That's not very rational

The First World War was just as s**tty a war as Iraq. Fought for all the wrong reasons, driven by stupid and arrogant politicians, marshalled by blinkered and stupid generals who threw away hundreds of thousands of lives. Even the peace was s**t, leading to WW2.

But you feel the dead from that war are worth remembering?

It's not the soliders who cause the war. It's not their fault that Blair thought the best thing for Britain was to nosh Bush's cock. They don't get a choice which war they fight in. They sign up, and they get sent. It's a brave thing to do. If no-one did it, so that we had no armed forces, we'd be principled pacifists but we'd also be speaking German.

I buy poppies because I am grateful to the men and women* who sign up, follow their orders, fight bravely, and sometimes get killed or badly injured. What they do is deeply unpleasant but probably necessary if our way of life is to continue. I do it for them; not because I am pro-war (I'm instinctively a pacifist) or because I have illusions about the "glory" of war (there is none). I do it because I'm grateful.

* even though they should be home baking cakes

Posted By: Old Git on November 6th 2008 at 14:21:31

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