4 ms·

Pretty good article. For one that works directly with the troops as well as building tools for the R&D department for my company. We are building and showing

Pretty good article. For one that works directly with the troops as well as building tools for the R&D department for my company. We are building and showing off tools just like what is explained in this article to try and win contracts just like this. We are always looking for more things and ways to help the troops out. This article does a good job of actually telling the public what the private sector builds for the troops.

jasonjei 16y ago
For all the flack vets/servicemen get, it's not their war. Policymakers such as Bush determined what servicemen would do. Servicemembers can save lives in Katrina, and they may be ordered to carry out bombing missions--a lot of people were commissioned/enlisted during 9/11 after being moved by the collapse of the twin towers: it is a case of bait and switch, when we were sold the falsehoods of the "War on Terror." What the military does is not a binary answer. The public chooses the commander in chief and the policy (Congress). It's a system that has endured for the last three centuries. You have the power to change it, and if you don't like it and don't speak up, remember V for Vendetta: "If you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror." I sometimes remember the story of my girlfriend's grandpa: He was a Japanese soldier drafted in the Second World War. Around the same time, my maternal grandmother was serving as a provincial administrator of the Republic of China version of the IRS as one of the first college educated female accountants. She had to dress up as a man, cut her hair short to avoid being summarily raped and shot in Nanjing, then-capital of China. So now you know I'm of Chinese ethnicity dating a Japanese girl. My girlfriend's grandpa on a China mission was ordered by his commander to shoot one of the prisoners. If he refused, he would most likely be shot (most militaries allow this; the UCMJ allows this in combat). It was a choice between his life or somebody else's. If you watched Dark Knight, you know it's never a black or white answer. It's always a cruel decision to make. Just ask any Vietnam vet who saw combat. If my girlfriend's grandpa didn't shoot the man, my girlfriend might not exist. If he did, he would be a conscientious objector at the expense of his life, and I would not meet my girlfriend. All the while it's awful 40 million Chinese people lost their lives to the Japanese. There are your obvious offenders, the ones that do enjoy raping and killing people, but they are not normal and are present even in civilian society. A lot of them are likely decent people, and would secretly free Chinese prisoners if they had the opportunity. I wish we could all be pacifists, but should we eliminate the military? I'm sure that's a resounding no, and I realize my sentiment may not be the most popular on HN, but we would be looking at anarchy without the men manning the silos too. War is awful and thankfully the Internet seems to be eliminating 99.9% of armed conflicts. There is no point in senseless loss of life. But we still need a good defense--maybe not as much power as we have now, bur nonetheless something to protect the border.
- berntb 16y ago
  That was interesting to read, thanks. >>40 million Chinese people lost their lives to the Japanese More than I've read, reference? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes#Mass_killings http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes#Mass_killin... (Also, see famine parts there.) Also, that figure seems much higher than the official Chinese: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Chinese_were_killed_by_the_Japanese_in_World_War_2 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Chinese_were_killed_by_th... How many did the Chinese communist party get killed with hunger in the sixties and during the culture revolution? >>War is awful and thankfully the Internet seems to be eliminating 99.9% of armed conflicts. I think that is more of the democratic peace theory -- democracies don't fight wars with each others (-: not even USA :-). In the rest of the world, we really hope that China stays stable and go democratic...
- spoiledtechie 16y ago
  Even tho this was a good read, what does it have to do with my above comment?

jasonjei 16y ago

For all the flack vets/servicemen get, it's not their war. Policymakers such as Bush determined what servicemen would do. Servicemembers can save lives in Katrina, and they may be ordered to carry out bombing missions--a lot of people were commissioned/enlisted during 9/11 after being moved by the collapse of the twin towers: it is a case of bait and switch, when we were sold the falsehoods of the "War on Terror." What the military does is not a binary answer. The public chooses the commander in chief and the policy (Congress). It's a system that has endured for the last three centuries. You have the power to change it, and if you don't like it and don't speak up, remember V for Vendetta: "If you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror." I sometimes remember the story of my girlfriend's grandpa: He was a Japanese soldier drafted in the Second World War. Around the same time, my maternal grandmother was serving as a provincial administrator of the Republic of China version of the IRS as one of the first college educated female accountants. She had to dress up as a man, cut her hair short to avoid being summarily raped and shot in Nanjing, then-capital of China. So now you know I'm of Chinese ethnicity dating a Japanese girl. My girlfriend's grandpa on a China mission was ordered by his commander to shoot one of the prisoners. If he refused, he would most likely be shot (most militaries allow this; the UCMJ allows this in combat). It was a choice between his life or somebody else's. If you watched Dark Knight, you know it's never a black or white answer. It's always a cruel decision to make. Just ask any Vietnam vet who saw combat. If my girlfriend's grandpa didn't shoot the man, my girlfriend might not exist. If he did, he would be a conscientious objector at the expense of his life, and I would not meet my girlfriend. All the while it's awful 40 million Chinese people lost their lives to the Japanese. There are your obvious offenders, the ones that do enjoy raping and killing people, but they are not normal and are present even in civilian society. A lot of them are likely decent people, and would secretly free Chinese prisoners if they had the opportunity. I wish we could all be pacifists, but should we eliminate the military? I'm sure that's a resounding no, and I realize my sentiment may not be the most popular on HN, but we would be looking at anarchy without the men manning the silos too. War is awful and thankfully the Internet seems to be eliminating 99.9% of armed conflicts. There is no point in senseless loss of life. But we still need a good defense--maybe not as much power as we have now, bur nonetheless something to protect the border.

berntb 16y ago
That was interesting to read, thanks. >>40 million Chinese people lost their lives to the Japanese More than I've read, reference? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes#Mass_killings http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes#Mass_killin... (Also, see famine parts there.) Also, that figure seems much higher than the official Chinese: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Chinese_were_killed_by_the_Japanese_in_World_War_2 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Chinese_were_killed_by_th... How many did the Chinese communist party get killed with hunger in the sixties and during the culture revolution? >>War is awful and thankfully the Internet seems to be eliminating 99.9% of armed conflicts. I think that is more of the democratic peace theory -- democracies don't fight wars with each others (-: not even USA :-). In the rest of the world, we really hope that China stays stable and go democratic...
spoiledtechie 16y ago
Even tho this was a good read, what does it have to do with my above comment?