[Leica] Documentary Photography Book Review

[abridge at dcn.org (Adam Bridge)]

On 5/18/04 <kitmc@acmefoto.com (Kit McChesney)> thoughtfully wrote: 

>Another member of the LUG posted a note earlier, and I apologize for not
>remembering who it was, basically wondering why our leaders don't seem to
>understand the costs of war, especially with regard to what we are
>discussing. I think our so-called leaders rarely consider what war actually
>means in human terms when they decide we're going to "have a war." Witness
>Robert McNamara's "performance" in the recent film Fog of War if you want to
>see what has, and continues, to go on behind the scenes. It's sickening. 

You'll note that the MILITARY does have a pretty good idea of what it's all
about and that in the run-up to Iraq they were pretty much opposed to the 
whole
notion - that's what I remember from talking to my buds with all the stripes.

If you have a moment you might find Terry Gross' program "The Failure of
Humanity in Rwanda" to be of interest. In that case it's the effect of NOT
applying military force in an appropriate way (or even threatening its use).

The program is an interview with General Romeo Dallaire who was CO of the 
U.N.
peacekeeping forces in Rwanda in the early-mid 1990s. You may remember: 
800,000
people killed....in 100 days. A genocide. The world sat on its hands and
watched. General Dallaire had to sit on his hands and watch, perhaps attempt 
to
save a few people if possible.

He has a book: "Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in 
Rwanda".

War is an awful undertaking. Sometimes NOT going to war is worse. This sounds
like such a time.

That the United States was fundamental in blocking any attempt to help these
people is a blotch of major proportions.

Again.

Adam Bridge

Link to the interview on-line at:

<http://freshair.npr.org/day_fa.jhtml?display=day&todayDate=05/17/2004>