“I think the real thing I don't understand why a lot of people in
Washington really seem to want wars is that a lot of the politicians
there are Veterans who fought in other wars and saw what it was like.
I don't understand how you can see all of that and want to send more
people to do it all over again. I understand that we need to help
people and I think everyone should want to help people no matter
where they live, but all of the wars I have seen haven't really
helped anyone. We went to war and deposed the Bad Guys running
things, but the guys that took their place seem just as bad. No one
in Afghanistan and Iraq seem any better off than they did before we
attacked. I just don't understand.”
The wise words above are a direct quote from the amazing young lady
that I am proud to call my friend, MacT©. Most of you have seen me
mention her in the past in these blogs. She has also been featured
in my brother, Ben's blog. Sometimes I think we delight in
embarrassing her, but I can honestly say with all sincerity that it
is her own durned fault. If she didn't say such smart things, none
of us would feel the need to comment on her smartiness. Since she is
smart, everything she says is free game.
Let's ignore all of the financial and political ramifications of war
for the moment and put aside the idea of making war to help others.
The former is patently obvious to anyone with a gram of common sense
and the latter is very much a shadow zone. I doubt seriously that
there has ever been a war that was waged for the benefit of others.
Want a checklist? Revolutionary War? Nope we were pissed at England
and wanted them to leave us alone. WWI & II? Nope, lets face it
and admit that we were just scared spitless that Germany would
eventually get around to attacking and Japan would mess things up in
the Pacific for us. Korea and Vietnam? Nope again, we were just
terrified that the Godless Commies would take over the world.
Generally, wars are waged to benefit the people waging the war. If
others benefit from it, all is hooplah, but “We” come first.
“Okay that was kind of a long ignore, but let's move on!”
So having said that, we can address her central question. If a large
number of people ranging from politicians to Corporations are gung ho
for yet another war AND a healthy number of those people have seen
the horrors of war in the past, then why in Wotan's name are they
trying to start yet another one? Now I suppose we can give them the
benefit of the doubt and say it isn't all about money. (Snigger) We
can say that they are truly in it to help people. (Snigger louder),
but that still doesn't change the fact that they know from personal
experience how bloody and nasty war can be so why be so quick to push
their own people into the meat grinder?
I think the main problem lies in how easy it is for people to forget
just how bad things were and in the amazing power of people to
justify pretty much anything. The Old Timers in DC and else where
have had decades for the horrors they witness to fade somewhat into
the background. People can also justify war as “for the greater
good” in cases like Syria where a deadly WMD has been used to kill
1500 or so people. (As an aside here, most of the saber rattlers
weren't saying much when the killing was being done with conventional
weapons where a Hell of a lot more than 1500 people were killed.)
Course the use of Sarin Gas in Syria sparks the real reason why so
many people are hot to go in guns a blazing. Suddenly we are scared
poopless. Ever since the use of such WMDs was banned, the balance of
non-use has been precariously balanced at best. It has basically
been a case of no one used them because they were afraid someone else
might too. Chemical and Biological WMDs are insanely easy to make
in vast quantities so the potential for even a small nation to do
insane amounts of damage is way to real. Hence no one has really had
the stones to use them, at least not on a large scale.
Syria's use of WMDs, if left unchecked and unpunished, could set a
dangerous precedent for the rest of the world. Other nations could
point and say, “Well they did it so we will too.” And that is a
Pandora's Box of really really Bad waiting to erupt.
So we have a bunch of people who, for various reasons, are all heated
up to enter into another war. Only time will tell how much damage is
done this time around.
End of Rant
(I should apologize. I think there was an actual train of thought in
that rant, but I think the Choo Choo got derailed somewhere along the
line.)
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