I have just read that worldwide we spend an annual $1,960 Billion on killing, preparing to kill, trying not to be killed, and all that that involves. Humans killing each other is a very expensive business.
A Russian T-14 tank, such as the one above, costs about $4 Million; with added extras up, to $7 Million. These can easily be destroyed by a small drone-released bomb. I would have thought it was better to keep them at home, rather than waste all that cash so willingly, and in such quantities by attacking Ukraine. So far, about 2,000 of these tanks have been destroyed in Ukraine, along with 270,000 Russian soldiers.
But as a race we blindly continue. Putin seems to want more destruction and more deaths; he sees no limit to his evil. Just imagine what could be done with all those nearly 2,000 Billion military dollars. We might even be able to make our Earth a better place to live. We could certainly house people better than we do presently, and world health programmes could be really well funded.
Humans are a strange bunch. I myself have been trained to use a variety of military weapons, trained as a soldier, and have always thought of our militia as a normal part of society.
I wish to establish 'The Magnon Forum' where leaders of all nations would put their hands in the air, and promise not to kill their neighbours, to scrap all their weapons, and to be 'NICE'. Some bloody hope!
Most species have a programmed territorial defence behaviour - we see it at the level of blackbirds defending "their" gardens. The problem with homo sapiens(?) is that as a species we have developed both dramatically expanded populations, and the means to destroy those populations more efficiently, so I fear that your idea for the Magnon Foundation is unlikely to be succey.
ReplyDeleteDefeated by autocorrect -should have read successful!
DeleteI fear so also. Over-population is certainly a major factor, but I think that megalomania pays a big part too.
DeleteSince you mention Putin let's not forget Zelenskiy's role in the bloodshed; him going round with his begging bowl asking for yet more tanks and other weapons of destruction. Neither does the guy have any idea how NATO works. Never mind; I am prepared to be shot down - by you, your readership.
ReplyDeleteGoing slightly off piste for the moment: Imagine if people left their assorted (national) egos at the door. Just a thought. And spare one [thought] for Alsace/Elsass. One minute it's French, the next it's German. Repeat. Not that the French take No for an answer. No wonder Choucroute Garni is their national dish, and they all speak German and French.
Yes, boundaries.Reminds me of the British. I am not talking countries, I am talking neighbours - hedges, fences.Deeds being brandished over an inch here or there. Seriously?
Anyway, as we know politics is a minefield; best to be largely avoided in peaceful (!) society. Rachel may jump into the breach here - not so much to pull me out of the trenches and hand me over to the lynching mob (she wouldn't) as bring not exactly appeasement (that's my forte) as reason into the debate.
Forgive me the above as I forgive those who have sinned against me. No shit, Cro, a few days ago someone gave me notice on a decades long friendship because I cast some doubt on the actual dynamics in the Ukrainian war. My friend - so outRAGED - went as far as suggesting that, for all he knows, I am a Holocaust denier. Come again? Peace? Scope for diversity of opinion instead of blindly following the spiel peddled in the mainstream media? I live in hope.
U
PS And yes, you are right, and it was my son who, some years ago, brought this to his naive and wide eyed mother's attention that war (aka weapons) amounts to big business indeed. The bottom line, Cro, the bottom line.
Are you suggesting that Zelensky should put his hands in the air and welcome Putin to take all?
DeleteOne of the major roles of any 'leader' is the defence of his nation and people.
And there I was, hoping to discuss the finer details of Choucroute Garnie (Sauerkraut with all the trimmings) with you and your distinguished readership. Wars have broken out over less.
DeleteU
I love choucroute, and eat it often. Even here in Blighty.
DeleteThe irony of your friend accusing you of holocaust denial over a different opinion on Ukraine when it was Ukrainian volunteers in WW2 that guarded and ran many of death camps for the Nazis. They were called the Hilfswilliger, literally translated to those willingly serve.
DeleteOver 300,000 Ukrainians fought for Nazi Germany as volunteers with their own SS regiment too.
It's the principle reason why there are so many Nazi groups like Azov in Ukraine and why the Russians, having lost over 20 million fighting them last time, are so intent on eliminating then.
