Ten years after the "Iraq War" began, more than ten since we invaded Afghanistan... and it's Memorial Day weekend. I fervently hope that the country can wind down from "perpetual war" status soon, so we can stop throwing young men and women into the meat grinder. As I did last year, I will "outsource" my Memorial Day post to Eric Bogle, who wrote one of the most poignant critiques of war, and the cultures that produce endless war:
Now young Willie McBride I can't help but wonder why
Do all those who lie here know why they died
And did they believe when they answered the cause
Did they really believe that this war would end wars
Well the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain
The killing and dying was all done in vain
For young Willie McBride it all happened again
And again, and again, and again, and again.
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4 comments:
It's a weird dichotomy. You can't pretend young men don't aspire to war. They do, and they have, and they will. Rich & powerful men have taken advantage of this, both to extend their power and wealth and to redirect the instinct to battle away from their own nations.
It's entirely unrealistic to think that young men, caught up in their nationalist, religious and ethnic causes, will decide to refrain from violence. And yet, it has to be the goal of nations to create and maintain peace.
But all these things are a ways in the future. Nations and trans-national organizations keep exploiting the lust for war's glory in young men, and until they actually seek peace - you'll be able to tell because they will cease building useless weapons like strategic bombers - wars and rumors of wars will continue to be inevitable.
And oh by the way, tonight the middle east is once again on the brink, with all the risks and costs that continues to carry...
War is a racket...
~
Some one from the US emailed me today and wished me a HAPPY Memorial Day
......
Duh?
Good luck to the family.
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