On Sun, 04 Nov 2007 14:31:09 -0500, gfretwell wrote:


I think the big problem was our European culture did not prepare us for
war with Asians who did not have that gentlemanly war ethic Europe had.
Europeans used to fight all the time but it was a very orderly thing
that they could start and stop with a piece of paper. Most of the royal
families were so inbred that it was cousins fighting each other anyway.
Unfortunately we have some of the same problems getting a grip on our
middle east adventures today.

I'm not sure I buy European culture had a "gentlemanly war ethic". Look at the "ethnic
cleansing" of the Balkans, the uncivil Spanish Civil War, the Holocaust, or even the Russian-
German battles of WWII, none were very gentlemanly.