"It is unfortunate that the efforts of mankind to recover the freedom of which they have been so long deprived, will be accompanied with violence, with errors, and even with crimes. But while we weep over the means, we must pray for the end." - Thomas Jefferson to Francois D'Ivernois, 1795.
Aug 04
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Mon, 10/13/2008 - 8:56pm
HOW HAS WAR CHANGED IN THE LAST 200 YEARS, AND HOW IS IT THE SAME?
War has changed in a couple of primary ways in the last 200 years. In previous times wars were fought primarily by nation states against nation states. Today, third party actors or failed state actors wage conflict. The other major change is technology. Lethality, accuracy and communication have change the face of conflict as never before.
HOW IS IT the SAME: we still fight wars when diplomacy fails, we still fight wars when immoral actors force their will on the innocent, we still fight wars to ensure the free flow of resources to a global and national populace.
J.Glenn
Sat, 10/11/2008 - 5:51pm
Back then, people in power decided when and where to go to war and they didn't care about how their citizens felt about the wars. But the American Revolution was different in that it was common people fighting for a common goal to make everyone's lives better. Today, wars are still being started between leaders without the input of the populace. I feel like our leaders today are too quick to resort to violence, and there are other solutions that can and ought to be considered before we go to war. We should learn from past conflicts that war should not be the immediate reaction to a threat.
15 Years Old in Illinois
Tue, 10/07/2008 - 4:58pm
I believe that war has change some in the past 200 years. At the same time i also believe that in some ways it has stayed the same. it is different because we don't line up in lines and just shoot anymore we go about it in more secretive attacks and it is often more brutal. But if you look at what these men and women are fighting for you will probably see that they were in the past, are now, and will in the future fight for freedom, protection, and to solve conflicts that can't be settled otherwise. War today is very brutal and sometimes it seems that people are not only fighting in a defense for their country but no matter how much you think it is different consider this. war was, is now, and always will be the slaughtering of many some guilty and others innocent. i just hope that they are being fought for the right reasons.
a teenager in Illinois
Wed, 10/01/2008 - 7:53pm
Eh, I wouldn't say he was trying to gloss it over. I sense he's saying it's unfortunate that man feels he must resort to violence to solve something that could be peacefully negotiated.
~g2
Mon, 09/29/2008 - 4:59pm
Unfortunatly, you are right. I was in a class a couple of years ago, and it said in the book that people had wars, then they would compromise. Instead of killing millions of innocent people, why don't you try to compromise first. I really do agree with the author that starts off saying "War has changed dramatically."
Thu, 09/25/2008 - 2:18pm
We have more access to tracking devices and we also have more protection. Our weapons are bigger and more powerful, and we have more of them. We still fight the same, and it's still fought for the same reasons. People still die.
Thu, 09/25/2008 - 1:59pm
It is unfortunate that we have wars, but in order to have peace, sometimes we have to have wars.
Jefferson doesn't like war, but sometimes it is necessary, like helping out Europe. It was better to help than to sit back.
Thu, 09/25/2008 - 12:37pm
War has changed dramatically. It's not about honor anymore. No one lines up in a planned battlefield on a set date and fights like they're in a chess game anymore. its guerilla tactics and roadside bombs and hiding and big guns and nuclear threats. The definition of war is no where near the same as it used to be.
Thu, 09/25/2008 - 12:24pm
the war is very bad and involves the deaths of many soldiers/innocent civilians. I think that we have been in iraq for way too long and i think that we have over stayed our welcome and we need to depart and come home.
Thu, 09/25/2008 - 12:14pm
IN the last 200 years I believe that War has definitely changed, but has stayed similar to its upholding beginning. It used to be that when you went to war you did it to defend your own honor and your own property. Now, we get into war for so many different things, like protecting other countries democracy when we cant even protect our own. It is similar however, because we are still a major power house and have other countries constantly chasing our tails in the power races.
Thu, 09/25/2008 - 11:32am
Since the last 200 years war-fighting has changed drastically. Back in the day they used bayonets, canons, and swords. It took them about a minute to load their gun so they could get a shot off. Today, everything is much better and more advanced. We have nuclear weapons, machine guns, and grenades. So, it has changed alot. But the basic concept, killing the enemy is the same.
Wed, 09/24/2008 - 4:59pm
War is still fought by by man, however, we do have new weapons to wage war. Today, war is more of a balance of political views and veiled threats. During the Cold war the focus was to avoid nuclear war. Today it isn't much different -- now we fight violent governments.
Wed, 09/24/2008 - 3:45pm
War has changed dramatically. The weapons are bigger and they cause greater damage. More innocent people and civilians are being murdered - most of whom don't have the means to protect themselves.
Wed, 09/24/2008 - 12:20pm
War has changed, but it has also stayed the same in many ways. There are still two sides fighting one another and with weapons, but the weapons have become more destructive, leading to more devastation and casualties.
Mon, 09/08/2008 - 3:24pm
War has changed because of the technology and new tactics used. War is the same because we still go to war for the usual reasons: threats, land, resources. As long as there's people around, war will always exist.
Charles Raysor
Fri, 09/05/2008 - 6:59am
War is incredably different than it was 200 years ago. Though we still fight to defend, the tactics, and weaponry have changed so much.
Thu, 09/04/2008 - 9:34pm
Over the past 200 years war has change in some ways. Wars are still fought for land and power, but the weapons has change in the past 200 years. Now weapons are more advanced in power and speed.
Thu, 08/28/2008 - 11:42pm
Over the past 200 years, war has deffinately changed. Back in the day there was still alot of stradegy, but it wasnt as high tec as things are today. Today we have to plan everything out step by step. I feel that it's alot beter to do things this way. Also, we have very different weapons these days thatn we did back then, i mean, seriously, could a catapult do that much damage today?
Thu, 08/28/2008 - 6:27pm
More technologies and more advanced weapons are available today. In the past men pretty much fought with guns,bombs,and knives. Today they fight with pretty much the same things, but they are more advanced. The weapons of today and of the past has a great deal of difference between them. Training has changed a great deal and medical knowledge has grown also. War is still the same because whatever time period it is still considered war.
Sat, 08/09/2008 - 9:45am
Though we can’t be sure, the following quote is attributed to Voltaire: “ I disagree with what you say, but I’ll fight to the death your right to say it.” Further, I refer you to:
Bill of Rights
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. A.Nonymous
Fri, 08/08/2008 - 2:37pm
There was a remarkable Lancet study on deaths in Iraq, and several organizations are keeping count. Just google it.
Fri, 08/08/2008 - 12:39pm
Anonymous said: "Don't kid yourselves, Americans: more people have died in the current conflict than in all America's previous wars combined."
Would you be willing to state your sources that we all may learn? Also, if you're willing, could you describe your vision of/for USA? A. Nonymous
Fri, 08/08/2008 - 12:33pm
This blog doesn't require a name to be submitted. Shouldn't "Anonymous" have the same right of remaining anonymous as you have the right to sign your name?
Thu, 08/07/2008 - 12:00pm
The siren's song of patriotic rhetoric lures our critical minds to the rocks.
No patriot could disagree with the unassailable goodness of a word like "freedom." Freedom is good, so this statement must be good, too. That's where the loop of logic traps the lax mind from recognizing this statement for what it is: an excuse.
When we say, "well, we hate the torture, the dismemberment, and the murder, but that's war folks," we excuse ourselves from doing better. It's evil disguised as virtue.
Don't kid yourselves, Americans: more people have died in the current conflict than in all America's previous wars combined.
Be informed. Question what you're fed. It's the best kind of American to be.
Wed, 08/06/2008 - 4:17pm
With the advances in weaponry, equipment and training, it can be argued, in terms of life, war doesn’t have to be as horrifically costly as, say, Gettysburg, D-Day, or Iwo Jima. Nonetheless, one soldier's life is of great value and that loss our Nation will never forget and honor always. The cost to innocent victims is a burden on our national conscience. We all agree, war should be averted and, ideally, used only as a last resort, especially with the sword of nuclear holocaust over the whole world. Reality, however, demands we act when our country is threatened and our survival is at stake. Imagine life under a totalitarian regime such as in USSR or Iraq, and consider our risks and choices. To live free has its human cost; a cost paid by our parents, spouses, sons and daughters, past and present. Mr. Jefferson knew there would always be a cost of death, debt, destruction and grief in armed defense of our liberty and independence. However, Mr. Jefferson stood on the principle of peace, to use other methods to avoid war if possible.
At the birth of our nation the purpose of war was changed for, unlike ancient Rome and or even our mother country, war to Americans is for the protection of our sovereignty and liberty. An American in Florida
Tue, 08/05/2008 - 10:30pm
I agree with Mr. Hollasch. I think that in this quote Mr Jefferson is in fact acknowledging the people who do lose their homes in the wars that have shaped the world, and he is not brushing them off lightly. Rather, he is reinforcing that sometimes we must use an undesirable tool to reach a desirable end, specifically, liberty for all.
Tue, 08/05/2008 - 10:08am
Hey 'Anonymous',
Why don't you show your name? You can do so free from government interference and in fact the police will intervene to allow you to do so if private individuals try to silence you through intimidation. This would not have been the case prior to the Revolution.
I find it interesting how blase you are towards the freedoms earned by those mother's sons who died in war to allow you to openly criticize who you like and not endure taxation without representation (which is theft, a crime), to name just two.
War is horrible, but being able to live in a society with individual freedoms is one of the few things worth fighting for.
-Kurt A. Hollasch
Tue, 08/05/2008 - 8:49am
Jefferson is so blasé about these "unfortunate" violence, error and crime. It seems like such an understatement and even "oh well, that's war". How would a mother who lost her son on the battlefield feel if someone tried to gloss over it by saying its unfortunate.
I think this quote is an example of how politicans use catch phrases to draw our attention away from the wounded soldiers and the families in countries of war who lose their houses and towns, markets and schools. He's just saying, oh well, what can you do.
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