Yes! and what a struggle it has been. What they don't want you to know is, war!, the great exterminator! or population control. Geez! don't they feed us some bull....! But don't feel hurt! that's the way it was and the baby boots has only just come off.

Science can now help with the human abundance and I feel WAR is unnecessary.

WAR! Do we all want to go though the hurt and pain again? I don't think so.

Overpopulation is still the biggest problem to everything.

Three billion! What a fantastic world it would be.

EVO

So now I am making tacky political points over their dead bodies. What then is Remembrance Day itself?

Apparently questioning Remembrance Day is forbidden in our new Right Thinking world.

Pericles' response is an example of the victory of the war glorifiers who want an unquestioning working class to do their killing for them.

And for those who misrepresent my views about capitalism and war - war is a product of all class societies. We live in one of those. It's called capitalism. Abolishing this class system and replacing it with a classless one will abolish war since fighting over the surplus will no longer be hotwired into the system. There will be no need to fight over the surplus since production will be organised to satisfy human need.

Vietnam, Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan are like the first and second world wars I believe because they are all imperialist wars - some directly, some indirectly or by proxy. For example the invasion of Iraq is in part about the US's ability to control oil supplies to China.

Passy,

People aren’t criticising you so much as disagreeing with you, which is perfectly legitimate in these forums. Your “should I suffer the same fate” seems a little melodramatic.

Not one of those who disagree with you has presented any argument that comes close to your straw man of war glorifiers, supporting the dominant world power, gaining insurance for our variant of the profit system, or jingoism. Instead they have spoken of remembrance, reflection, sadness, gratitude.

I agree with Bronwyn that it is possible and necessary to remember and honour the sacrifice of young lives and yet question why they died. Where I suspect we differ is that I see this as the dominant tone of our discourses on remembrance day and Anzac day, not jingoism or triumphalism.

Passy, while I agree with the general gist of your article, I think that it's a bit simplistic to claim that "Abolishing this class system and replacing it with a classless one will abolish war". Warfare pre-existed the development of class-based societies, for example in tribal horticultural societies such as those of Melanesia, or indeed among Australian Aboriginal gathering-hunting societies.

It's probably true to claim that all wars have economic and political causes, but capitalism certainly is not the only mode of production that generates warfare per se.

Passy you have hit the nail on the head, I do agree with your views also, I am sure if I was President Bush, Rice, Cheney etc, John Howard, Downer etc, Tony Blair etc, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night thinking of all those civilians and soldiers that I have indirectly killed in Iraq, but instead they all get well paid to continue their war like ways.
As mentioned earlier I do remember with sorrow the young men killed in previous wars, the men without the medals who went into battle, and not the ones who were well and truly in the background in a safe haven, brainwashing the young men to go forward in battle, example Churchill.
We do need a new system, a just system for all in the world then hopefully war could be eliminated, but while religion, the haves and have nots are with us it will never be eliminated.

Sorry, what are we doing in PNG, besides propping up a corrupt government - we don't have any troops there. Or are you referring to the activity since WW1 when PNG was a "Trusteeship Territory to the UN", administered by Australia, hardly colonial. It's easy to just fling a few things around devoid of facts to tar Australia's name. You put it in the same sentence as Solomon Islands and East Timor, 2 places where Australians wanted our government to do something as people were dying or in great danger - regional imperialism, what a crock.

Shock troops in Iran and Afghanistan, you really have no idea - apart from SAS, we have no offensive combat role in those countries. we have token forces in these countries.

You can't compare the family squabbles of early 20th century Europe to Australia's supposed role in War - just too long a bow to draw.

Ojnab, I see you're naming "President Bush, Rice, Cheney etc, John Howard, Downer etc, Tony Blair" whay have you left out our current Defence, Foreign and Prime minister - Australians are still in war zones, it must have just been an oversight I'm sure.

War is a constant, there will always be any number of reason go to war, like Africa, Tootsie and Hutus. Abolishing the class system has never worked and never will, it's human nature to want more for yourself, for your children, for your tribe.

I don't particularly like war, but I realise it is necessary and you cannot tolerate other people's actions when they go too far, you have to act. (is genocide OK, well clearly - no)

If you are in Australia and can read, thank a teacher, if you're reading in english, thank the ADF.