reply to post by mr-lizard
Mr. Lizard, none - and I mean zero - armchair military experience.
I got mine first-hand. Hard truths, hard learned.
I don't know why you seem to have a weed up your butt over this, but if you can't swallow it, choke on it.
As a child, I shared your limited views on killing and strife in general.
What simple minds such as yours cannot understand, and cannot contemplate is that the truisms of a peaceful coexistence are at odds when it comes to
the killing.
I can state with absolute certainty, that those I killed not once, in any form, every caused me another moment's trouble.
About those truisms. They are counter-intuitive. But they are proven over the written history of man.
For example. I know you'll really have trouble with this one, but that's because you have no first-hand knowledge gained through any personal
experience:
"To be most merciful, one must be most ruthless." Michael Riggs
Sounds crazy, huh?
You, using your preferences, would rather see dozens of people die, for dozens of hours, for dozens of months, for dozens of years because you can't
see that it might be more merciful to stop the killing quickly and with authority and a reasonable finality.
This is not a new concept.
Let me tell you the secret to successful warfare. Credibility. It's all about credibility.
Hesitation, mercy, a defensive mindset, sloth, conflict avoidance, and wasted effort do nothing to gain military credibility.
Alexander knew man. "It is important to win morally as to win militarily. By which I mean our victories must break the foe's heart and tear from
him all hope of contesting us again. I do not wish to fight war upon war, but by war to produce such peace as will admit no insurrection."
Credibility. Certainty that to fight this army, you'll ALWAYS lose.
"It is difficult to do one's duty. I was considered a barbarian because at the storming of Praga 7,000 people were killed. Europe says I am a
monster. I have read this myself in the papers, but I would like to talk to people about this and ask them: is it not better to finish a war with the
deaths of 7,000 people rather than to drag it on and kill 100,000?" Alexandr Suvarov, 1794
Sherman knew what it took. "War is cruelty. There's no use trying to reform it, the crueler it is the sooner it will be over.
Even Napolean. "If you wage war, do it energetically and with severity. This is the only way to make it shorter and consequently less
inhumane."
"Limited war means unlimited suffering. Unlimited war means limited suffering." Michael Riggs
This isn't a question of whether a war is right or not.
This is about when you are engaged, how to bring it to a quick, decisive decision that will bring peace.
You hunt your enemy tirelessly, kill them in the greatest numbers, in the greatest concentrations, with the greatest efficiency, in the least amount
of time.
When you kill enough, the other side quits.
So hurry and find that number.
And then the killing stops.
And the suffering.
Which is most merciful.
