WAR---new rules.

[Atticus]

Having just read an item detailing how the CIA on Tuesday killed 14 of the Taliban who supposedly trained or assisted the Times Square Bomber, I was struck by how impersonal our killing has become.

Those old enough to recall the Vietnam War might have read articles at that time about the psychological stress and guilt experienced by bombadiers who dropped tons of explosives on villages from the safety of a B-52 thousands of feet above the clouds. They lived in air conditioned barracks, ate good food, watched movies and drank good booze. Instead of "going to the office", they climbed into a large airplane and killed people they'd never met and couldn't even see.

Now, a technician guides unmanned drones over remote areas and fires Hellfire missiles at targets believed to hold Al Quada or Taliban operatives. Women, children and men not involved in any hostilities with anyone are called "collateral damage" when the Hellfires land on them.

I propose that we require all future warfare to be "personal", as in "up close and personal".

No bombs or missiles could be used. In fact, no explosives of any kind would be allowed, INCLUDING firearm ammunition.

We should regress in order to progress: in all future wars, all nations should have to fight with swords, knives and spears. EVERYONE capable of lifting such weapons should have to report for duty. If we are pissed off enough as a nation to commit all our citizens to risk being disembowelled, beheaded or otherwise butchered, we go to war. Otherwise, we find another way to resolve our differences.

Unless I miss my guess, diplomacy will suddenly be very popular.

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. So no catapults?

:crazy:

[Atticus]

2. Nope. No bows or crossbows either, Gotta get up close where you can hear the screams, smell the

severed intestines and see the blood squirt.

You want war? EXPERIENCE it.

[RKP5637]

3. Now it's really become out of sight, out of mine, hasn't it... not only to the

majority of Americans with a volunteer military, but now to the military, and in the future one can only imagine the faceless destruction. Mankind is not progressing, only technology is progressing.

[bridgit]

4. Diplomacy as an option recently got Mullah Omar's attention

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7100889.ece http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKb9XQ39-zc

[madokie]

5. The pilots of the Drones are in Utah

gonna go home to the family tonight as they do every night. Yes its a fucked up deal for all involved. Especially the dieing ones

[MIprogressive1]

6. yup lets put our troops through that just because politicians cant get us out of there.

[Atticus]

7. Uh---read the OP. We would ALL be troops, including the politicians. I think

that would "get us out of there".

[havocmom]

8. Not enough profit in swords and spears

Won't happen. Neither will my insistence that the guys starting the wars have to wear red plumes on their hats and lead the charge.

[Synicus Maximus]

9. Do such fantasies really serve any purpose? People have been trying

to set "rules of war" for thousands of years and they never survive the first battle.

[Atticus]

10. You're probably right. We should just shut up and keep shopping.

"Our government knows best".

[Synicus Maximus]

11. Please explain just how this sword and spear thing would work.

[Atticus]

12. You're kidding, right? nt

[Synicus Maximus]

13. No I'm interested in how you purpose to have everyone give up

all weapons except swords and spears.

[Atticus]

15. See: "satire"---

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/satire

[Synicus Maximus]

17. Oh it was supposed to be satire! Sorry I missed it.

Thank you.

[bemildred]

14. Terror has always been about hurting people who can't fight back.

But the game is not as one-sided as it once was, and all this high-tech stuff is really a desperate attempt to keep the old game alive despite IEDs and car bombs and RPGs.

[proteus_lives]

16. That never stopped anyone.

"EVERYONE capable of lifting such weapons should have to report for duty. If we are pissed off enough as a nation to commit all our citizens to risk being disembowelled, beheaded or otherwise butchered, we go to war. Otherwise, we find another way to resolve our differences.

Unless I miss my guess, diplomacy will suddenly be very popular."

Do I really need to list the thousands of brutal conflicts, wars, genocides that happened before guns and explosives?

[Atticus]

18. Do you think they would happen NOW if everyone had to participate, like the OP stated? nt

[proteus_lives]

19. Yes, I do.

Human beings haven't changed because of iPods and bluejeans.

Civilization is always a thin veneer.

People would chop each other to bloody bits with very little prompting.

[Atticus]

21. We disagree, but you have stated your position well, Thanks, nt

[MrScorpio]

20. It's like a modern day Operation Phoenix

Of course, it worked quite well the last time.

:sarcasm:

[AnArmyVeteran]

22. Ross Perot had one great idea: TAX EVERYONE DURING WARTIME

Only a fraction of 1% of the US population is affected by the wars. Most live their lives clueless and unconcerned with the danger and the terror our soldiers are facing every day. To remind them, I think Ross Perot's tax idea is a good one. If every American, rich, poor, everyone were taxed even a small percent, they would all be involved in the war at least monetarily. They might just take an interest in fact that we are killing people and our soldiers are getting killed for basically nothing.

Nothing will ever change in Afghanistan. No foreign army in the history of mankind could win in Afghanistan. Even at the peak of the USSR it could not win and it suffered severe casualties and a loss of a great deal of their national treasure. And contrary to the Reagan Myth that he ended the cold war, the USSR's reign was ended by economics 101. Even Henry Kissinger said the cold war would have ended within 6 months of when it did (give or take) even if Reagan never served a day in office. Conservatives like to forget what Kissinger said because they are in some love/lust with Reagan.

We need to get out now. Stop the carnage. And tax everyone until we do.

The best way into most people's brains is through their pocketbooks.