As Time Goes On

When I was in high school, the Vietnam War was on the downhill slide. A great rift developed in the country and the majority of those most upset didn't know anything of how the U.S. became involved in the first place. It's the same today. An entire generation of young adults were crapping orange from strained carrots when Afghanistan and Iraq started. Their perception is influenced only by what they happen to read on a news report, if they're interested at all. They have no recollection of the event that precipitated the conflicts.

I once had a book that was a historical reference of the Vietnam Conflict. To sum up the book, decades of meddling, political posturing, back door deals and abuse led to decades of meddling, political posturing, back door deals and abuses. When you consider the worst victims of the entire mess wanted only enough rain for their rice crops, maybe a pig or two, a simple house for their family and to be left in peace, the entire mess was a horrible testament to the bumbling, cumbersome power struggle we call international politics.

War sucks, but sooner, or later, some crazy bastard will influence enough ignorant people to follow them until they need to be killed before they kill more innocent people. There sure seems like a better way, but it's damn near impossible to deal with people that are willing to kill innocent people for power. Those type of people are best turned into compost.

The long term crap, like Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan are a huge waste, in my opinion. War is a nasty business and the best outcome involves the ruthless destruction of the enemy's ability to wage war in the shortest time possible. Anything else is a bumbling gesture that never has a good outcome.