Not many people that I quote

and usually well most certainly not out of cheesy Sci fi/fantasy books. But........ this passage screamed to me when I think of our people dyeing on the battle field right now. So without further adieu from Tracy and Laura Hickman in the Bronze Canticles (if they are reading this please forgive my spelling and any mistakes I make as I'm not cutting and pasting but typing in by hand).

"Why do men do anything? Someone beats a drum, sings a moving song, and marches the rest of the cattle off to slaughter. There is, of course, a lot of talk of duty and honor and loyalty. Then, when enough people have died, the demands of duty and honor are met and the blood can stop flowing for a season"

and then again another quote from the same page

"You are born, live, and die for defense, conquest, glory, and spirit, and none of you - not one- ever things to question it. No one wants to really know why this battle was essential in the first place. No; let us all recite defense, conquest, glory, and spirit as we march down the length of someone else's sword and give our lives for someone else's ideals"

The scary thing is that they aren't talking about G.W. Bush and they aren't saying this to H.S kids that are being told that they should join. No........... but jeeze someone should. We must start seeing war as an illness. A sickness in and of itself. I think that all war....... every single war....... has really been class war........ that of the rich wanting something and the poor wanting something. The rich feel that they can risk everything because they do not have a sense of what is at risk, and the poor having nothing left to lose so they risk their lives and the lives of their families. No rich man can go to war with out the poor deciding to buy into the idea that things will be better if they win.

If I ask the kids in the military today if our country is a democracy I bet almost all will say yes...... but I'm sure that most of you my smart readers know that it is infact a Republic. Who's ideals do they think they are fighting for? Who's sword are they sliding down?