for heather

[humberthumbert]

Comments

[queenkatieett]

I've done time with Doctorow, and I've gotta say that for your purposes, The Book of Daniel is the best read. I liked Ragtime, but I really think that Daniel was better-written.

[humberthumbert]

yeah, i think i'll check out book of daniel and just watch ragtime's movie.

[hennahokum]

This is late and I'm not heather, but I think people calling for symbolic concessions --such as visiting Verdun or wherever-- must not live in the same reality as I. Such actions are just as empty as verbal promises. The only good point I feel this article raised was that the Europeans like uniting against a threat to world peace, and that right now they think we are that threat. At least zee Germans do, anyways.

[humberthumbert]

you're right; i (and most of europe, i assume) care very little about where bush visits. but upon rereading the article, i'm not even sure that i got down that far--my main point was to ask why no one remembers wwi:

While Europeans cannot forget World War II, they are far more likely than Americans to remember World War I....World War I teaches that war is always horrible, often inconclusive, and can unleash a host of unintended consequences. A "victory" in war can easily lead to a far more serious conflict later.

and we are a threat. how many major conflicts in the past 50 or so years have been of our making, and how many will be in the next 50?

[hennahokum]

Our involvement in The Great War was minimal, and not a truly decisive factor in the outcome of the war. WWII we bled for. Before Veteran's Day was Armistice Day. Eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, et ceteras. Canadians and Britons (and possibly others as well) wear poppy flowers on that day as a way of remembrance. The original idea was that WWI would be the last war to afflict western society, and I guess poppies celebrate that notion. Anyway, Americans don't wear poppies anymore; we put yellow ribbons on our cars, instead.