Does the mighty United States really need to rattle sabers?

[Philosoraptor]

What is saber rattling exactly? Is it a male mammal thing? Is it an extremely obvious and extremely expensive show of male dominance? Why do we waste billions in gas and soldiers and equipment to park offshore somewhere and rattle our sabers like cave men on meth?

Can't we just threaten them by phone? Or e-mail? That would be so much cheaper, and they know we have the firepower to back it up.

Human beings can be so stupid sometimes. Why aren't we parked outside of North Korea? Why aren't we amassing a monstrous military presence outside France or China or India, they have nukes too?

Saber rattling is for people who live in the past, the far, far distant past.

[madokie]

1. No the usa doesn't need to rattle sabers, li'l g'orge and his cabal does

big diff :-)

[Submariner]

2. When you don't possess the intellect necessary to communicate

in audible tones, you do the Grrrrrrr! thingy to intimidate your opponent into doing something stupid, like attacking militarily. If that doesn't work to get another war started to get the Idiot-in-Chief's poll numbers up, then look for another fake Gulf of Tonkin "incident".

It won't be the Turner Joy or Maddox this time, it will be one of the super carrier groups and Goober would unleash all sorts of hell on Iran.

[havocmom]

3. Was wondering if part of the nation isn't over compensating for some preceived shortcoming

All the adds and spam for 'male enhancement' promoted the thought. Are some American males really that insecure about their personal prowess and overcompensating by the rah rah for war?

Or are the adds just trying to market insecurity, like neocons who constantly play the 'terra terra' joker card?

[Drum]

4. When you only carry a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. nt

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. It's not sabers they are really rattling, but penises

It is all about, "My 'missile' is bigger than your 'missile!' I can shoot farther and cause a bigger mess than you can!"

And yes, it is a male dominance pattern exhibited by men with nothing else to offer humanity.