A very shourt story

The war ended. Our Great Leader announced it over the radio: We had won. After 5 long years of endless fighting and sacrifice, we had defeated the evil enemy. Unconditional surender. A cessation of hostilities on all fronts.

Morning dawned and everybody was celebrating in the streets. Many had not slept they were so elated. Our Great Leader had led us to victory against seemingly insurmountable odds and overwhelming obstacles. A holiday was declared: Victory Day! Mass parades were planned in all our cities to celebrate peace and to honor both our Great Leader who had led us to victory and all our brave heroes who, under his unfailing leadership, many gave their lives and others their health to save our beloved country from the evil enemy. We had won!

Then a very somber message: Out Great Leader was dead. He had committed suicide earlier that morning. He left a note apologizing to us all for all the many men and women he had sent into harm's way to win the war. His note said that while he knew he had had to do it, he could no longer endure the painful weight of having done it to them and to us. "I cannot live with so many dead and wounded, so much slaughter and waste." He wished all us the survivors well in our new era of peace.

Deputy Leader had quietly assumed power and met with his war, now peace, cabinet. It was decided to not release the suicide note but to tell the people that their Great Leader, exhausted from the burden of office, had died peacefully in his sleep during the night from a massive cerebral hemorrhage. The parades went on as planned with just the added tribute to the country's Great Leader who had peacefully passed away during the night after having bravely led us to victory.

All the survivors had survived. Life went on for those who went on. Shiny new cities rose where the rubble was cleared. People forgot about this war and the wounded mostly either healed up or passed on. Some years later there came another war where our new Great Leader led more brave heroes....^[1][2]

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• Your Comment on On BRET STEPHENS, "Biden Is Right, We Should Defend Taiwan": Taiwan, Biden Should Find His Inner Truman
  

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1:48 PM (18 minutes ago) [+2022.05.25]
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Bradford McCormick | New York
I presume that you, Sir, are going to back your paper words with solid gol,d and enlist to fight on the front lines yourself, not just send other people to go fight and maybe get injured or die there? I honor your action in advance, Sir!
 

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A better way to do a war

"We [whoever, for instance: "The Founding Fathers"] are starting a new worker's cooperative [Specify, for instance: "The United States Army, LLC"]. Everyone will have an equal ownership stake.

This is a solcitation for employment. Many positions open, including infantry troops, fighter pilots, truck drivers, field medics and chaplains. Competitive salary and benefit package. Join us for an exciting career!

Previous experience in a position with power over others (government official, business manager, teacher, parent or equivalent) required. We are an equal opportunity employer.

(1) Proposal for great improvement

"Our country is engaged in a war to the death with an evil enemy [e.g.: World War II against Germany or Japan]. We need to employ all means at our disposal to stop them.

"This means that we will be killing innocent civilians [e.g.: Hiroshima and Dresden] and perhaps other war crimes. Therefore I pledge to you now that after the war is over, I [e.g.: Franklin Roosevelt, or Sir Winston Churchill] will voluntarily turn myself in to be tried and punished for these crimes, in the same courtrooms and with the same impartial application of justice as anyone on the enemy's side who committed war crimes. Every person, civilian or military, under my command [e.g.: General Curtis Lemay or Sir Arthur Harris], in his or her turn, before they give an order which will entail war crimes, will make this same solemn pledge as myself.

"Just as in civilian life, if you save one person's life with reward, that does not give you a pass to take another person's life without punishment, Justice must prevail. I challenge the leaders of our enemy to make the same pledge as ourselves, for the sake of world in which there is equal justice for all. Thank you. And may we deserve for God to look with favor upon our undertaking." (Your Commander-in chief)

(2) Another proposal for great improvement

Anybody who sends another to risk death in a war should pledge to kill him (her, other) self too if they die:

"I [e.g.: Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy or Joseph Robinette Biden Junior] am going to have to send you [e.g.: Private First Class G.I. Joe] into battle to defend our country against the evil enemy. It would be unconscionably and shamefully selfish of me to ask you to die for me to live. Therefore I here pledge my solemn honor that I will kill myself if you die in execution of my order. That's only fair, and I am an hoonorable man, Sir."

Oppenheimer (a 1 man 1 scene play)

Stage set: The dingy warehouse room where apparently in real life Dr. Oppenheimer was humiliated antecedent to having his security clearance revoked. Preferably concrete block walls cememt floor. Factory windows on one wall. Maybe an old office clerk's desk and a couple plain old straight back wood desk chairs for props.

My name is Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the person who led the Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb which helped bring victory to the United States in the recent war in the Pacific. I understand you wish to interrogate me concerning matters that you think I may be a security risk to this country. I know every atomic secret and had I wished to betray this country I could easily have done so. But I did not. I performed a great service for, repeat, gentlemen, for this country, including for you. It is inappropriate, disrespectful and ungrateful of you to intend to treat me with the indignity I expect you have jointly and severally prepared today. You should be ashemed of yourselves, but I am not sure you are capable of that.

After careful consideration, gentlemen, I have decided to save you the trouble. Apparently The United States does not need or want my contributions to its security and well-being. Therefore. I hereby relinquish my security clearance. I will have no further doing with any secrets. You are now safe from your perceived, or perhaps cowardly concocted threat of the man who gave you that to which you wish to deny him access. Of my own free volition, I renounce my security clearance.

Finally, I know very little about The Soviet Union. But I hear that innocent people over there are spied on by secret police and they do not have freedom to think and speak. If that is true, did they learn it from you spying on me? And your loyalty oaths which warn us to not ask questions, gentlemen?

I have given you very foolish and meansprited people, and the ones of you who are the instigators of this disgraceful undertaking know who you are, I have given you what you want. You will get no further problems from me, which should not trouble you because you do not want what I have to offer you, nor when you get it do you appreciate it. Good day gentlmen."

[ Dr. Oppenheimer leaves the room
and exits the building. ]

A new play Antigone II —————  Read about war from the grassroot perspective  Beware of "women and children firsters"  Still more about war, here