The rantings of a beautiful mind

On life, society, and computer technology.

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Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I live in the Fortress of Solitude. I drive the Silver Beast. My obsession is justice. I used to be a Windows software developer. I retired in 2000 when my stock options helped me achieve financial security.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Remembrance Day

On this Remembrance Day, I'd like to remind you all of a few things...

I'm watching Flags of Our Fathers on Cable 302 (TMN) and it reminds me of the fact that the Americans were once a good and honourable people who fought valiantly for our freedom. They were loved and revered. They were heroes to the world.

Today, the Americans are no longer loved and revered. During the first year after 9/11, they had the sympathy and support of the entire free world. Then they squandered their moral currency away...

They waged war in the absence of imminent threat (so-called "preemptive action"). They waged war on false pretenses (Weapons of Mass Destruction; responsibility for 9/11; humanitarian action against genocide). They waged war out of economic greed (petroleum; pressure from the military industrial complex).

Today, the Americans have no honour. And without the moral high ground, it is arguable whether they are still a good people. If we are to remember anything on Remembrance Day, it is that war should never be entered into lightly. And the Iraq War is one of the least justifiable wars in history.


On a related note, I saw a piece on CBC Sunday this morning about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among the Iraq War veterans. It is estimated that 15 percent of the troops in Iraq will return with PTSD. So even if you don't get killed during the war, your life may still be torn asunder by it. PTSD is a terrible, terrible illness that most of us have absolutely no appreciation for. The documentary opened my eyes wide open.

The toll on the Americans will be enormous...