The crosses are from the First World War, the nuclear bomb from the Second and the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth might follow the Third.

Wilfred Owen exquisitely hymned the myriad pities of a silly, idiots' futile war, as are they almost all, according to the experts, the professors of peace.

Numerous generals and politicians including Sir Winston Churchill and President (General) Eisenhower, have testified the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were militarily unnecessary.   They did not shorten the war, they prolonged it.   Japan was already making secret overtures of surrender but these were ignored until America had had the chance to demonstrate her 'ultimate weapon' so we would all know the reckless threat we still live under.

Gen. Lee Butler, in charge of America's nuclear arsenal in the 1980's, has pleaded the urgency of removing this ultimate threat which he believes serves no military purpose, especially after the end of the Cold War and the USSR.   The politicians find these 'doomsday machines' serve poitical purposes which far outweigh their  military liability.

Sometimes it seems surprising how little our democratic politicians seem able to genuinely care even for the survival of the people who elect them.   If we are to be ruled by the ill-considered fancies of popular sentiment, exploited ruthlessly by billion dollar corporations who would sell their own grandmothers (if they had grandmothers) for a profitable contract, then democracy is brought into fatal dysfunction.

It is not unusual to learn what we should not be doing first.   It is not unusual to take things to the brink before we redeem ourselves, before we find we can do much better.



These notes will be expanded.