I keep reading and hearing about “rules of war.” Talk about an oxymoron. Call me naive, but I believe there should be only one rule of war: Don’t do it! Sure, people have been doing it since time immemorial, but that doesn’t mean they should. One rule of war that makes no sense is that the bodies of the fallen should not be desecrated. That body has already been desecrated. It’s dead! To try to impose rules on an activity that shouldn’t exist in the first place only perpetuates it by cloaking it with a mantle of legitimacy. If you will just follow the rules, it’s okay. Nonsense. Aside from the pervasive game of capitalism, money is humankind’s most destructive activity and it’s about time the young men and woman who are thrown into battle to risk their lives because their leaders can’t settle their own disagreements peacefully begin to say no. Let’s all work toward the time when the next set of angry leaders call for a war, nobody answers. The leaders cannot fight wars by themselves.
Phil Ochs “Ain’t Marchin’ Anymore”