OK, some of my thoughts re: war and peace (I promise this will not be a
Tolstoy epistle!):

I am by heart a peacable person; I go to a great length to avoid emotional
outbursts or arguments except when I feel someone is being hurt or
discriminated against.  I think we should avoid war at all cost, except when
we have definite proof innocent people are being slaughtered without rhyme or
reason.


I'm going back to WWII - my uncle told me last May that my dad was itching to
get into the action against Hitler and so tried to join
the RCRAF even before Pearl Harbour.  Why?  Because even then, there was word
amongst the Jews in the US about the atrocities against
the Jews in Germany and Europe, and my father wanted to get in there and wage
war against the Nazis.  As it turned out, my grandfather
didn't believe the rumours and so forbade my dad to join.  He did, anyway,
joining up through the ROTC at his university.  My grandfather had an heart
attack and died upon learning of the deaths of his family members in Polotsk
when they were exterminated by the Nazis in 1941.

My maternal grandfather worked in the Office of War Information in Los
Angeles, and knew about the Nazi death camps long before the American public
did.  He had a nervous breakdown after the war from all the stress he had gone
through.  Both of my grandfathers were war casualties, I've always thought.

Vietnam was another story entirely.  In my opinion, it was a mistake and a
botched-up military operation from the get-go. I was anti-war at the time, and
despised all the military who
were there, but I changed my mind about that when I met my brother-in-law and
worked with Vietnam War vets in the VA. They went through hell over there, and
got no support from those of us at home.  No wonder they are so traumatised.

The point of all this?  We must fight against those who practice genocide for
no reason.  The Taliban waged war against us and killed over 3,000 innocent
people.  Bush and Blair are collecting evidence again Saddam, and if they come
up with cold, hard evidence that will convince the UN to at least support
them, I will be satisfied. But this is something we cannot act alone in, we
can't afford to.

I can understand Mag's respond re: innocent victims, but let's consider two
things:
1) Unfortunately there are always innocent victims in warfare and
2) At least in Afghanistan (and Iraq) modern guided weapons have minimised
casualties somewhat.

I'll write more later, but need to get back to work!

Kat