Rant re war
Surely I'm not alone in thinking that we live in a crazy
world? A world where our Government seems to think that war is justifiable and
then spends much of its time nuancing its troops’ behaviour?
Surely any sane person hates the very idea of war. It’s a
very inefficient way of settling differences between nations and causes untold
suffering. We wouldn’t allow neighbours in our housing estates to settle their
arguments in such a brutal way, so why is it acceptable for countries? I was
ashamed at the time of the Falklands War when we had newspaper headlines
calling on our troops to “Bash the Argies”. They certainly didn't express my viewpoint.
Recently we have had a discussion about the role of women in
our armed services.
Sir Richard Dannatt is quoted as saying, “To be in a unit
that is given orders to attack a hill, to attack a town, to attack a village,
that is a role not for women." He seems to be saying that it’s quite normal
for a man to bayonet, shoot or blow up another human being but that it’s not
alright for a woman. If he had said it was anathema for any human being to do
such a thing, he would have had my full support, but to suggest that only men
are brute beasts is patronising in the extreme. In the interests of equality women should surely be allowed
to be just as base as men if they so wish? At least, if war can ever be
justified.
The taking of so-called trophy photographs is strictly
forbidden and military police are investigating.
Two photographs appear to show at least one member of the
RAF Regiment giving a thumbs-up sign while kneeling next to the bloodied body
of a dead insurgent.
The RAF Regiment is the ground fighting force of the Royal
Air Force.
A spokesman said the RAF had a "zero-tolerance policy
on the mistreatment of deceased enemy personnel", adding that the case was
being treated "extremely seriously" and is the focus of an RAF Police
investigation.
BBC world affairs correspondent Paul Adams says much will
depend on what investigators make of the images. There is no suggestion the
fighter was shot in cold blood or abused afterwards, but the incident could
represent a breach of the Geneva Conventions.
As you read these words does it not strike you as an
extremely weird world view that says it’s reprehensible to take photos of a
dead body, but that it’s quite alright, indeed laudable, to kill the person in
the first place?
The human race has had only a short time, in global terms, to
learn peace. But we need to learn, we really do.
Peace be with you. (Whether you agree with me or not)
