November 11th is Remembrance Day. I am given to reflecting on what this means.
It is a time for sparing some thought for ancestors or other relatives whose lives were taken or affected by the two world wars. It is also about the lessons of history - learning from our mistakes.
As I sit and node this, I am aware of newspaper headlines about our troops. I read that in the UK and USA, troops are being made ready for a unilateral attack on Iraq. Are we aware of the consequences of what we are potentially doing? Admittedly, there is the possibility that Iraq allows unhindered weapons inspections - stranger things happen at sea.
What does this all mean for your average citizen? The economy on both sides of the pond is already shot to pieces. Are those of conscriptable age able to remember the lessons of Vietnam? Could this be Bush pandering to nationalistic jingoism in preparation for election - Falklands style?
Update
On the evening of November 11, I used this as a theme at a
Cogers debate. My thanks go to
Novasoy,
thbz and
Emmac for their daylogs, which provided additional insights into
Remembrance Day in other parts of the globe.