Spring Break Adventure

To tell the truth I did not plan to go anywhere on my spring break, just work and do all my school projects. However, well, that just did not seem like all that great of an idea. So I have called my good friend Stephanie and asked her if she would like to take off to Charleston, South Carolina for a few days, and she was very much happy to hear that. By Wednesday afternoon we were driving through the mountains somewhere in Tennessee. Even though I must admit the trip itself was just a bit too long - 820 miles and 16 hours with very little stops, it was all well worth it. Just the scenery on the way there was all too beautiful to ignore, even for me. The real fun began when we have arrived to our destination near Charleston, SC. All the attempts to locate the hotel I have reserved a room in, according to the street address we had, failed miserably. When I called the hotel, I found out that they actually have changed their name since the last time I have called; or they simply neglected to mention this fact when I have booked the room. We actually drove right past the place about three times or so. After that we successfully checked in to the hotel we were very surprised to fond out that everything in the town ,except for the bars and such, closed at 10 PM the latest. I must admit we were quite disappointed, but after we got over our disappointment and got some sleep, me and Steph did not have any trouble at all enjoying ourselves. We have spent a day on the beach at about 78 degree sunny weather, and yes I did swim in the freezing ocean, it was great. We spent another day in Charleston itself, visited South Carolina Aquarium and Fort Sumter National Monument (that's where the Civil War started). Overall it was a great experience and I really enjoyed it. Here are some photos:

McNamara and the "Fog of War"

I do indeed think that firebombing and nuclear bombing was just a bit too much. War is a terrible thing, a lot of people die; but no war is an excuse for genocide and extermination. Because from where I stand, burning over half of the population of every major city in Japan comes pretty close to those two terms. So yes, proportionality should be a guideline of war. I think this lesson was followed in WW II but with enormous amount of exceptions, like bombings in Japan and Holocaust. It is a lot easier to say now if someone should or should not be prosecuted for a war crimes committed during a war that was over half a century ago. That primarily depends on who wins the war, because not only the victorious side will get into the history books, it will most likely get to write history books; with its own version of what happened during the war. If the Germans and Japanese would have won the war, I have no doubt McNamara, LeMay, and many other people would have been prosecuted much like Axis officers at Nuremberg. I also think the war in Iraq cannot be compared to WW II, because this is a different kind of war, a guerrilla war. However I do not think we are making the same mistakes as in Japan, but I also do not know all the details of the war that is going on so it very possible I’m wrong.

Interview with Ishmael Beah

I thought that this interview with Ishmael Beah was quite remarkable. Ishmael seemed so happy, which after reading the book seemed so impossible. Also he is able to talk freely and rationally about all the things he went through, I don’t think an average person would be able to do that. I know I wouldn’t be able to talk about it if it was me who went through a civil war in Sierra Leone. Ishmael does mention a few lines from his book “A long gay gone”, particularly the scene where mothers are running with dead babies on their backs and fathers carrying dead children. In general, I did like the book and would recommend this book to almost every person I know. However there is one “but”: I think that because of the graphic nature of the book people under the age of sixteen should not read it. I say this not because all the graphic descriptions could harm a young person’s mind, but because generally this book will not mean much to younger people. I believe that one must have a somewhat developed mind in order to comprehend what this book really means. All the graphic descriptions will seem to be just some words on the piece paper; I do not think they would be able to visualize all the horrors of this war and fully understand what the words mean.

Blood Diamonds

Growing up I never really thought about the diamonds, not in romantic context, not in any context. I have never imagined receiving a diamond, but I must admit I have imagined giving a diamond, at some point I almost bought one even. After reading all the material on the conflict diamonds, I will think twice before buying one. The popular texts like “Blood Diamond” and “A Long Way Gone” were good enough to convince me not to contribute to the “blood diamond” business; however my point of view was neutral to start with. I would imagine it would be much harder to convince someone who is “addicted” to diamonds and will try to get as many as they can and as cheap as they can. I think practice of counter-story telling like the remake of “Diamonds Forever” from James Bond movie into “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” by Kanye West is somewhat effective. It will not affect people who are “a long way gone”, I do not think. In the modern world however I do not think it is possible to avoid diamonds completely. If I were to give or own a diamond though I would definitely want to know if it was a conflict diamond or not.

Child Soldiers

After watching the movie "Blood Diamond" and reading "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah I have formed some rather strong feelings to the people who use children as soldiers. In particular feelings of hate and disgust to any man or woman on this planet who would dare to do such a terrible thing to a child. Turning a child into a soldier, especially in such a barbarian way, ruins his/her mind and future. The consequences go even further. This terrible wrong doing would eventually hurt the country. Most of those children will be mentally handicapped for the rest of their lives and will never be able to live in a civilized society again, thus eliminating any possibility for a good demographic situation in the country after the war. I think that a person, as an individual is mature enough to make a decision to fight in a war when he/she is at least seventeen years of age. Anybody younger than seventeen simply cannot make a rational decision based on the current situation in my opinion. Also, I believe that forcing people to fight in a war is wrong. It should be a choice an individual makes. A logical decision to protect his/her home and country, if it is worth protecting.