Dissent during Troubled Times

[andyfox]

"My point is only that dissent can conceivably have negative consequences."

OK, no argument there.

"it is conceivable the recent war would have been avoidable if there was no dissent, and thus Americans and many other died because of that dissent."

Absolutely. If everyone agreed that there shouldn't have been a war, there would have been no bloodshed. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

There just isn't going to be any situation, involving a war, especially a preemptive war, where there won't be any dissent. I am sure there are people who were opposed to U.S. involvement in World War II.

[andyfox]

One doesn't have to be a chicken to recognize an egg. One can read the Pentagon Papers, issued by the United States government. One can read the reports by journalists who were there, both during the French phase and the American phase of the war. Ther are many excellent works by scholars who worked for our government there, such as David Marr and Jeffrey Race. One can consult documentary records and the many reports by diplomats and soldiers who served there, on both sides of the conflict.

You mean there are no living experts on the Russo-Japanese War, or the Renaissance in Italy? Obviously not, since they didn't visit neither of those nice little coutries during the events they study.

[John Cole]

Nor does one need be a chicken to lay an egg. Certainly, we can also read any number of novels written about Vietnam. Our knowledge of the Greek and Roman world would be impoverished without Homer, or Martial, or Sophocles. Indeed, direct experience can often blind people, and art can strip the haze of familiarity from our eyes.

I am discounting, of course, the effect of vivid, first-hand testimony.

John

[nicky g]

Yeah Andy. Next time drop some napalm on some peasants. That'll give some much needed credibility to your posts.

[Wake up CALL]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah Andy. Next time drop some napalm on some peasants. That'll give some much needed credibility to your posts.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nicky, how about we choose some Europeans instead? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Heck with that idea, roasted Arabs is more in vogue these days. I love the smell of napalm in the morning!

[nicky g]

Go for it; I'm sure if you join the US military you'll have the chance.

[Wake up CALL]

[ QUOTE ]
Go for it; I'm sure if you join the US military you'll have the chance.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was in the military and killed a few gooks in my time. The memory is neither pleasurable nor repulsive it simply exists. My suggestion to improve Europe would be to require all the snot nosed liberal kids to serve in a foreign country for a couple of years. If during a time of war or conflict it would be even better but at least instill some discipline and exposure to other cultures to help them understand life (and death).

[nicky g]

I can assure you that as a "snot-nosed liberal European kid" I've had plenty of exposure to foreign cultures and intend to get a lot more. If you think the best way of doing that is by killing "gooks", that's just sad.

Maybe that's what's wrong with Bush; he stayed at home and didn't kill any gooks. Perhaps we could remedy that by sending him and his cabinet on the next chopper to Tikrit.