 incident deserved a “Police Action” unfortunately, we attacked the wrong country.

We shouldn’t have gotten involved in WW1, it had nothing to do with us and our involvement in WW1 forced our involvement in WW2. Korea, Vietnam, Granada, and the Noriega incident were either caused by us being dragged into a conflict by a multinational corporation or covering up for CIA drug dealing and underhanded deplomacy. Sometimes we just go to war to distract the country from the actions of president and congress.

Winters's avatar

Actually i appreciate that we went into Korea, otherwise my cute little baby bro would not exist.

Ron_C's avatar

@Winters I like the Koreans and have been there for work. I can’t help wondering if we had not become involved, would that crazy bastard be in charge in the north?

Dr_Lawrence's avatar

Apparently, the supply of oil, the power to intimidate and control other countries with different cultures and faiths and the best interests of the energy and military supplies corporations are what America believes is worth the lives of young men and women.

Whatever lies and deceptions it takes to get them to sign up and keep them in servitude is what the government has used in the past.

The soldiers serve with honour and have been treated with disrespect. America’s current wars began shamefully and so far the mission has been unrealistic and poorly defined.

The question posed is a worthy one and should have been honestly asked and answered before all this misguided foolishness began.

Winters's avatar

World domination, what 1st world country has not attempted that at one point or another?

Vincent_Lloyd's avatar

Wow a serious question to ask to me…I would only go so far without doing physical contact on a person to defend who I love or who I care for. But War is different for me…using Fire Arms against one another I can’t. Although using weapons (like swords or a stick or what ever) I can. I’m not sure if this relates…

Kraigmo's avatar

If the country is ruled or attacked by authoritarians or mobsters, then the warrior class should go to war against the establishment and/or the invaders. That’s why it’s so important to educate our warriors. And share our weed with them.

Any invader out to take freedom away should be attacked. (But if by rare chance an invader offers more freedom, then cool, I’ll take it).

Mamradpivo's avatar

What’s important enough to go to war to defend? My bucket, that’s what.

mollydrew's avatar

I do know the price of freedom and respect that price. I was raised in a military family U.S.M.C. I know there are situations that require force, that require war. I know these things until my child came of age, made a choice, and my heart took control of my thoughts. MY CHILD IS MORE IMPORTANT TO ME THAN ANYTHING. So, I brought this question to you, because it is all I am thinking about.

Pandora's avatar

My husband is retired from the USMC as well. My children were military brats and for many years he was determined not to go that route. However, nothing else seem to fit. He is now in the USAF and loving it. He believes in their missions and what it all stands for. I was not happy when he told me he was going to join but I know he went in with his eyes wide open. I think people have to find honor however they deem fit.
Do I worry yes. Nothing is more important to me than my childrens lives but their happiness. I have to trust that this is what he was meant to do. And I’m proud that he is following his own convictions.
As a mother you never know how long you have with any of your children. It can be war, random killing, car accident, illness any number of things, that takes them away from you. Some more senseless than war. So all I can hope for is that they survive longer than me and that they experience life for all its glory with no regrets and that I prepared them well enough for the bad days ahead.

AC's avatar

Freedom.

Frenchfry's avatar

I would hate to lose the freedom. Look at the countries who don’t have any or little. Look how the women especially are treated. I would defend it to the death. I would be proud to. My stepson and step daughter are in the military. I would hate to lose them but I am very proud of them and grateful.

mollydrew's avatar

Pandora, thank you, your words are what I was looking for. I needed to hear that it is ok to feel the way I feel. -mollydrew

Ron_C's avatar

The only reason we should go to war would be a direct attack on our country, its possessions or a massive attack on our citizens living outside the country by another country. If any of these attacks are carried out by individuals or terrorist organizations, we need to find them and punish them unto death.

It makes no sense attacking a country for what some its citizens did independently.

In Afghanistan where they were training and supporting terrorists, we should have immediately scrambled some nearby jets and bombed the camps, and the offices of the government that supported them. Then we should send them the following message, “this is what you get for supporting these murders, change your ways or we;ll be back to blow up more stuff. There is no way we should have occupied that country.

The santions and air restrictions were working well after we caught the scammers in the Oil for Food program. Those people probably should have been publicly executed. Of course we never punish the rich, especially if there a lot of them.

There is no way we should have started a war in Iraq and all of the leaders involved are guilty of war crimes and should be severely punished. Of course,, they are rich so the punishment was the same as previously state.

My happiest day would be to see Bush, Cheney (probably in a wheelchair, Rice, and Rumsfeld standing in the docks awaiting their trial. Of course they are rich and powerful, so you see how that goes.

josie's avatar

It depends. As a civilian, my answer would be the national border.
When I was in uniform, my answer was whatever my CINC told me. I volunteered after all.

Ron_C's avatar

@josie you’re right although when I was a technician in the Navy people actually shot at me and I thought it was unfair because I didn’t even know them and never shot at them.

josie's avatar

@Ron_C
I promise I am not trying to be glib. But when the shooting starts, it is dangerous to wonder whether or not it is fair. The real question is getting out alive.
But, lots of people think about that after returning to the real world.

Ron_C's avatar

@josie I admit, I shot back. Mostly, I hoped that my gunfire drove them away. I didn’t hate anyone in Vietnam.

SecondHandStoke's avatar

Anything worth building is worth protecting.

This goes back all the way to the dawn of agriculture and earlier.

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