War

[PaperLuigi]

Inspired by the recent surge of touchy subject type threads. The current war (Iraq) is stupid, but I believe we should take pride in the fact that we were involved in WWII and WWI for specific reasons (some of which include stopping Hitler, aiding our allies and liberating captured civilians). I can also sympathize with certain groups who fight for freedom and battle in order to protect their homeland (Spartans, South Vietnamese, Allies, Muslims) against the dictators/kings/leaders of the past (King Richard, Hitler, Khan) even though they obviously knew they'd be killing the opposite side. In my opinion, war is something that can't be helped at times, and if you take a look at the history of mankind, some wars were needed to keep the balance of good and evil in tact (WWII, WWI, Civil War, American Revolution). Of course, I can also see where war was a poor option (Spanish-American, Vietnam, Iraq) and wasn't needed. I'm not a hawk when it comes to waging war because I always try to look for other possible options. In any case I respect the troops (at least the ones who do the job they're supposed to do). It bothers me when liberals like Rosie Odonnell accuse our troops of being terrorists but I'm also disturbed by conservatives like Bill Oreilly who think the Iraq war is justifiable. Like I said in another thread, war is sometimes necessary and sometimes it isn't, but never is it never necessary or always necessary.

Anyway, that's my take on war, and if you guys have any opinions on what could have/should have been done instead of fighting in a specific war (even if it was WWII or WWI), say them here.

[Chupperson Weird]

Pride in something that was, unfortunately, simply necessary at the time and caused innumerable casualties? No. And I'm just talking about WWII.

[PaperLuigi]

Well, it was either that or we surrender to Hitler.

Really, I doubt telling the Spartans to surrender to the Persians would be wise. I wouldn't like it if some guy from another country wanted to take over my home.

[Chupperson Weird]

Read my post more carefully next time.

[PaperLuigi]

I read your post, and I also spoke about the Spartans. I doubt the Muslims wanted to surrender to the Crusaders either.

Some other examples include the Civil War and American Revolution. Can you imagine what might of happened if we didn't take part in those wars?

[Chupperson Weird]

The American Revolution wasn't about good and evil, by the way. It was about taxes.

[PaperLuigi]

Well, so what if it was? We'd still be under British rule if we didn't fight.

[MEGAߥTE]

And the Civil War was primarily about states' rights.  Slavery only became forefront after the Emancipation Proclamation.  i.e. it was a political move more than an ethical one.

[MEGAߥTE]

Well, so what if it was? We'd still be under British rule if we didn't fight.

That's not a certainty.  Most British colonies are no longer controlled by the British.  In any case, things might be very different with a different balance of power or without the ideas that were fostered through the writings that came out of the war.

[Kojinka]

PL Smells.

Actually, I voted "War aint pretty. but sometimes it's necessary"

[PaperLuigi]

Pride in something that was, unfortunately, simply necessary at the time and caused innumerable casualties? No. And I'm just talking about WWII.

There are other wars besides WWII btw. Take a look at what the Spartans, Muslims, South Koreans and South Vietnamese fought to protect. Yeah, there were casualties, but they were fighting in what they believed in and for their own civilians (and it was a good cause). Are you saying they should've tried to make peace with the invaders? 

[Forest Guy]

My stance on the War in Iraq is that the war isn't over yet, so you shouldn't really form too strong an opinion on it. Nearly every war is unpopular when it's being fought, but decades later, people say "At the time, it was necessary." So too, in the future, there will be a lot more people saying "The Iraq War was necessary. If we hadn't invaded that nation back then, Al Qaeda would've been supported and struck again with a new attack and blah blah blah..."

Really though, the thing that bothers me the most about this war is that many people who are against it, turn around five minutes later and ridicule the United States for not sending military force into Sudan for Darfur.

[Glorb]

My view is that war is never necessary and is always fought for a stupid reason; just how stupid the reason is, is the question. My view is that WWII would've probably ended without our help; although America was sort of pushed to join after Pearl Harbor, I doubt Hitler would've attempted an invasion of the U.S. or something of the sort. My view is that the Iraq war is a primarily commercial war, fought for primarily commercial reasons, and that things would be a lot better if America didn't have its current attitude, which is that of sticking its nose into everyone else's business all the time.

[Ambulance Y]

My stance on the War in Iraq is that the war isn't over yet, so you shouldn't really form too strong an opinion on it. Nearly every war is unpopular when it's being fought, but decades later, people say "At the time, it was necessary." So too, in the future, there will be a lot more people saying "The Iraq War was necessary. If we hadn't invaded that nation back then, Al Qaeda would've been supported and struck again with a new attack and blah blah blah..."

Al Qaeda is spread throughout most of the middle east. We went to Iraq because of Saddam and establish democracy. Saddam's obviously no longer a problem, and democracy just doesn't work sometimes. I don't think this will be one of the wars we look back on and regard as necessary. I certainly won't.

[Glorb]

Al Qaeda is spread throughout most of the middle east. We went to Iraq because of Saddam and establish democracy.

This sounds like it could be the intro to the raddest arcade beat-em-up ever.