What matters more, principles or results?

[GEM]

If they thought we were John Wayne, they would have invaded. Marion was well known for avoiding the draft.

Sorry, for the diversion. Anyway, I read the scholarly work on Japan and their plans. They had NO plans to invade us. The quote about a gun behind each blade of grass is hard if not impossible to originally source for accuracy.

They thought that since we were impacting their economic dominance plans for Asia, they could slap us down hard at Pearl Harbor. Some viewed us as a nation of shop keepers and didn't the guts to push back. We would let them establish their sphere of influence.

They were misguided. Many in Japan thought that they should not go military but compete economically. As happened after the war. They were displaced in power by those above who thought we would fold after Pearl Harbor (no invasion plan needed or constructed). Others thought, like Yamamoto, that we would go nuts and kick them back to the home Islands. They were correct.

There were plans that the Canadians drew up to invade us. As did them.

 

[Sam1911]

I've heard many times that the reason the Japanese did not invade America during WWII was because they thought we were all John Wayne.

That, and 5,000 miles of ocean. And one or two other logistical and strategic factors.

The quote you're going for is generally held to have been given by Admiral Yamamoto, but there is no evidense that he ever really did say anything like that.

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isoroku_Yamamoto

 

[Godsgunman]

What if research shows that more people die from car accidents each year than from the use of guns? Oh wait, it does. So I guess we call for a car ban.

What if research shows that being obese kills more people per year than guns? Oh wait it does! I guess we ban fat people.

According to research many other things should be banned long before guns, lets start with those

 

[gym]

What if 1 in 5 car fatalitys were caused by texting, Oh wait that also is true, you won't see cell phone companys eliminate the texting application from their cell phones any time soon. Alcohoal, heart attacks, smoking, cars, obese people, plastic water bottles, High choleserol,prescription painkillers, These are but a few of the things that kill more than guns do. If a person cannot control what they eat how do they control anything else.
There are many things that are more easily eliminated than guns to stop millions of deaths each year. How many folks you know say "Iknow" everytime you tell them to stop smoking or eating fatty foods, or texting while they are cruising at 90 on the highway. Let's stop singling out guns, I don't think they are on the top 10.

 

[holdencm9]

What if 1 in 5 car fatalitys were caused by texting, Oh wait that also is true, you won't see cell phone companys eliminate the texting application from their cell phones any time soon. Alcohoal, heart attacks, smoking, cars, obese people, plastic water bottles, High choleserol,prescription painkillers, These are but a few of the things that kill more than guns do. If a person cannot control what they eat how do they control anything else.
There are many things that are more easily eliminated than guns to stop millions of deaths each year. How many folks you know say "Iknow" everytime you tell them to stop smoking or eating fatty foods, or texting while they are cruising at 90 on the highway. Let's stop singling out guns, I don't think they are on the top 10.

Right, but sadly most people see cars as a "need" and guns as a "want" much to my chagrin. The worst is when people say they "need" that truck.

Why?

"To tow my boat."

And why do you NEED a boat?

"Uh well, I dunno. Somethin' to do on weekends."

About 700 people die each year in recreational boating accidents; hundreds more probably die on the way to the lake...let's ban boats.

Apologies to anyone who has a truck or a boat. Many people have legitimate needs for trucks, and I love boating on the lake as much as the next guy. Just throwing out examples.