Thursday, July 15, 2010

My Apologies...

...if my last anti-war rant offended any of my readers. Sometimes I wax inflammatory. I know there are plenty of people suffering on all sides of every war, as much psychological/soul damage (for the pain they've inflicted on others) as for any actual injuries suffered. When I say it's an "asshole move" to invade another country, I'm not singling out those who sign up to fight, I'm talking about those those who allow it to happen in the first place...ignorant citizens that elect war-mongering officials, elected politicians that kowtow to lobbyists or the fears of their constituents, and conscientious objectors like myself that can't be bothered to take off work and chain themselves to the front of a battleship.

Anyway...sorry if I was pouring salt into already raging wounds. This morning, I felt that I needed to say something prior to promoting a RPG like Revised Recon. Probably all I needed to say was: "War isn't a game."

Recon IS a game...and it appears to be a good one. The good ones should be played.

14 comments:

  1. I thought your comments were right on. This "war against terror" is a disgusting affair that has gone on for too long. How many people will our country kill/murder/main before the events of 9/11 put to rest?

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  2. The "War On Terror" is a joke and it is being played upon the American people.

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  3. I love me some Recon.

    Haven't played it since the 6th or 7th grade. With so many z-grade Vietnam movies on cable at that point (to say nothing of Tour of Duty), we had tons of cheesy inspiration.

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  4. no need to apologize. almost everything you said was true. the truth does offend people sometimes. not your fault at all.

    i especially like how you point out that despite being a pacifist you realise that sometimes military action is indeed unavoidable. my stance on the subject exactly.

    i feel that when playing games involving violence and death (sometimes on a grand scale) like rpgs or tabletop wargames, gamers have chosen a civilised outlet for our more aggressive tendencies. quite healthy i believe.

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  5. I refrained from commenting on that post. I will do so again here.

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  6. Real war sucks and it's never a joke. People and states do have actual deadly enemies in the real world.
    Playing war-games and violent RPGs is thankfully nothing like war. Cardboard veterans aren't sent home missing limbs, lead widows don't lament their lost loves and plastic children don't die with empty stomachs.

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  7. I appreciated those comments. Of course, I happen to agree with them, but I thought you presented them appropriately. I don’t think I would have objected to your expressing your opinion even if I did disagree.

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  8. You have every right to say whatever you like my friend! Regardless of if I personally agree or not, I think it is important to get divergent views out into the marketplace of ideas. Don't apologize for speaking your mind!

    While I disagree with most of what you have to say, I respect your views and the sincerity with which you state them. I'd like it very much if reasonable conversation and gentlemanly accommodation replaced bullets and bombs as well, unfortunately not everyone play the game strictly according to Hoyle.

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  9. No need to apologize, it was a cogent, well-articulated thought on the matter.

    TO follow-up my other response, another thought that it is somewhat of a false paradigm to define "war" as "bad". There are degrees, reasons, and each case is unique. However, it is fair to say most cases are unjustified. But others? And countries like Belgium who don't go to war and remain "neutral" often get rolled over repeatedly, sadly when they should be rewarded.

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  10. I think some people just don't think you can be supportive of the men and women in uniform who serve and protect our country, and disagree with the mission they have been given. I believe that if we are to send our soldiers off to war, it better be for a damn good reason. Their sacrifice should be meaningful and whatever victory we gain should be worth the price they pay in their time away from home, the hardships of the theatre of war, and sometimes their lives or health.

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  11. @ Bear and Amanda: Again...thanks.

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  12. Speaking as an enlisted person in the armed forces, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I don't particularly want to go to war, and I don't want to kill anybody. I signed up to protect my country, not to go across the ocean and kill some people for no reason.

    Of course, I'm a Navy Seabee, so my job is to build houses and pave roads and then fight if I have to, so I guess I'm kind of set, huh?

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  13. @ Nick: I hope your fortune holds, man.

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