The Pheasant, Wizard Award Winner Options

[Guest_Nina_*]

James

You are most welcome

Nina

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi Sylvia,

Sorry to have depressed you more - not intended!

>>I cannot stomach a world reduced to nuclear retaliation and/or instant annihilation and/or an unending arms race. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were horrendous events. Millions of innocent people died or are still suffering the consequences.

Yes but it's Japan's fault. No one asked them to bomb Pearl Harbour. No one asked them to walk into Singapore. No one asked them to keep fighting to no real point. innocent citizens always suffer in wars, I'm afraid. That is war - especially modern and civil wars. War is a horrid business. But so long as mankind fights wars this will continue. It's in our nature I'm afraid. See Fran's poem "Hatred" in the closed forum - says it all, really.

I think those two atom bombs were the best available end to the war available. Had the Allies tried to storm the Japanese beaches, it is estimated that at least 1/4 million would have been killed initially. The death toll on the Japanese would have been far higher because the defenders would have been ill-equipped older men, women and children. It would have been massive slaughter. Two bombs stopped all that. Yes, people do still live with the consequences and no one would wish that on them. But what about all the US Navy personnel who were burned to death - or to life-long injury - on their ships in Hawaii. Not one of them had ever attacked Japan. What about all the British and Empire troops who were tortured to their deaths in Jap POW camps - by a people with utter contempt for human life. “Sow and Ye Shall Reap.” It was the Japanese brutality and aggression which caused their suffering. They were going to have to pay the price somehow - the nuclear bombs affected far fewer people than any other available option.

Might I suggest your real opposition here is to war itself? If it is we really are in agreement. Wilfred Owen is my favourite poet - that could hardly be so if I thought war anything but horrendous. (Yes he’s an excellent poet but his message is very strong).

>>In the end it all boils down to the issue of humanity's inhumanity.

Indeed.

>>The only solution that might, just might work, is that people become ever more conscious of their leaders' madness and use every tool within their power to stop the power-hungry race. I think a little of that is beginning to happen, people are getting more involved, opening their eyes just a weeny bit, speaking out... In my country we have silent protests, thousands marching with candles in their hands, picketeers and such. We also "invented" the cooking-pot protest. Buenos Aires becomes a deafening clang clang clang of pots and pans, at certain hours, on certain days, to defy and protest and claim attention from our indifferent, corrupt, stupid politicians.

Forgive my apparent ignorance but I thought The Argentine was a democracy now? Is that system not working. Cannot you simply throw your governments out of office? I assumed that once the Junta had been consigned to history things had started to improve. no?

>>We've now managed to get the Governor of Buenos Aires indicted because of a recent fire in a disco which claimed the lives of around 190 youngsters. The man will be jailed for life. But if people had not crowded out into the streets and scared the pants off the President himself, this guy would still be walking free. A guy who accepted bribes to allow unsafe discos to function... the authorities thought they could just jail the owner of the disco, but we the people thought differently.

Well, that’s politicians and officials everywhere. None will volunteer for the chop and their friends will try to cover for them. Like war, just human nature. But it does sounds as if your system is rather a throw-back too. Good luck with modernising it.

>>Well, James, were   AGAIN, I believe.  All because of some pheasants... I'll get that doorbell.

Thanks Sylvia, again I enjoyed that.
I hope you’re a little less depressed now (though I daren’t ask again). Good luck with your efforts to improve governance of The Argentine. Sounds like we have it easy here!

James.