WWII

[gfish]

vixyish and I passed a DVD sale on the way home from dinner. So I bought a copy of Memphis Belle, the only movie left that I was interested in. It will fit nicely into my WWII section (now 8% of the collection).

We watched it later in the evening. When I wasn't blathering about related things I had seen at the National Air & Space Museum I was thinking about World War II. Cynical thoughts. I've always thought of the ghost of Vietnam as a potent force in national politics. It was dragged out and fretted over for every 'police action' during my lifetime -- every one until Afghanistan, that is. The ghost of WWII is much more influential these days. They're a wonderful study in contrasts, these two ghosts. The ideal of uniting to defeat great evil and the fear of getting sucked into horrible, divisive, unwinnable wars. Both haunt America.

I freely admit that I'm a sucker for WWII nostalgia. It was an amazing war that did amazing good. The Marshall Plan was forward thinking on a level I simply have trouble attributing to governments. And yet... maybe it's best if we don't think just wars are possible, just necessary, tolerable ones.

I wonder if the ghost of WWII won't end up responsible for far more evil than all the good we managed to do 60 years ago.