Wednesday, November 11, 2009

HONORING VETERANS, HATING WAR

Metta Schafft of Sonora owns a Civil War Diary from her ancestor, Peter Lane in which he notes that marching across the beautiful hills and through timber and crossing streams, he met farmers, their herds of cows and hogs, blacksmiths and carpenters. Families stirring in their dwellings waving at them marching by, only to remark:
"...this scene of happiness was destined to be ruined by war. Gen. Sherman the robber and incendiary said War Is Hell, he, at least, carried it on that principle-burning, killing and destroying."

Now the killing is more efficient.
I salute our nations veterans while I hate war.
Some people consider themselves patriots and those of us against war as unpatriotic.
Let us consider the wise words of some respected historical figures:

"As never before, the essence of war is fire, famine and pestilence. They contribute to its outbreak; they are among its weapons; they become its consequences."
"When people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, I have come to hate war. War settles nothing." Dwight D. Eisenhower

"It is a shallow victory which leaves a prostrate people." Charles A. Lindbergh

"The human tragedy reaches its climax in the fact that after all the exertions and sacrifices of hundreds of millions of people and of the victories of the Righteous Cause, we have still not found Peace or Security..." Winston Churchill

"War is the business of barbarians." Napoleon

"There never was a good war or a bad peace." Franklin

"You are never going to get peace with millions of armed men. The chariot of peace cannot advance over a road littered with cannon." Lloyd George

"No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare." Madison

"War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong; and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses." Jefferson

"Let us pity and forgive those who urge increased armaments, for "they know not what they do."" Andrew Carnegie

"To be prepared for war is one of the most ineffectual ways of preserving peace." Washington

"When wars do come, they fall upon the many, the producing class, who are the sufferers. U.S.Grant

I salute our nations veterans but war should be relegated to the trash heap as a way of solving problems. Civilization is at stake.

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