G�day Guys, It seems that genocide is a religious calling. In Deuteronomy, the "Canaanite question" was apparently answered in the same way that Hitler and the Nazis tried to solve the "Jewish question". (Even if they used different techniques.) There was also the same religious ideal in Ruwanda, Yugoslavia, the Sudan etc.
Right now, we don't have a national "God's kingdom on Earth" to kill for, and thankfully we can't go out "in God's name" and commit further atrocities "for Him". (Even though lots of people still try.) War is a political tool. People respond to it as citizens, not as a choice between Caesar and Christ. Citizens defend their way of life and not their religion (though sometimes it gets a little murky, and then there is trouble, as above). Get religion out of the question, and then citizens can decide if war is justified or not; and they can, and have, changed their minds in the middle of it! War used to be profitable - you got lots of loot to enjoy - but I think that it is becoming too expensive even when you win, and that may save the day. The Oz PM John Howard wants to go all the way with the USA. I think it is really about trade. The US government has for many years attacked Oz through trade imbalances - demanding full access to our markets and restricting access to it's own markets through quotas, tariffs and paybacks to farmers. Now that G.W.Bush has woken up to the fact that the only US allies are the UK and Oz, he has hinted at unlocking the trade barriers that protect inefficient US markets. That little bone should keep us on side for a bit now that WW2 is a fading memory! Cheers Peter -- Peter Eyland Sydney Australia Web page: http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~epe ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
