See other History Articles
Title: Ken Burns: The War: talks about the parallels between Iraq and WWII
Source:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/
URL Source: http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/ ... rallels-between-iraq-and-wwii/
Published: Sep 23, 2007
Author: Ken Burns
Post Date: 2007-09-23 19:33:39 by robin
Keywords: None
Views: 291
Comments: 20
Burns: Every thing sort of becomes draped in this bloodless gallant myth and what I think we have to remember is this is the worst war, it’s responsible for the deaths of 60 million people. We understand why people call it the good war because the country was more or less united, our causes were unambiguous. We didn’t debate it every night—whether we should be in or whether we shouldn’t… As the decades have come, as we’ve removed ourselves from it, we’ve begun to see it as a safe black and white war. It’s exactly what’s happening on the streets of Baghdad. It was horrible and these young men had experiences common to all wars. I was scared, I was bored, I was hot, I was cold, my officers didn’t know what they were doing. I didn’t have the right equipment. I saw bad things, I did bad things. I lost good friends.—Now we have a separate military class that suffers its losses apart; alone from the rest of us. We are disconnected. We weren’t asked to do anything after 9/11 This looks like a must see series.
Poster Comment: Filmmaker Ken Burns chronicles WWII from bottom up
His new documentary on World War II starts tonight on PBS: “The War.” He talked about the similarities between both wars and tried to break a long time myth.
Download (620) | Play (708) 
Download (291)
posted today by robin
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: robin (#0)
It does look like a must see. It starts in 20 mins in this portion of the globe.
I'm not going to watch it. I've been seeing war all my life, I'm tired of it, I don't even watch TV anymore.
"He is a very shallow critic who cannot see an eternal rebel in the heart of a conservative." - G.K. Chesterton
Burns is a DC court scribe. I have no interest in watching yet more unoriginal WWII tribute from DC controlled TeeVee.
I can understand you not watching it, after all America wasn’t then the multicultural, political correct mess you love so dearly. But as for Turtle Poster, it’s the conspiratorial aspect of Pearl Harbor he should be curious about.
I'd give it a chance, Burkeman. He was on NPR the other day, and this is no pro-war rah-rah piece. It's running three times straight tonight, so if you miss the first go through, it will start again immediately after the first ends. Burns is a terrific film maker, IMO. And he said this one was emotionally devastating to make.
Says it all for me. The shopworn, obligatory rhetoric of duty and sacrifice has become ever so dreary and predictable to hear from those who publish big. It's sucked a lot of otherwise decent people into this endless WOT that cannot and will not find any sort of resolution. I wouldn't go out of my way to see Burn's offering. In fact, it think that I would actively avoid watching this if I were in the room and someone else tuned it in.
Gloria est pro petroleo mori.
I'm well aware of the fact that FDR conspired to get the Japanese to attack the U.S., although he apparently thought the Japanese were so incompetent it wouldn't be much of an attack. After all, after the attack, most Americans thought the Germans were behind it. Even while FDR was trying to get us into a war with Japan, many people knew it, Lindbergh for one, when he famously claimed, and quite correctly, FDR, Jews, and the British were trying to get us into a war. FDR was an example of a "successful" conspiracy: it didn't go as planned. Then we have examples of conspiracies which don't exist: brilliant, evil people who unlimited funds and access to technology no one else has, and who did things which didn't happen. Remote-control four airplanes and plant explosives in the WTC, for example.
"He is a very shallow critic who cannot see an eternal rebel in the heart of a conservative." - G.K. Chesterton
OK, so we agree that our entry into WWII was the result of a government conspiracy. You're growing. Now lets discuss the Gulf of Tonkin.
Good.
There isn't meant to be a resolution and talk of duty and sacrifice is for dupes.
Thanks, I just tuned in.
Good. I beg to differ ..we were asked to go 'shopping'
That's better than "sacrificing" for some war.
.. oh sacrificing to at the altar of the Corporate gods..
At least you get something from shopping.
Crap made in China :P
People used to talk about "crap" from Japan too.
so what?
I was very impressed with the first part (of six 2.5 hour episodes). I was particularly struck by the guy who witnessed revenge killings and said it straight out. Burns really knows how to make an engrossing film.
Yes we were, credit cards in hand; Deek's been all over that.
Ron Paul for President - Join a Ron Paul Meetup group today!
#2. To: robin (#0)
#3. To: robin (#0)
#4. To: Burkeman1, Turtle Poster (#3)
#5. To: Burkeman1 (#3)
#6. To: Mekons4 (#5)
We weren’t asked to do anything after 9/11
#7. To: Jethro Tull (#4)
But as for Turtle Poster, it’s the conspiratorial aspect of Pearl Harbor he should be curious about.
#8. To: YertleTurtle (#7)
(Edited)
FDR was an example of a "successful" conspiracy: it didn't go as planned.
#9. To: robin (#0)
We weren’t asked to do anything after 9/11
#10. To: randge (#6)
The shopworn, obligatory rhetoric of duty and sacrifice has become ever so dreary and predictable to hear from those who publish big. It's sucked a lot of otherwise decent people into this endless WOT that cannot and will not find any sort of resolution.
#11. To: Mekons4 (#5)
...three times straight tonight....
#12. To: Mister Clean, robin (#9)
We weren’t asked to do anything after 9/11
#13. To: Zipporah (#12)
I beg to differ ..we were asked to go 'shopping'
#14. To: Mister Clean (#13)
#15. To: Zipporah (#14)
.. oh sacrificing to at the altar of the Corporate gods..
#16. To: Mister Clean (#15)
#17. To: Zipporah (#16)
Crap made in China :P
#18. To: Mister Clean (#17)
#19. To: robin (#0)
#20. To: Zipporah (#12)
we were asked to go 'shopping'
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest