John Lampen reminds us that not much changes in the military mind.
'In his fascinating book Nonviolence: the history of a dangerous idea, Mark Kurlansky tells a story about William McKinley, US president in 1903,' says John.
'At the end of the war with Spain, the president realised he had the chance to invade the Philippine islands and wrest them from Spanish rule. He later told a group of fellow Methodists how he had knelt night after night and prayed until he seemed to discern the answer: "and one night late it came to me this way - I don't know how but it came... that there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianise them, and by God's grace do the very best we could for them, as our fellow men for whom Christ also died."
'So he despatched 70,000 troops to the islands to crush local opposition and annexe them. Mark Twain commented drily, "We have pacified some thousands of the islanders and buried them." The acquisition did irreparable harm to the United States' previous image as a champion of freedom, and led in the course of time to the Marcos regime.'
Sound familiar? John reminds us of the famous George Santyana quote: 'Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.'