"All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill. All beings tremble before violence."....Buddha.

I agree with the sign; "VIOLENCE IS NOT OK"

All violence is the end result of human failure.

The wife and I did light a candle at the front gate this morning in memory of all those that suffered and died because of the futility of war.

Is Mise,

You ask if the killing of Japanese soldiers was
not OK?

The taking of any human life is not OK.
It is tragic.

War is tragic. Aggression is tragic.
Violence is tragic. It is never OK.

Yet -

The enduring significance of battles are part of a
nation's military tradition. Hopefully lessons will
be learned from them.

We have to acknowledge the bravery, skill, and
sacrifice of our soldiers. But I'm sure that they would
all agree - "War is Hell." And hope that their children
and grand-children would not experience what they did.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sir Weary Dunlop many
years ago. A man I got to love and respect greatly.
He did not believe in being able to justify the taking
of any human lives. We could all learn something from
men like him.

Just a few more thoughts:

I fear that our world can become so obsessed with
the problems of hatred and aggression, that it will
allow peace and love to be regarded as soft and
weak. Yet our survival depends on their dominance.
Otherwise - Stephen Vincent Benet's prophecy
will come true:

"Oh where are you coming from soldier,
gaunt soldier
with weapons beyond any reach of my mind
with weapons so deadly
the world must grow older
and die in its tracks if it does not turn kind."

" The average person can expect to give up three
to four years of his or her life working to foot
the arms bill, while ever more people suffer
from illiteracy, ill health and chronic hunger..."
(In Canberra Times, 4 December 1986).

Foxy,

So the violence that our soldiers used against the Japanese aggressors was not OK in your book.

What should they have done, should they have met the Japanese violence with lighted candles and happy cries of,

"Heiwa kyodai" (Peace brothers).

You and Paul would love using the 2,450 character Japanese typewriter that the victors would have brought with them.

Violent men and violence allow you to use "QWERTY".

I also knew "Weary" and he kept pistols hidden from the Japanese during his imprisonment for the express purpose of shooting some Japanese if they decided to murder all the prisoners, he was going to use violence against violent men.

I find it strange that you do not accept the use of violence by police against a wife-beater who is belting his wife to death.

What an odd attitude.

Paul,

"All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill. All beings tremble before violence."....Buddha"

What an admirably stupid observation.

Is Mise,

Sorry don't buy it about Weary Dunlop and guns.
That's your gun-toting fantasy.

He and his men were underfed, and denied adequate
medicine. They had dysentery, cholera, diarrhea,
and other diseases were rampant. Weary was busy
in the makeshift hospital tending to the manufacture
of makeshift medicine to help his men. Guns would have been
the least of his concerns. He even stood up to a Japanese
soldier with a bayonet to save one of his men - who was
crippled and considered too sick to live. Weary saved the
man's life.

Weary was about saving lives, not taking them.
And if you consider that an odd attitude - you're the
one with the problem.