By James Milstid
I’m not anti-war. But I’m not pro-war either. When it comes to defending our freedom, our shores, our human rights, I realize that sometimes diplomacy doesn’t solve the issues. But too many times wars are waged because a leader is determined to leave a historical legacy of his “achievements”.
Consider the following quotes from the many people who understood how fruitless war can be:
1. “Old men declare war because they have failed to solve complex political and economic problems.” ~~Arthur Hoppe, columnist
2. “After each war there is a little less democracy left to save.” ~~Brooks Atkinson, theatre critic
3. “War does not determine who is right, only who is left.” ~~Bertrand Russell, British philosopher
4. “We Americans have no commission from God to police the world.” ~~Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the United States
5. “No nation ever had an army large enough to guarantee it against attack in time of peace, or ensure it of victory in time of war.” ~~Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States
6. “War settles nothing.” ~~Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States and 1st Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
7. “War in the end is always about betrayal, betrayal of the young by the old, of soldiers by politicians, and of idealists by cynics.” ~~Chris Hedges, American journalist and war correspondent
8. “After victory, you have more enemies.” ~~Cicero, Roman philosopher and statesman
9. “The best defense is no offense.” ~~Dr. Ivan Eland, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Peace & Liberty at The Independent Institute
10. “Probably, no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both. “ ~~Abraham Flexner, American educator
11. “I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.” ~~Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States
12. “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” ~~Albert Einstein, father of modern physics
13. “A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.” ~~Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, writer and Nobel Prize winner
14. “Violence as a way of gaining power…is being camouflaged under the guise of tradition, national honor [and] national security…” ~~Alfred Adler, physician and psychotherapist
15. “Today the real test of power is not capacity to make war but capacity to prevent it.” ~~Anne O’Hare McCormick, foreign news correspondent
16. “All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.” ~~Alexis de Tocqueville, French political scientist, historian, and politician
17. “Make wars unprofitable and you make them impossible.” ~~A. Philip Randolph, leader in the civil rights and labor movements
18. “War should be the politics of last resort. And when we go to war, we should have a purpose that our people understand and support.” ~~Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and four-star general
19. “The dangerous patriot…drifts into chauvinism and exhibits blind enthusiasm for military actions.” ~~Colonel James A. Donovan, U.S. Marine Corps
20. “The failure to dissect the cause of war leaves us open for the next installment.” ~~Chris Hedges, American journalist and war correspondent
21. “We used to wonder where war lived, what it was that made it so vile. And now we realize that we know where it lives…inside ourselves.” ~~Albert Camus, French author, journalist, and philosopher
22. “No protracted war can fail to endanger the freedom of a democratic country.” ~~Alexis de Tocqueville, French political scientist, historian, and politician
23. “We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security.” ~~Dwight D. Eisenhower, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States and 1st Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
24. “Wisdom is better than weapons of war.” ~~Ecclesiastes 9:18
25. “I think that people want peace so much that one of these days government had better get out of their way and let them have it.” ~~Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States and 1st Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
I’ve often looked at Elliott Erwitt’s photos with much admiration. His philosophy has become my mantra when looking at just about anything. Photography has changed the way I see things. Seeking that part of an ordinary scene that is unusual and mostly unnoticed. Looking for the photo within the photo. Seeing the tree rather than the forest.
