In a message dated 1/3/07 10:10:19 P.M. Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
We didn't in previous wars. We didn't dump our ideals in the interests of winning in previous wars. We didn't? Look back at what the North did to the South to bring the Southern states into submission. Burned homes and towns after stealing anything of value. Killing all livestock that the United States Army could not use. Taking all food stores from the individual people in order to starve them. Destroying all infrastructure. See Sherman's march to the sea. Not to mention suspending constitutional rights in Northern states. Also the wholesale deliberate starvation and murder of prisoners of war by the tens of thousands. Lets fast forward to WWII, fire bombing of German and Japanese cities killing hundreds of thousands of civilians, internment camps for Japanese citizens, FBI watch of German/Americans, censoring of mail . I really think we would all be very naive if we didn't think we used coercive means in the interrogation of prisoners since the ACLU either wasn't around or was ignored. Prisoners of war had no rights other than the Geneva accord, no constitutional rights ever ! Lets not forget the use of Atomic weaponry to end the war.< I'm not suggesting the United States needs to use any or all of these methods and tactics in a modern war, but war is not meant to be nice and civilized , it's meant to bring your enemy into submission at any cost and once you have broken his will to resist and continue to fight, then you work at winning his heart and mind or what's left of it, just as we had done in all wars previous to the Korean conflict. No, we didn't dump our ideals, but war was treated like war and was taken very seriously until it was over. Then we show compassion and mercy. Until we can treat a war like a war, in all seriousness, and be united until it's completion and stop treating it like a political football which the enemy watches very carefully and can then wait until frustration to sets in, we're just pissing in the wind.
