[biguglygoalie]

Originally Posted by Holy the Goalie

The one thing I know (and believe me, I can count the things I know on one hand) is that we as Americans have gotten spoiled. We've gotten used to instant gratification; instant coffee, McDonald's drive-thru, youtube, et al. When you're bored, how many times have you turned on the TV, only to throw the remote down in disgust 60 seconds later, complaining that there's NOTHING on TV. You weren't instantly entertained, so you gave up.

How long did it take from the time we, as a nation, declared our independance from England, to the point where we were fully self-sufficient as a nation? 10 years? 20 years? How long did it take for Germany or Japan to get "back on their feet" after WWII began?

I suffer from the same "give-it-to-me-now fever" that afflicts so many Americans; I'm sick of hearing about the war, I want my friend to come home safely, I want the Iraqis to take charge, blah blah blah. But I try to keep in mind that things like this take years and years, even decades to take care of. Whether or not we should ever have gotten into the mess isn't the issue now (nor is it the topic that was originally introduced); rather, and I'll echo Steve on this, what can we do to leave in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE? And are we, as a nation (and a worldwide community) ready to accept that the trip to the finish line will be a slow, steady march, rather than a sprint?

it took roughly 5 years if that in germany and almost no time in japan - any resistance was nothing compared to the current mess. unfortunately the lessons learned in the immediate post wwii weren't applied... thanks viceroy bremer

not the best of sources, but its a start
japan After Japan surrendered and World War II ended and the US occupied Japan, was there a Japanese insurgency? - Yahoo! Answers
germanyWerwolf - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia