# Oral Presentation Idea



## krimynal (2 Nov 2013)

Hey guys ! ,

So for my last Oral Presentation ( part of my University degree progress class ) I was thinking about speaking about the army.  I don't want to only speak about what I'm gonna do in the army ( artillery ) but more about , what exactly people should know about it.  Like for those who think that army = infantry = death , like show them the good side of the army , that we need to use them , we need them in our country , we need them to prepare , etc. etc. etc.

a week ago the university went on and set posters throughout all the building stating that military money was useless , we were paying for nothing , we should just close the army and put the money some place where it actually matters.  It really made me freaking pissed , because I can't believe how people have no idea of what is going on around them .....

the oral presentation is to last around 5 to 10 minutes , and the goal is to convince the people in the classroom of anything you want , you have to convince them of something that matters to you , you have to leave the presentation with people wanting to know more of what you said.  

I thought about speaking of the school the Canadian Army helped raised in Afghanistan , of the troop we sent to Haiti when the disaster happened , but I want more ideas like that , I want to show people that a Canadian Soldier , is not a cold hearted killer , but in fact he is just the opposite !

Thanks !


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## a_majoor (2 Nov 2013)

Since I'm not at work, I don't have DWAN access right now, but a good place to start might be to search the site for the "speakers notes" they put up for people who are going to speak on Remembrance day. I'm not saying just do a "cut and paste", but if you base your presentation off the themes and speaking points you can't go wrong (in several ways).


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## krimynal (2 Nov 2013)

are the speaker note available only on the DWAN website ? because I don't have access to the website neither !


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## Edward Campbell (2 Nov 2013)

krimynal said:
			
		

> Hey guys ! ,
> 
> So for my last Oral Presentation ( part of my University degree progress class ) I was thinking about speaking about the army.  I don't want to only speak about what I'm gonna do in the army ( artillery ) but more about , what exactly people should know about it.  Like for those who think that army = infantry = death , like show them the good side of the army , that we need to use them , we need them in our country , we need them to prepare , etc. etc. etc.
> 
> ...





First, there are a number (quite a large number, actually) of first rate economists who will argue that defence spending is not just unproductive, it is, actually, counter-productive because of opportunity costs and all that. 

But, second, you car and fire insurance are also unproductive expenses but smart people, including all those first rate economists, have both ... why? We all understand that there are, as Harold Macmillan probably did not really say, "events, dear boy, events," or, in a modern turn of phrase because "sh!t happens." And the events (or sh!t) are rarely predictable and often not of our choosing, not even our fault. So we have insurance. The CF - Navy, Army and Air Force, is the _national_ insurance policy. We don't want to spend too much but we do, really, want to be sure that our insurance will provide good coverage when "sh!t happens."

So, what does the CF do? It defends and promotes Canada's most vital interests anywhere in the world. It does so by:

     1. Keeping or restoring the peace so that Canadians can go about their lawful, commercial business in peace and security; and

     2. Eliminating threats to the lives, liberties and property of Canadians everywhere ~ and it does that by engaging the people who threaten us in combat.

The CF is, for Canada, like the "good neighbour" in the _State Farm_ commercial .... or it is if Canadians pay enough. Right now the military budgets are stretched too thin; we understand why - the economic crisis is real; but, soon, we will be in danger of becoming the other driver, the one with the "other" insurance policy. You, we, get what we pay for.


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## krimynal (2 Nov 2013)

yeah that's a good idea , speaking about the comparision of a Home / Car insurance , and the Canadian Insurance compagny , I like that way !

anything else ! haha ?


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## George Wallace (2 Nov 2013)

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> First, there are a number (quite a large number, actually) of first rate economists who will argue that defence spending is not just unproductive, it is, actually, counter-productive because of opportunity costs and all that.
> 
> But, second, you car and fire insurance are also unproductive expenses but smart people, including all those first rate economists, have both ... why? We all understand that there are, as Harold Macmillan probably did not really say, "events, dear boy, events," or, in a modern turn of phrase because "sh!t happens." And the events (or sh!t) are rarely predictable and often not of our choosing, not even our fault. So we have insurance. The CF - Navy, Army and Air Force, is the _national_ insurance policy. We don't want to spend too much but we do, really, want to be sure that our insurance will provide good coverage when "sh!t happens."
> 
> ...



To add to your points; the Canadian military is also involved deeply in, not only the military defence of Canada, but the humanitarian side: fighting forest fires in B.C.; Manitoba floods; Search and Rescue at sea and on land; and other calls in response to Aid to the Civil Power, even a snow storm in Toronto ( >).


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## krimynal (2 Nov 2013)

Yeah I guess I'll use a powerpoint , like , first showing the normal images that most people have , about a soldier overseas in a firefight or something like that , then go with something like : Is this really it ???? 

then show pictures of them helping in forest fires , in floods , etc. etc. etc.


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## pbi (4 Nov 2013)

OK, but be careful not to get trapped by these hostile questions:

"So why do they need guns if the most important thing they do is humanitarian work?"

"Why do you need tanks/artillery/fighters/etc/etc "

"Why don't we just have a big National Emergency Service instead of a military?" and, of course:

"What happened to peacekeeping?"


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## The Bread Guy (4 Nov 2013)

pbi said:
			
		

> OK, but be careful not to get trapped by these hostile questions:
> 
> "So why do they need guns if the most important thing they do is humanitarian work?"
> 
> ...


Or work on possible answers, like:  "If aid is being delivered, in a worst case scenario, sometimes bad guys don't want the aid to get to where it's going, or they want to steal it - how do you convince those folks to let the aid through if they have guns?"

I'm sure you're a smart enough guy to do more research than just here to come up with concrete examples for 
 these "keep in your back pocket" responses


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## krimynal (4 Nov 2013)

I will do research , the point of this post , was more in the idea of : 

What do you think the people should know about us , like other than the trades in itself , like the overall Ideas , what do you think is really worth mentioning and pointing 

but yeah I will check deeper for more accurate facts !


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## JorgSlice (4 Nov 2013)

To quote good ol' Uncle Rick (ret'd): "The Army's job is to be able to kill people."

Everything else is secondary.


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## pbi (4 Nov 2013)

krimynal said:
			
		

> I will do research , the point of this post , was more in the idea of :
> 
> What do you think the people should know about us , like other than the trades in itself , like the overall Ideas , what do you think is really worth mentioning and pointing
> 
> but yeah I will check deeper for more accurate facts !


 I think you need more than a collection of factoids to present a cogent case, and to confront your (inevitable...) opponents properly armed. You need to point out the underlying rationale for having a true military and not just the Red Cross with guns. Here are a few:

-UN Peacekeeping has never held higher than third place in our national defence priorities, thus our military has always been  structured, trained and equipped primarily for war (sometimes not very well, but that's another issue...);

-We have never been a "neutral" country in the sense of Switzerland or Sweden: we have always been prepared to make armed military commitments, albeit reluctantly in some cases, on somebody else's behalf;

-The primary purposes of our armed forces have always been the defence of our country, followed by assistance to our allies in various arrangements such as NATO and NORAD;  and

-if bad guys are armed, we probably should be too.

 By presenting this underlying reasoning for "why the military is what it is", you avoid being trapped into appearing to say that the military is something that it isn't, which you may be very quickly caught out on. It is what it is, for good reasons.

While you don't want to start foaming at the mouth about killing people and smashing things, don't forget that part, either.

The killing bit, I mean. Not the mouth foaming part....


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## krimynal (4 Nov 2013)

thanks for those precise pointers !


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## daftandbarmy (4 Nov 2013)

Aw crap..

Totally NOT what I expected when I saw the title of this thread...  :crybaby:


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## jeffb (5 Nov 2013)

Seeing as it is for university, how about a book recommendation. Check out Desmond Morton's _A Military History of Canada_. Dr. Morton is not only a graduate of RMC and a former officer himself, he is also one of the foremost authorities on Canadian Military History. Most importantly for your topic, this book is subtitled "a military history of an nonmilitary people". It's a great read and might give you some ideas on how important the military has been as an institution in our nations development.


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## daftandbarmy (5 Nov 2013)

krimynal said:
			
		

> Hey guys ! ,
> 
> So for my last Oral Presentation ( part of my University degree progress class ) I was thinking about speaking about the army.  I don't want to only speak about what I'm gonna do in the army ( artillery ) but more about , what exactly people should know about it.  Like for those who think that army = infantry = death , like show them the good side of the army , that we need to use them , we need them in our country , we need them to prepare , etc. etc. etc.
> 
> ...



I'd suggest using the 'what I learned about myself from being in the Army' type approach. No one can argue with you about your impressions, and they always tend to put themselves in your shoes (especially if you invite them to during your talk).

They might even learn something.

Here's a good example. Longer than 10 minutes, of course, but a good example nonetheless:

Stanley McChrystal: Listen, learn ... then lead 
http://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal.html


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## sappermcfly (5 Nov 2013)

I would agree to personalize the presentation. Make it about your own experience, or about another Canadian individual. Personalize and humanize the topic and subject matter. There are tons of examples available online. That way the heckling, hissing and potential spitballs during your presentation may be minimized. After you wow them all, and they slow clap your presentation, please report back to let us know.

Good luck to you and kudos for engaging in a subject that is somewhat taboo in universities nowadays, or at least the support thereof.


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## krimynal (7 Nov 2013)

I will totally let you know , I'm still trying to put all the "important" subject I want to talk about , trying to figure exactly what I plan on saying , its not a debate , so I'm not worried about getting chewed on in a corner , but I still want to leave the front of the class , with people in the audience thinking "I might have thought something wrong about these guys".

I might also use the "sensitive" card , like , pretty much all the people I know in the military would much rather choose to do help mission everywhere in the world , go help in floods , in fires , etc. etc. etc. ... Sadly there are also people that need our help with a much worse problem , people holding guns , and people treathing the life's of other .... these people may also be a treat to us Canadians over there , they could be African , Muslims , German , whatever , as a soldier or an officer we signed up to try to help the wrong.  We signed up to try to make a difference so people in these problem may one day be able to live like we Canadians do.  To have better rights , to have more freedom and a lot more liberty.  

or something in these lines


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## daftandbarmy (8 Nov 2013)

krimynal said:
			
		

> I will totally let you know , I'm still trying to put all the "important" subject I want to talk about , trying to figure exactly what I plan on saying , its not a debate , so I'm not worried about getting chewed on in a corner , but I still want to leave the front of the class , with people in the audience thinking "I might have thought something wrong about these guys".
> 
> I might also use the "sensitive" card , like , pretty much all the people I know in the military would much rather choose to do help mission everywhere in the world , go help in floods , in fires , etc. etc. etc. ... Sadly there are also people that need our help with a much worse problem , people holding guns , and people treathing the life's of other .... these people may also be a treat to us Canadians over there , they could be African , Muslims , German , whatever , as a soldier or an officer we signed up to try to help the wrong.  We signed up to try to make a difference so people in these problem may one day be able to live like we Canadians do.  To have better rights , to have more freedom and a lot more liberty.
> 
> or something in these lines



Or:

"We are not the public service of Canada. We are not just another department. We are the Canadian Forces and our job is to be able to kill people."  :nod:

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/rick-hillier-reconnected-canadians-with-forces-1.305402#ixzz2k1bDVN9B
http://www.ctvnews.ca/rick-hillier-reconnected-canadians-with-forces-1.305402


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## krimynal (8 Nov 2013)

yeah but people in my class are pretty subjective of the whole killing people stuff .... they do know that it happens , but I'm trying to show them the other side , the fact that its not ALL we do ..... the fact that we also have great individual that are not thrill about killing people and keeping a record of how many hits they've made !


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## Edward Campbell (8 Nov 2013)

Wear one of these during your presentation:


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## The Bread Guy (8 Nov 2013)

krimynal said:
			
		

> yeah but people in my class are pretty subjective of the whole killing people stuff .... they do know that it happens , but I'm trying to show them the other side , the fact that its not ALL we do ..... the fact that we also have great individual that are not thrill about killing people and keeping a record of how many hits they've made !


A quick analogy - just because a police officer can legally kill someone as a last resort doesn't mean:
1)  that's ALL he does, and
2)  that s/he doesn't have a lot of other tools in the belt to get the job of policing done.


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## daftandbarmy (8 Nov 2013)

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> Wear one of these during your presentation:



want one  :nod:


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## Edward Campbell (8 Nov 2013)

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> want one  :nod:




Even if it's offered by the same guy who says he brought us back to pips and crowns? Check the sales offer.


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## krimynal (8 Nov 2013)

I like the idea of the shirt , wearing something representing the forces other than my Combat uniform is a good one ! ( I would not wear my combat at school but you get the point ).  

I'm gonna try to speak to my step father who served 33 years in the 22ND regiment this weekend , ask him some input on what he may thought be interesting to say , I'll also try to get  a hold of my brother in-law who went twice in Afghanistan and is currently in the army also.  Maybe they will also help me out on 2-3 different topics !

thanks for all the ideas !


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## Towards_the_gap (8 Nov 2013)

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> Wear one of these during your presentation:



I dunno, I kinda think it's on the gruyere side of cheese.

Maybe if it said 'Dodging American projectiles since 1812' or something.


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## daftandbarmy (9 Nov 2013)

krimynal said:
			
		

> I like the idea of the shirt , wearing something representing the forces other than my Combat uniform is a good one ! ( I would not wear my combat at school but you get the point ).
> 
> I'm gonna try to speak to my step father who served 33 years in the 22ND regiment this weekend , ask him some input on what he may thought be interesting to say , I'll also try to get  a hold of my brother in-law who went twice in Afghanistan and is currently in the army also.  Maybe they will also help me out on 2-3 different topics !
> 
> thanks for all the ideas !



Bring them with you. Dare the audience to diss them.  :nod:


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## krimynal (10 Nov 2013)

hehe , That would be kinda really fun to watch ahah !


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## pbi (11 Nov 2013)

Here is a tip, from one of my own experiences of speaking with students.
When I was still in uniform, I was asked to go and talk with a "Social Justice" elective in the Faculty of Education at Queen's U.

(I can hear Thucydides and ERC snickering already.....) >

Anyway, after sitting on the floor, and having cookies and doing something called "checking in with ourselves...", we got talking. It was actually going very well and I was on a myth-busting roll. I was rambling on about "some things worth dying for" when one of the students asked me a question to the effect of "was I saying that there are things worth killing for?"

I wasn't really prepared for this question (an obvious one that I should have been able to deal with easily) and I'm sure I fumbled about. I have to admit, it is a question that can make for excellent debate (with or without beers. Or cookies.)

Anyway, my point is not to go in with a phony, fully-scripted act: they will smell that a mile away. Be yourself but be aware that there is probably someone out there waiting to trip you up, because what you stand for is so opposed to what they believe in.

Good luck: let us know how it went!


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## The Bread Guy (11 Nov 2013)

Here's how one CF speaker handled it:
http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/news/article.page?doc=soldiers-teach-students-about-the-caring-side-of-the-uniform/hnren0nu


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## pbi (11 Nov 2013)

Very good.

And, the group at Queen's aside, pretty much like the Nov 11 experience I've always had with school kids of all ages. Sometimes I think we are too quick to condemn.


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## krimynal (15 Nov 2013)

Hey quick questions , do you guys know where I could find the list of the names of the soldier that gave their life in Afghanistan since we first started the conlift ????

I don't want to go out and yell their names , just want to put them on a powerpoint page 

I felt like starting my oral by asking people in the class : Who here would be ready to leave everything you have , everyone you love , every confort you earned and go fight in a country you don't know nothing of , where you don't even speak the same language , and where you don't know anyone ??? ( just to show in the classroom how only a few people are actually gonna raise their hands ) .... then I would show a picture of a Ramp Ceremony , and just quickly show the page with all the names saying : these guys would of raised their hands too, they went out there in the hope of doing the right thing , whatever the right thing may be .... they payed a lot .... they gave out all they have .... these guys will never come back to this country were the one they love awaits for them , where they can speak the language and where they can sit on a couch and watch TV.  These guys died overseas , in an unknown and still mysterious country .... they died .... because they wanted to change it. 

you get a bit where I am going , I'm thinking of using a stat that Cpt Ray Wiss said in his book "fob doc" ( I'm actually gonna bring the book in class ) about how in 2007 the talibans closed 350 schools and killed 155 people who were in them , I found that stat to be pretty moving especially since I'm doing this for school !


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## JorgSlice (15 Nov 2013)

krimynal said:
			
		

> Hey quick questions , do you guys know where I could find the list of the names of the soldier that gave their life in Afghanistan since we first started the conlift ????
> 
> I don't want to go out and yell their names , just want to put them on a powerpoint page
> 
> ...



http://bit.ly/1gQkIMD


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## krimynal (15 Nov 2013)

my bad , I saw that list , but didn't realize at the end how there were more then 1 in the same event  !

so I counted fast and it didn't make sense ! thanks !


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## JorgSlice (15 Nov 2013)

158 casualties. Including Reporter Michelle Lang.

The way you want to start off the presentation would garner responses: "Why would we want to meddle with the lives of another society. Imperialism is dead. Leave them alone."


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## Edward Campbell (15 Nov 2013)

PrairieThunder said:
			
		

> ... "Why would we want to meddle with the lives of another society. Imperialism is dead. Leave them alone."



Maybe this, a German extermination camp ...






                 ... or this, from the _Rape of Nanking_ ...

                                    
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




                                                    ... or even this, from the 21st century ...

                                                                                                  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




                                                                                                                                                                                                  .... will remind people of why we "meddle" in far away places.


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## GnyHwy (15 Nov 2013)

Close with the sheepdog analogy.  http://mwkworks.com/onsheepwolvesandsheepdogs.html

Truncated version



> "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident."
> 
> I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful.? For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
> 
> ...


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## Danjanou (15 Nov 2013)

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> Aw crap..
> 
> Totally NOT what I expected when I saw the title of this thread...  :crybaby:




I think you meant to go here http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/109157/post-1269745.html#new  8)

BTW I want one of those shirts too.


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## Old Sweat (15 Nov 2013)

Danjanou said:
			
		

> BTW I want one of those shirts too.



I bought one a number of years ago and when we asked Clive at a militaria show about another, he replied that he had made 300 and had no plans to get anymore. My wife began to press him and after a few months, he gave us the address of the maker in the US who had produced them. We got 25 done up with an end date of 2011, vice 2009. As he has brought the shirts back on the market, we will allow him the exclusive right to market them. Besides, all our 25 are gone.

It is quite an impressive shirt, and I have got positive comments on both sides of the border.


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## krimynal (1 Dec 2013)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoctFxn0PxI&feature=youtu.be



if you guys want to see it , nothing fancy , was recorded by a cellphone so sorry for the quality , and the teacher decided to put it down to a 3min30 presentation ..... ( i had planned a 5 minute one ) so I decided to do my 5 min one and not care about the time !!

P.S. Movember was going on haha !


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## armyvern (1 Dec 2013)

...

Oooops; wrong thread.


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## Journeyman (1 Dec 2013)

ArmyVern said:
			
		

> ...
> 
> Oooops; wrong thread.


  Do tell....     >


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## ComDvr13 (2 Dec 2013)

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> Maybe this, a German extermination camp ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Jesus...
I mean yeah..
Good point...
But Jesus...


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## cupper (2 Dec 2013)

ComDvr13 said:
			
		

> Jesus...
> I mean yeah..
> Good point...
> But Jesus...



Nothing like the movies or video games. 

Not pretty.


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## daftandbarmy (2 Dec 2013)

cupper said:
			
		

> Nothing like the movies or video games.
> 
> Not pretty.



These were cheerful people too... mailed body parts to the families of their victims, and in a 'first world' country:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjHR2hSlBuI

And there were others who richly deserved a 7.62 enema, and some of them are MPs now of course.


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## Edward Campbell (2 Dec 2013)

ComDvr13 said:
			
		

> Jesus...
> I mean yeah..
> Good point...
> But Jesus...




Croesus, the legendary King of Lydia about 2,500 years ago is supposed to have said that "During times of peace, the sons bury their fathers, but in war it is the fathers who send their sons to the grave.” And that's the ultimate question: what is "sufficient cause" to ask a father to send his sons to die?

Most often, too often, in any century, not just this one, the cause is not sufficient and we are left, as was Croesus to blame the gods* or fate or venal politicians ... but sometimes the "cause" is sufficient, sometimes a leader or a group or even a whole nation needs to be destroyed, for the sake of humanity at large, and we ought to send our sons to die.

There are "just wars" - the Technoviking can explain that better than I, if you need an explanation - and they are worth the sacrifice. Not all just wars are big, multinational _crusades_, sanctioned by some world body, and not all big, multinational crusades are just or even necessary, even if e.g. the UN says they are, but sometimes we have no choice but to apply daftandbarmy's "7.62 enema."

_____
*In that same story, told by Herodotus, Croesus said, "It was the fault of the Greek gods, who with their arrogance, encouraged me to march onto your lands. Nobody is mad enough to choose war whilst there is peace."


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