"War is a racket"

An excellent read if you have any doubts about the existance of the "Military Industrial Complex" and America's love affair with "Manifest destiny".

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Eisenhower's farewell speech added much to his argument.

Not really related but this article by Sun Microsystem founder Bill Joy speculates that our own self destruction is inevitable:

This is why I like you Gopher, we see some things in the very same light.

I just wish you would accept facts when they are presented to you. Like you have obviously done with the political motives of war.

What I'm getting at is that we must evolve beyond war. During Smeddle's time war couldn't destroy the earth. Today the same "Racket" can. The stakes are bigger, but so are the risks. We can't afford the risks anymore.

War is the province of the coward, the schoolyard bully who will send his "guys" to beat you up because he dosen't like you. the two biggest hippie cliche phrases of "make love, not war", and "give peace a chance" are as true and necessary to follow today as they were 30 odd years ago.

Yes you are right, however that only pertains to the aggressor's side. It's impossible to give peace a chance if you are being bombed, or have been a rougue nation not playing by the school yard rules. If that is the case then there are..and should be concequences. War maybe one of them..should always be the last but as the old saying goes..live by the sword die by the sword.

OttawaBill/Sanctus

Two sides of an age-old argument.

Sanctus the hippie movement had the right message but were weak in putting it to use. Chanting and holding protest
signs don't go to the core of the problem - we cannot control what other nations will do - we
must have some type of defence (even to the point of offense) and to think we can get along on handing
out pot and flowers will not cut it in today's world..... or probably tomorrow's.

With mankind at its stage of evolution I doubt there is "peace" among any of us. We only speak of it and dream of it .... and have no idea of making it work.

OttawaBill - exactly on with your comment.

That said: I loathe that we still kill. No human on earth should have to die at the hands of another. There are enough gifts and comforts to spread across all nations - and while we work so hard at killing, we might think of spending more time at finding solutions so there will be peace as we imagine it to be.

It will come some day perhaps - after I no longer care.