The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
The Forum - On Line Opinion's article discussion area



Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Main Articles General

Sign In      Register

The Forum > Article Comments > Continued adulation of battlefield exploits point to intellectual paralysis > Comments

Continued adulation of battlefield exploits point to intellectual paralysis : Comments

By Robert Mclean, published 14/11/2012

Most see participants in the conflict, survivors or otherwise, as sublime, attributing to them god-like ideals and values.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. All
Three comments to make on this one:
1. I am proud to have had the opportunity to defend the right of this individual to hold this opinion.
2. Notwithstanding the individual's opinion, the lack of recognition of sacrifice is offensive.
3. The courage to put one's name to the article would have been appropriate.
Posted by Michael OS, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 10:40:59 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Some of the realities referred, to have been warmongering tyrants ready willing and very able, to compel whole nations; and or, the rest of the world to defend themselves, with as much vigour as they could muster!
And there is a very long list, that starts with recorded history and includes such names as, Genghis Khan, Stalin, Hitler, Polpot, Idi Amin etc/etc/etc.
And apart from mass genocide and the recruitment of child soldiers, appeasement, not too dissimilar from that on display in the article, only served to allow terrible tyrants, to extort more and more conditions; territory and treasure!
None of which ever led to peace, or any end of conflict.
Of course we need to talk peace!
And indeed, conduct ourselves in every way, as if that was our most desired goal! And indeed, it surely is!
As Roosevelt would have added, yes and carry a big stick!
To advocate, that we simply sit idly by, as murderous mass genocide is perpetrated on whole nations, is a nonsense that no decent feeling, thinking human being can ever agree with?
Not for nothing is it writ large, for evil to prosper, good men only need stand and do nothing!
And yes, we should venerate our war dead and their ultimate sacrifice; and those heroes often permanently maimed or disabled, who put absolutely everything on the line, just so cloud dwellers, remain free to voice their often offensive, obtuse opinions!?
Since federation and before, we Australians have never ever chosen war!
But throughout our brief recorded history; war, never ever of our making, has chosen us!
Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 11:11:32 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
When this nation becomes mature, it will value peace more highly than it values war.

Evidence of this will be found in economic indicators, such as the amount of money spent annually on achieving these two goals.

Further evidence will be that we will have Ministers for Peace Studies and for Peace itself, with authority and power in Cabinet at least equal to that of Ministers for Defence or Defence Procurement or whatever euphamisms are used to name the departments servicing the Army, Navy and Air Force are called from time to time.

Before anybody goes off half cocked, note also that I am happy that Australia has its "defence" arms, but not happy with the disproportionate accent on offense and almost complete avoidance of the positive alternatives that a mature nation would have in abundance.

Would you like to live next door to an Australia preoccupied with the tools and policies of warmaking, with "turning back the boats", with making everything somebody else's problem while sheltering in an island fortress?

Or would you prefer to be the neighbour of a hypothetical Australia which is strongly determined to develop and support peace, in all its forms, but especially within its own borders and across its borders with its neighbours?

In closing, I agree with the other comment about the anonymity of the author, which is very poor form.
Posted by JohnBennetts, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 12:47:28 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
The second half of this essay got a bit wobbly - understandable, considering that as a society we don't have much of a vocabulary for portraying peace as anything other than the absence of war.

However, the first half was spot on. We are always more than eager to point the finger at the cynical warmongering of our leaders. Yet those leaders would not be so willing to wage wars if it weren't for the never-ending supply of glory-seeking young warriors eager to fight them. Moreover, the humble soldier is shrouded in so much sanctified poppycock (pun intended) that any criticism of their role in the continuation of war is deemed the worst kind of heresy, even treason.

Unlike Michael OS, I fully understand why, in our Anzac-mad society, the author has not revealed too much of his/her identity.

Johnbennetts, I'm sure you are aware of the Ministry for Peace movement but, for anyone else who may be interested, here is a link to read more: http://mfpa.org.au/
Posted by Killarney, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 1:34:10 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Rhostry says "Since federation and before, we Australians have never ever chosen war!"
I don't recall the Vietnamese ever attacking us. I also don't recall Afghanistan attacking us. I also don't recall Iraq attacking us. Neither did any of these countries ever attack our allies. How can you then say that Australia has never chosen war?
I agree with the article. Whilst I have the utmost respect for those men who fought and died in WWI and II, probably the last wars that actually needed to be fought, the constant glorifying of soldiers and their exploits is not conducive to peace making.
Our soldiers do not go to Afghanistan to fight for our freedom. In fact I suspect the vast majority do not even know why they are there. Whilst many may be brave and make a great sacrifice, it does not make their actions in going to a foreign country to kill people that have not attacked us right.
The Taliban on the other hand at least have the legitimacy of fighting off a foreign invader. Unfortunately that foreign invader is us.
Posted by Rhys Jones, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 2:05:22 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
‘WWI and II, probably the last wars that actually needed to be fought’

WWI was all about European ambition and had no legitimacy in terms of supposedly fighting for anyone’s freedom. Germany only invaded ‘neutral’ Belgium (a brutal imperial nation in its own right) as a means of getting through to Paris in an effort to defeat France, which was busy attacking Germany from the other direction.

Prior to WWI, the nations of Europe had become over-militarised and over-imperialistic and had hogtied themselves to a bunch of ridiculous power alliances that made full-scale mutual destruction inevitable.

WWII was simply unfinished business from WWI. While 60 million people had to die supposedly to save Europe from German fascism, the allies had no qualms whatever about handing over the western half of Europe to Soviet totalitariansim. As for the Jews, no one cared much about them until many years after the war ended.

All that either war achieved was to grant the victors control of the world economy and international diplomacy for much of the 20th century. And now they are losing that game too.
Posted by Killarney, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 4:00:25 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
"...the allies had no qualms whatever about handing over the western half of Europe to Soviet totalitariansim".

Surely, this is a reference to Eastern Europe.
Posted by JohnBennetts, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 4:35:10 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Which is just one more reason why we should not rely on America, but make sure that everything we truly need can be produced locally in Australia.
Posted by Yuyutsu, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 11:24:04 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
JohnBennett

Good pickup. Thanks.
Posted by Killarney, Thursday, 15 November 2012 10:59:56 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. All

About Us :: Search :: Discuss :: Feedback :: Legals :: Privacy