Lessons Unlearned
May 8th and 9th are the days known as Victory Day or V-E Day. They are the anniversaries of the end of the European Theater of World War II. Back in 1945, it was a time of great celebration throughout most of Europe -- as well as a time of great sorrow.
World War II was the most devastating conflict in world history. Over 72 million people lost their lives, including over 41 million civilians. Well over half of these deaths occurred in the European Theater.
Following the end of the war, the surviving nations should have had cause to rethink how we behaved toward each other. The Soviets, Americans, British and French should have learned some valuable lessons.
Unfortunately, they learned the wrong ones. And the Cold War began.
The British and the Soviets spied so heavily on each other that a secret war was waged between the two nations that probably still is being waged today. The French, despite knowing full well the terrors of foreign occupation, fought a war to maintain their occupation of French Indochina. The Soviets and Americans waged several small wars against each other through the years, in places like Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan, bringing other nations into the conflict as well. Still more millions of lives were wasted.
We're nearly twenty years from the end of the Cold War and we still haven't learned a thing.
The United States invaded and now occupy a nation in the Middle East without just cause. More troops are still being sent there. The rouse was that this was part of the "War on Terror" when in fact no terror threat against us existed there until we invaded. Now, the number of American casualties in this unjust war exceed that of the deaths of 9/11.
We have learned nothing.
From 1939 until the last days of 1941 the United States stayed out of World War II. We were pulled into it by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. We were right to go to war when we did. And with whom we did. That is not so this time around.
Not only have we learned nothing, we have grown more ignorant.
Shame on us.
World War II was the most devastating conflict in world history. Over 72 million people lost their lives, including over 41 million civilians. Well over half of these deaths occurred in the European Theater.
Following the end of the war, the surviving nations should have had cause to rethink how we behaved toward each other. The Soviets, Americans, British and French should have learned some valuable lessons.
Unfortunately, they learned the wrong ones. And the Cold War began.
The British and the Soviets spied so heavily on each other that a secret war was waged between the two nations that probably still is being waged today. The French, despite knowing full well the terrors of foreign occupation, fought a war to maintain their occupation of French Indochina. The Soviets and Americans waged several small wars against each other through the years, in places like Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan, bringing other nations into the conflict as well. Still more millions of lives were wasted.
We're nearly twenty years from the end of the Cold War and we still haven't learned a thing.
The United States invaded and now occupy a nation in the Middle East without just cause. More troops are still being sent there. The rouse was that this was part of the "War on Terror" when in fact no terror threat against us existed there until we invaded. Now, the number of American casualties in this unjust war exceed that of the deaths of 9/11.
We have learned nothing.
From 1939 until the last days of 1941 the United States stayed out of World War II. We were pulled into it by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. We were right to go to war when we did. And with whom we did. That is not so this time around.
Not only have we learned nothing, we have grown more ignorant.
Shame on us.
posted by E-Luv at 9:17 AM
1 Comments:
Very well said. Needless to say, I am in complete agreement.
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