a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by b_b
b_b  ·  789 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Russia attacks Ukraine as Putin vows to ‘demilitarise’ neighbor

We have never as a society (those of us under age 80, anyway) been asked to sacrifice for the national good (obviously some people younger than that were forced into service in Vietnam, but that's not really what I'm talking about). It would be interesting to see the response if the government said that due to China's hostility, we're cutting off trade with them, and we ask you, our citizens, to go without some things that you feel you need for some period of time until other manufacturing arrangements are made or China relents. We were asked to sacrifice some freedoms in the name of health and that drew, um, mixed reviews? So I don't know what the same in national security interests would do, but I can't imagine it would be much better. Sugar rations, anyone?