On the Subject of World War II...

[Dan]

That's true. I was listening to the radio today and a priest that just released a book call "Tattoos of the Heart" was talking about how he tried to get a peace treaty between gangs in Los Angeles. Both sides were all for it and wanted things to clam down, but once they got to the meeting, neither side would back down. No one wants to seem weak these days, but I personally think being the first to back down would be a sign of real strength - a strong man doesn't need to worry if he is backing down in a fight against a weakling after all.

[b0mb3r]

another simple but difficult solution to apply is: learn from your mistakes. what i enjoy about history and hate people is about how it record all these mistakes but we're only human to repeat them.

[shichinanatsu]

you'd think that after a couple thousand years of governance human civilization ought to have learned anything substantial from previous failings.. thing is, we do want to learn from our mistakes, but if it boils down to another person experiencing similar woes, we are hard-pressed to admit quandary.. imho it raises a flag in our heads that says "hey, i am not so unique in this world after all, my existence as an individual might be at stake.." or something like that..

and that situation regarding LA gangs is rather interesting; what could have come from it would have been feasible for other areas in the US, say NYC's Harlem and southeast DC.. given that people might join them for any number of reasons, there still ought to be some sort of intersecting ideal for all gang members.. with that in mind, is it so impossible for them to create a sort-of council of gang leaders? let them have a hand on governing themselves, maybe even lessen the burdens of the police force..

[chrnno]

220k civillians killed my USA's nuclear bombs that gotta be the lowest estimate ever made.

Anyway I don't see any problems in Japanese teachings. I mean they did it in relation to one period of time. USA has been doing it for the last 70 years(in great scale because in small it always happened)...

Also if you want to know what is atrocity then read about Dresden it was a center of culture and art. It had no industrial complex or military bases not even anti-air defenses, it was a city for refugees coming especially from the East fleeing from the barbarities of Stalin's troops, it reached 1 million people with over 80% children and women. Nevertheless from 13-15 february 1945 the RAF bombarded the city with more bombs than Germany had dropped on London(the most bombarded city up to that point) the USA apparently condemned the attack but procceed to bombard with almost as many bombs.

The estimates varies a lot as the fires got so powerfull people literally melted and mixed with the aslphalt, they go from 200k to 600k. Ironically enough the people considered the city safe as who could think the Allies would bombard a city devoid of military targets and undefended now that the war was pretty much at it's end.

I can understand dropping the nuclear bombs on Japan as much as I consider only an amoral person would have taken that decision but Dresden makes no sense at all. Germany had already lost.

But I disgress. The solution for conflicts is indeed comunication but not in the way most people think. It's not the talk itself but the understand that the other "side" is also composed of human beings. Each of them just like you. It's very easy to attack a group when you reduce that group into one feature.

The best example by far is the September 11 2001 event. Seems bad right? But isn't that exactly what USA does there? Attacking an entire group or even country because a few members are insane(works for both sides)?

EDIT: I was going to make a small reply then suddenly when I see it has gotten this big and I haven't even said everything...

[Poke2201]

Well the invasion of 2003 was based on the WMD thing Bush's intelligence found. It was false, and now we just pulled out thank god. But the problem is, radicals are always going to exist, some more violent than others, and we are just going to have to find a way to deal with it.

Nazis are still alive btw. Neo-Nazism ring a bell?

Most people just deal with it.

[chrnno]

Well you are being rather nice, I would say it was based on the inteligence produced... Also you still haven't pulled out, you are in the process of doing so and a lot of things can still go wrong.

[Poke2201]

Well you are being rather nice, I would say it was based on the inteligence produced... Also you still haven't pulled out, you are in the process of doing so and a lot of things can still go wrong.

Well, I was being too general there. And I am. Im actually a Bush Basher, but I try to keep politics out of my posts. Weve pulled out most of our combat battalions and moved them to Afghanistan.

[chrnno]

I see... But then moving troops to the next street isn't exactly pulling out.

[Poke2201]

Well still, its better than dealing with sand all day I bet...

[chrnno]

Well I would rather deal with sand all day than actually have to do anything as a soldier...

[Poke2201]

That would mean you were doing your job....

[chrnno]

Or not doing it depending on how you look at it...

[Poke2201]

You're a soldier, trained to kill enemy combatants... Do your freaking job.

[chrnno]

No, you are a soldier trained to do your mission. If it is peace keeping then you keep the peace dammit!

[Poke2201]

But if you are supposed to fight, then FIGHT!