I think it is so important that we have people with good intentions to serve the country’s military needs, the soldiers serve an important need indeed. I hope the US military has a good day today.
Oh I forgot to mention that in the USA today it is Veteran’s Day, where there are parades and people try to give recognition to the many soldiers and veterans. Perhaps the Canadians, and non-US people don’t realize that.
The only soldier I consider worthy of remembering was my grandfather who deserted the Wehrmacht during WWII, because he didn’t want to kill another human being. God, how much I despise this nonsense.
Kudos for your grandfather for deserting the Wehrmacht George. I wonder what would have happened if the allies had deserted and the Germans had won? I guess it depends on what you’re fighting for. It would be wonderful if everyone just put down their weapons and walked away friends. Did people go to war for altruistic reasons or just enjoy killing their fellow man? Yes, war makes no sense and we should work to eliminate it. In the meantime our choices are peace at all costs (just give me a piece of Czechoslovakia and I’ll leave you alone) a compromise (give me Austria) or no, you can’t have any more countries added to your empire. Sometimes you have to fight for your right to exist. the vets deserve a tip of the hat for resisting.
I am not naïve enough to be a pacifist and I would probably even fight if I really had to, but I would also eat another human being if I really had to (and I am a vegetarian ). But just like I see no reason why I would feel the need to celebrate my cannibalism I am equally puzzled (and disgusted) by the honoring of those who would be just as fine with “a spinal cord instead of a brain.” I doubt you really believe that the presently serving U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan (and God knows where else) have a good reason to be fighting. Why celebrate them, then?
I am not naïve enough to be a pacifist and I would probably even fight if I really had to, but I would also eat another human being if I really had to (and I am a vegetarian ). But just like I see no reason why I would feel the need to celebrate my cannibalism I am equally puzzled (and disgusted) by the honoring of those who would be just as fine with “a spinal cord instead of a brain.” I doubt you really believe that the presently serving U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan (and God knows where else) have a good reason to be fighting. Why celebrate them, then?
Do not hold the soldiers responsible for the politician’s and the body politic’s decisions to send them to war.
I am not naïve enough to be a pacifist and I would probably even fight if I really had to, but I would also eat another human being if I really had to (and I am a vegetarian ). But just like I see no reason why I would feel the need to celebrate my cannibalism I am equally puzzled (and disgusted) by the honoring of those who would be just as fine with “a spinal cord instead of a brain.” I doubt you really believe that the presently serving U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan (and God knows where else) have a good reason to be fighting. Why celebrate them, then?
Do not hold the soldiers responsible for the politician’s and the body politic’s decisions to send them to war.
“As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular.” (Oscar Wilde)
So you, Gary, keep calling wars wicked while I’ll see them as vulgar.
I’ve always seen war as a tragedy that must be prevented at every opportunity. But there are some very nasty tyrants in the world who will just not stop for civilized reasons, the king of Lybia was an example of that, the peaceful protesters over there could only defend themselves with sticks, stones, pop guns, pistols, small rifles, and whatever they could capture. But Ghadaffi attacked them with industrial weapons, the peaceful protesters would have lost the fight that the king started. If there were any way that we could stop the violence immediately I would love to hear of it with all my heart and mind, and I will never see any war as anything but a massive tragedy, hopefully with a few scraps of good, but until that good option exists, the tyrants must be forced to stop. We have the police to force them within the justice system, and we have the military to force them outside of the justice system, and I am grateful.
When the politicians choose badly to misuse the military, I protest them and cannot forgive them, but many of the soldiers really don’t choose that. I know the peace-minded don’t want to get roped into war that they protest, I am an Iraqi War protester, and I don’t want to put anyone in that position. But I still think that the military deserves some recognition.
Back to the topic title: I can never figure why people are so hooked on specific numbers. We happen to use a decimal system, probably because we have ten fingers, however, a duodecimal system, one based on twelve rather than ten would function quite well and in some ways be more efficient than our present system. If that were the case the first few numbers would be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, α, β, 10 where α = our present ten, β = our present eleven, and 10 = our present twelve.
Then all of the numbers above our present nine would have different symbols. For example, the year we know as 2011 would be written as 1βα7 so this day would be abbreviated as α7/β/β which doesn’t seem to have the charm that 11/11/11 does.
). But just like I see no reason why I would feel the need to celebrate my cannibalism I am equally puzzled (and disgusted) by the honoring of those who would be just as fine with “a spinal cord instead of a brain.” I doubt you really believe that the presently serving U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan (and God knows where else) have a good reason to be fighting. Why celebrate them, then?
