For the very first time DB I find your post dreadful.
I having once shared your zeal for a God I no longer believe in understand it but it is quite dumb.
May I remind you your post highlights the very real danger any religion is to the world.
It is true the war was wrong, and leadership very much like the Iraq war today so bad it was murder.
But the deaths of so many young men who thought they fought for king and country serves to remind us of that.
Our Anzac day services remind us too some wars must be fought and we best do it with better army's than those we fight.
I am justly proud of the armed forces of this country and New Zealand.
And will not visit this thread again as it is blinded by believe I will never share.
A better world awaits man after we find the courage to know we are not playthings of a God.

I would like to see a particular type of two-sided approach to the commemoration of Anzac Day.

It is true that there was great bravery and sacrifice and that should be lauded but it is also true that it was an atrocity of huge proportions - ordering mere boys to run, basically unarmed, head long into machine gun fire was also an example of one of the most reprehensible types of travesties which are part of war.

I would like to see this aspect of the event commemorated as well. I have some sympathy for the dissenters about the value of Anzac Day. Perhaps they would be less motivated to reject the one-sided interpretation that we are force fed every year if both the great and the reprehensible aspects of the event were remembered.

'Lest We Forget' should not apply only to the bravery and sacrifice of the fallen but also to the atrocities that are an integral part of any war.

You're drawing a long bow here DB. Very long.

In order for this to be politically incorrect, you need to point out the elements of society railing against ANZAC Day.

I don't see any.

Wait a minute. DB is speaking against ANZAC day? No I must have read it wrong. Oh dear, he has.

Even the Turks use this as a day of rememberence. There is no hostility towards the Australian soldiers. There is also no evidence of a difference in opinion between Islamic Turks and other Turks, that has little relevence, as is had little relevence in WWI.

Political Correctness? David, you have cared about political correctness: since when?

I think everyone needs a bit of a shake... I am NOT speaking 'against' Anzac day.... I'm totally FOR Anzac day and all it represents.

The point..... is that out there, there will be some sub group among us who is in some way 'offended' by it. Should we stop it ? NOOO way of course not, we celebrate the memory of our fallen warriors, and we also can reflect on the stupidity of some aspects of war and how cheap lives can be to those in charge, but my point... repeat, was to use this as a justification for celebrating things precious to us EVEN THOUGH such celebration might be offensive or hurtful to certain elements of our society..... I was hoping everyone would see that immediately, TRTL seems to have got it. (well done)
This includes 'happy holidays vs Merry Christmas'.

I don't know for sure who might be unhappy about it, I imagine some would. Even the 'peacenicks' would be, but do we pander to them ? Nope.

CONCLUSION. We need to have a strong sense of HISTORY and not just our most recent and most apparently relevant chunks of it, we need to see the connections between us 'now' and events 'then' which may go back quite a ways, yet which gave us our 'now'. Hence my reference to the Battles of Tours and Vienna.
So, for those who think I'm agin Anzac day.. puh-lease..forget that, I'm not. I'm totally for it and for much more !

Yeah, I got that Boaz. The thing is, you can't name the sector of society who is offended by it.

Most peaceniks get it... to some it may be about the brave who stood for Australia, while to others it may be about the tragedy and loss of life... but pretty much everybody's on board with remembering the fallen, regardless of their political alignment.

There's always going to be a few nutjobs who are against whatever you care to name.

The thing is, you're equating this to immigration issues am I right? In this, you're kind of painting those who are in favour of multiculturalism as being akin to the anti ANZAC nutjobs, correct?

Come on now - do you really think that's fair?