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To: Gary H who wrote (17553)	3/17/2003 8:11:31 AM
From: mcg404	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81130

Gary: re: the drug of war. An interesting interview. And it appears to provide a response of sorts to your recent observation 'i don't know how anyone can enjoy this war, but it appears some will.' Despite the universal message that we must all condemn war and resort to its use only as the final option (blah, blah, blah), the reality regarding the willingness to engage in it seems to be somewhat different. And I think Chris Hedges provides some insight on why this might be so. John

To: Gary H who wrote (17553)	3/17/2003 10:51:34 AM
From: E. Charters	Respond to of 81130

War is not wonderful, and in the brilliant light of retrospect is often unnecessary. When we look at long ago wars, we think we know that it was totally unnecessary to quell the Jacobite rebellion, or go to war at Crecy. But in their terms at the time, if they had not, then they would have perhaps been invaded somewhere down the road. It is the price of showing weakness. Again it is impossible to say, but that is how it looked to them we could say. Wars of dominance are to be deprecated to the extreme. Conquest as in Alexander's day is rejected by every right thinking person. But Alexander thought it was enlightenment, the idea of bringing Greek culture to the masses, at slight cost. Even Hitler's war against Russia was to repel an evil, that of totalitarian communism. We had tried and failed to support the Mensheviks as a coalition of forces 20 years before. The price of our failure was the death of 20 million people under Stalin. Hitler felt that Leibensraum for decent Germans was superior to the slavery of Slavs. He was probably right in that, but he lost sight of methods being commensurate with the degree of decency he was trying to achieve. EC<:-}

To: Gary H who wrote (17553)	3/17/2003 3:57:44 PM
From: sea_urchin	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 81130

Gary, what I find fascinating about war is how so often the apparent victor is actually the loser and vice versa . There are clearly hidden costs to war and unexpected consequences. Chris Hedges mentions that war is a drug to which its adherents become addicted. But what he doesn't mention is how war messes up all those who are involved in it. That's the reason why the chicken-hawks/neo-cons are so keen on war --- they haven't been there. All they can think of is how they will be rewarded by the new American Empire. Their egos are driving them to the heights of glory and self-adulation. They are drunk on their own power. Have no doubt that they sleep with an American flag draped over their bed. Every morning when they awake they salute themselves in the mirror. Hail Caesar. The truth, however, will be quite different. Not only these opportunists but the American Empire, itself, will be despised. Instead of Bush & Co being hailed as conquering heroes, they will be be seen as the ones who brought America to its knees, to the dustbin of history --- they are the very antithesis of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers of America who, in fact, contributed so much, not only to the US but to the whole world. George W. Bush wants to go down in history --- he will.