Meanwhile we're literally supplying, training and arming a good chunk of Ukraine's military who believe in Nazi ideology. Unbelievable.
Funny thing is we've been this stupid before. In the 70s Afghanis dressed much like westerners, women attended University. Then Russia invaded to support their failing communist government. We then armed, trained and undead the most extreme and violent elements in Afghanistan. The Russians left but our creations became Al Queada and the Taliban. A decade passes and then we spend nearly 20 years and $2 trillion attempting and failing to put our own creation back in Pandoras box.
We're doing exactly the same in Ukraine and you can fully expect it to go pear shaped in the next decade but this time those extremist mass murderers will have free reign on spreading their toxic ideology, death and destruction throughout Europe.
Sorry funded not undead
DeleteSome hope. More likely to be sponsored by a chocolate bar on a stick.
ReplyDeleteYup!
DeleteLove this post, but it ain't going to happen, some humans love to fight, on a street corner after a night at the pub, in a uniform sent to 'protect' somewhere, or on a huge scale as they destroy towns and cites and peoples lives.
ReplyDeleteAnd others will do anything to avoid such things.
DeleteI doubt that Puny Putin would ever join Magnon's Forum. He would probably prefer to smash the source of "Magnon's Meanderings" to smithereens with a heat sinking mini-bomb dropped from a drone. Wheeeeeeeeee! KAPPOW!.... THE END.
ReplyDelete"heat seeking" even!
DeleteYes, I can't see us being friends.
DeleteThis makes me think of the Simon and Garfunkel song, "Last night I had the strangest dream I ever had before..."
ReplyDeleteIf you are not familiar with it it will be on Google.
Sadly, it will forever be a dream.
People will write songs and poems, but that's as far as it'll ever go.
DeleteWhat a lovely dream that people could all get on and the world would be a lovely peaceful place.
ReplyDeleteI would love this,but sadly it will never happen.
Sometimes I don't like stepping out of the door, especially if I'm driving because there will always be some altercation to be had somewhere be it on the road or in the supermarket.
I wonder why I like being with my cats rather than people?
Briony
x
Do you remember the Cat Killer from a couple of years back? He operated around where we are. Horrible man, who I think ended in prison.
DeleteA sad state of world affairs
ReplyDeletePeople will always be ruled by the wrong people.
DeleteT'was ever thus
ReplyDeleteAnd probably will always be!
DeleteWar means death and destruction. Sadly, I do not see that changing.
ReplyDeleteUntil some idiot presses the wrong button. Then they'll be no-one left to fight.
DeleteSadly, you are right that all that money could be SO MUCH better spent on eradicating misery in humanity. But it won't be. As you say, humans are a strange bunch. I don't think there's much hope for us evolving beyond the bad in our natures.
ReplyDeleteThe way things look, we may not evolve at all. Certain people seem to want destruction.
DeleteThe leaders now are the wrong people.
ReplyDeleteSome of them certainly are.
DeleteRussia has never built 2000 T14s let alone had them destroyed. As for 270,000 dead Russians that's even more hilarious.
ReplyDeleteEven the extreme pro Ukraine American publication The Hill doesn't claim that. You really do need to do better.
https://thehill.com/policy/international/3864475-russian-death-toll-in-ukraine-war-could-be-up-to-60000-uk-intelligence/
Ro, Your comment surprised me I've checked again. It seems that 3,303 Tanks have been lost, but less lives lost, at 143,270. The figures change all the time, but these are from Russia, so I shall have to accept that I was wrong with the human losses.
DeleteI don't understand this world. The older I get, the less sense it makes.
ReplyDeleteThis current war makes no sense at all, and there are some who support Russia, and others who are against Ukraine defending themselves. Really bizarre.
DeleteSome bloody hope indeed. it will never happen because apparently there is more money to be made waging wars than keeping peace.
ReplyDelete"We create a little chaos, then we move in and capitalise on that chaos"(something I heard in a TV series)
After the last German war, when they were defeated we went in, gave them money, rebuilt their industries, and now we make no cars of our own. Everyone drives German or Japanese cars (not me, I drive a French one).
Delete