War
Um, I watched The Patriot (the Mel Gibson one that's a fantastic film charting family and loss in the American War of Independence - and wow, Jason Isaacs plays a sexy baddie). Remind me to review sometime. Anyway, this got me thinking about how I feel about warfare, because people have challenged me over this a number of times.
OK, let me do this in point form...
1) I do not think warfare is bad and wrong. I think it is an inescapable part of human nature, and while regrettable isn't really evil.
2) I believe that war should be fought by combatants. I know that sounds overly romantic, but I think proper warfare takes place between people who are soldiers, who know they could die at any minute and are prepared to kill for money (or whatever incentive they're given - killing in exchange for not being killed sometimes). They know they are soldiers, they know what can happen, they are professionals of a kind.
3) I believe the killing of civilians in war is *wrong*. Big, bad, evil wrong. Wrong. And in conclusion wrong.
4) Wrt 3, I believe that the use any weapon designed not to discriminate between soldiers and civilians (mostly I mean bombs of various kinds - machine guns maybe, maybe not) in a situation where it is quite likely that there will be civlians present (towns, cities, ambulances...) is *wrong*.
5) I will not support any modern war, mostly because of the inevitable use of weapons in such situations as outlines in point 4.
Etc. I may post again about this.
OK, let me do this in point form...
1) I do not think warfare is bad and wrong. I think it is an inescapable part of human nature, and while regrettable isn't really evil.
2) I believe that war should be fought by combatants. I know that sounds overly romantic, but I think proper warfare takes place between people who are soldiers, who know they could die at any minute and are prepared to kill for money (or whatever incentive they're given - killing in exchange for not being killed sometimes). They know they are soldiers, they know what can happen, they are professionals of a kind.
3) I believe the killing of civilians in war is *wrong*. Big, bad, evil wrong. Wrong. And in conclusion wrong.
4) Wrt 3, I believe that the use any weapon designed not to discriminate between soldiers and civilians (mostly I mean bombs of various kinds - machine guns maybe, maybe not) in a situation where it is quite likely that there will be civlians present (towns, cities, ambulances...) is *wrong*.
5) I will not support any modern war, mostly because of the inevitable use of weapons in such situations as outlines in point 4.
Etc. I may post again about this.