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Friday, November 11, 2005

Spot the Difference!

It was a privilege to be at Cheltenham racecourse today to witness the stirring victory of 'Spotthedifference', Enda Bolger's cross-country specialist in the Sporting Index Chase. It's the fourth successive time the twelve-year old has won over the cross-country course at Prestbury Park and all those who knock such races as not being 'proper' racing should have witnessed the reception the old boy got as he was led into the winners enclosure.
As the day belongs to 'Spotthedifference' , here's a topical posting. Try and 'Spot the Difference' between these two declarations of war. One from Herr Hitler in 1939, the other from George W. Bush in 2003. Isn't it interesting how warmongers down the ages have used the same kind of deceitful arguments to justify their aggression?

Proclamation by Adolf Hitler to the German Army, September 1,1939. (Source: www.lawyersagainstwar.com) “The Polish State has refused the peaceful settlement of relations which I desired, and has appealed to arms. Germans in Poland are persecuted with bloody terror and driven from their houses. A series of violations of the frontier, intolerable to a great Power, prove that Poland is no longer willing to respect the frontier of the Reich.
In order to put an end to this lunacy, I have no other choice than to meet force with force from now on. The German Army will fight the battle for the honour and the vital rights of reborn Germany with hard determination. I expect that every soldier, mindful of the great traditions of eternal German soldiery, will ever remain conscious that he is a representative of the National-Socialist Greater Germany. Long live our people and our Reich!”

Speech by President Bush, March 19, 2003. (Source : White House web site) “My fellow citizens, at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger. (…)
The enemies you confront will come to know your skill and bravery. The people you liberate will witness the honourable and decent spirit of the American military. In this conflict, America faces an enemy who has no regard for conventions of war or rules of morality. Saddam Hussein has placed Iraqi troops and equipment in civilian areas, attempting to use innocent men, women and children as shields for his own military — a final atrocity against his people. (…)
Now that conflict has come, the only way to limit its duration is to apply decisive force. And I assure you, this will not be a campaign of half measures, and we will accept no outcome but victory.
My fellow citizens, the dangers to our country and the world will be overcome. We will pass through this time of peril and carry on the work of peace. We will defend our freedom. We will bring freedom to others and we will prevail.
May God bless our country and all who defend her.”

1 comment:

Ken said...

I remember soon after the aggression aganst Iraq began making a similar point. Some fool wrote to me and said that comparing the Chimp to Adolf was silly. I wasn't, of course, comparing the policies in general, I was simply comparing aggression to aggression. Reading comprehension seems to be a bit lacking amongst the warmongers.