Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site cholula.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!ihnp4!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tikal!cholula!tac From: tac@cholula.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: Causes of war Message-ID: <22@cholula.UUCP> Date: Thu, 4-Oct-84 13:15:41 EDT Article-I.D.: cholula.22 Posted: Thu Oct 4 13:15:41 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 6-Oct-84 04:00:37 EDT References:<1394@bmcg.UUCP> <542@pucc-i> Organization: Teltone Corp., Kirkland, WA Lines: 55 , (sop to the blank line eaters--consider it a religious sacrifice) >> Bill, >> If you *study* history, you will find that these 'causes' of wars >> you mention, (assasinations, raids, etc.) are merely populized excuses used >> to drum up public support for the war effort, rather than actual causes. >> In a situation where it is really not advantageous to the people in power to >> start up a conflict, they don't. >> >> ----- >> Marc W. Mengel [1 spelling, 1 non-word = C- ed.] There is fact to your contention Marc, but I don't think you have expressed the true data clearly enough. ** THERE IS NO CASE IN HISTORY WHERE ONE COUNTRY ATTACKED ** ** ANOTHER WHEN THEY DID NOT THINK THAT THEY COULD WIN! ** The obvious conclusion to draw from this is that to insure peace you must make certain that all sides KNOW that they would loose a war if it started! Now, since all of the people who are advocating disarmament as means of insuring peace agree that no one could win a nuclear war, they have already admitted that the best form of keeping peace is to insure parity in arms. I know of no one who claims that limitations treaties are of particular effectiveness due to enforcement problems, but let us not argue that point. The space race is an offshoot of the arms race, and they both have paid for themselves many times over in technological development. (Just think about the terminal and computer that you are reading this on--it is the offshoot of efforts to make a "smart" missile smaller than a gymnasium.) So many possibilities exist solely because of the space race that I can't even figure where to begin. I can only suggest further reading along this line--"A Step Farther Out" by Jerry Pournelle. (Yes, the User's column in Byte and an SF writer, but this one is a collection of Science columns that he has written.) Let me say, for the record, that I do not advocate unlimited arms spending. I would like to see the Defense budget cut by 50% and the Social Services budget cut by 80%. Not only would this bring them down to approximate parity, but it should force them to reduce inefficiencies. [Defense department hammers @ $2000.00 are legend, but did you know that in 1976 an accounting firm did an analysis of the Social Services people and found that it took $5 input to get $1 output (making no comment on the needyness of the recipients).] Now THAT would start to balance the budget without increasing the deficit! From the Soapbox of Tom Condon {...!uw-beaver!tikal!tac} A Radical A Day Keeps The Government At Bay. DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed herein are those of everyone who matters, but not necessarily anyone you know, and most certainly not my employers!