h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's not that there's no one here. Everyone else is just hiding. Yeah, that's it. Plenty of Zaphodistas around still! They're just stealthy dudes.

From this conversation thread, I would like to wage war on the War on top of Terror. Come hang out in our camp and make some noise if you'd like George Bush, Tony Blair and others with itchy trigger fingers to make virtual war on h2g2, instead of taking actions in real life that they know will kill thousands of real people.

Sorry if this brings down the level of fun in the World War battle area. But I'd like to remind you that if you're from the US like me, or from the UK, while we play at message board war on h2g2, our leaders are trying their darnedest to ensure that lots of real people die in real wars, paid with our tax dollars and passively approved if we don't speak up about it.

Bang! Zoom! Pow! Ha ha! Missiles and landmines!

if u r in the US or UK u can't forget what else is going on in the world, but h2g2 is a place where u can escape that and war can be fun, not horrible. forget the worries of the real world and get down to some fun battling. and try and get more of your army to come and fight in the war.

spook

Bush is a moron. He will or won't have war and we can't do anything about it per say. I agree with spook . Not only are there wars there, but everywhere else as well, and plenty of other awful things always happening around the world. Dos omething about it or just try to ignore it like most of the world tries to..
not meaning to p**s off others.

BANG. Ha ha ha!


Pow. Zap! Sanctions! Boom!

whoooooooosh!


Ratatatatatatat! UN RESOLUTION!!

ugh. Ya got me. I'm goin fast.

wheeeeeee!

War: what is it good for?

Day of judgement, God is calling/
on their knees the war pigs crawling.

just what I was thinking...

That was a quote from the Prince of Darkness Himself - Ozzy Osbourne.

..right!

He's only the man with the best evil grin on the planet, I reckon! Have you seen him carving the turkey on the Christmas edition of The Osbournes???

Anyway, how about asking him along as a mediator?

Sounds good!

Shall we phone him up? Or has he got an email address? Maybe we should write a letter...

I'll start:

Dear Ozzy

is that a bit too familiar? Should it be

Dear Mr Osbourne???

Dear Ozzy Osbourne?

will the Zaphodistas ever have the guts to fight?

spook

Frankly I don't enjoy this game, because it reminds me of the VERY REAL WAR that is about to go down, which will probably have little or no impact on us h2g2-dwelling Yanks and Brits, playing in our h2g2 battlefield while a few of our cousins or neighbors' kids will be killing and getting killed, and somewhere among the lowest priorities of anyone's concern is that a lot of Iraqi soldiers and civilians and children will be killed in the process.

I've been avoiding the World War Battlefield because someone told me that playing around here helped them cope with the stresses of the real world. I was bringing them down by reminding them of the real war. For me, it's no fun because it's just a reminder of what's going on in the real world, so it's not much fun.

BANG! pow. pop! Ha ha ha! BUNK-BUSTER! yippeeee!!!

We can discuss this, if you'd like, however unlikely a place it might be!

What exactly do you propose that should happen instead? I am not saying that agree or condone the real war, but I don't think it is a fruitful conversation unless alternatives are offered.

I myself am a contingent pacifist, wanting to be an absolute pacifist, but seeing it as impractical in the real world. However, I see no problem with this playground activity on this site..though admittedly it is an enviable milk crate on which to carry political views

An alternative to real war, or an alternative to World War Battlefield?

I didn't mean that anyone else should stop playing here if they enjoy it. Just that I don't enjoy it at the moment.

Alternatives to the real war? = diplomacy. Obeying international laws. Following the UN Charter. Responding to new attacks by Iraq or by terrorists, not invading countries pre-emptively.

Probably not likely while Bush & friends remain in the White House.

Real war...

Obeying International laws? That means there ought to have been a war against iraq for the past ten years. They are following the UN charter: by getting the Security Council's permission.

I'm not saying I like Bush: far from it! But, I dont like Hussein either. I also don't like to think what he may be hiding in Iraq either.

[too many eithers!]

I'm trying to find something in the Charter that defines what kinds of military action are appropriate, but I keep finding statements that could go either way. They obviously mention that maintaining international peace is one of their big goals, and the use of force, except when necessary to maintain peace. It's like no one can eat twinkies unless the eating of twinkies helps to prevent twinkies from being eaten. I'm lost.

The part I think the US would be violating if it made a pre-emptive strike against Iraq right now are Articles 2.

Part of Article 2 says, "All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered."

Article 51 does not work to justify US invasion of Iraq, because it would not be an act of "self-defense" by any stretch of the imagination.

"That means there ought to have been a war against iraq for the past ten years."

I've heard this argument before, somehow based on UN resolutions pertaining to Iraq, the same resolutions that are used to justify the "No-Fly Zones" over Iraq. But I've heard arguments that those UN resolutions are being misinterpreted to allow No-Fly Zones, that the US and UK have no right to try maintaining No-Fly Zones over another country in this way.

I guess it all comes down to whose interpretation of the UN Charter you believe, and how much you believe that Bush or Blair have evidence about Iraq that they can't release to the public.

Oops. That line should have said

"They obviously mention that maintaining international peace is one of their big goals, and REFRAINING FROM the use of force, except when necessary to maintain peace."