Berty drones on about the war of independance, military doctrine and Civilisation (740 hits)
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Submitted by Berty (View user info) at 2008-07-04 05:14:08 EDT
The war of independence was won by the French. Ultimately though, British military docrtrine failed to learn the lessons that could have been learned; namely regarding the importance of marksmanship and manouvrability.
A weird lesson not to learn when you consider the importance of the longbow & yeomanry in English history.
Instead the British, and indeed many other powers across the globe, tended to favour the seductive power of artilery. Artilery, whilst exciting and dangerous, doesn't win wars though; as everyone learned during WW1.
One wonders at the current American fascination with air power as to whether this is the new tryst with exciting but ultimately ineffective hardware.
Some dude who was a lot wiser than me* wrote a book about cities flying through space people with immortal men. It was about the life cycle of cultures and how civilisation was the final stage, the adult stage if you will, and that giganticism in civilisation was a sign of their ending as the imperial machine gradually becomes enfeebled.
The importance of a civilisation is not how long it lasts, for all civilisations end, but rather the impact of that civilisation on the rest of history and the manner of its ending. As the societies in India and China burst forth anew; what lessons will they learn from the legacy of the Americans and the Europeans?
It seems that they've learned the value of an empowered population, able to spend wealth and persue education in order to better their surroundings. Will they be able to extend that into some final form of global unity though? Doubtfull; untill every person is able to feed, clothe and transport themself for negligable expenditure then such ideals remain fantasy. The real test of tommorow's cultures will be in their approach to information; whether they try to control it or whether they do their best to allow free flow of information and ideas.
Perhaps with a true freedom of thought and information human society will become boundless, rendering borders and men with dreams of empire redundant. Perhaps that will even prove the key to ending war, but as long as one man needs what another has then that won't happen.
Anyway, the dream of freedom is an old one. Proving the value of freedom would be a proud legacy indeed.
User Reviews
Submitted by shadow (user info) at 2008-07-09 10:30:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Somehow, Mr. Berty, I do not believe you.
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2008-07-09 05:03:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
The sad truth is that I am a very, very, very, very stupid person. I lack the imagination nor the guile to lie about anything so can only speak, or write, words that are inherantly true. I use florid language so that nobody ever learns that I cannot do maths in my head and cannot spell solution unaided and that I am incomptent at all things.
Apart from drinking beer in the sunshine, obviously. That is a Life Skill.
*complicated hand gesture*
Submitted by icarus1987 (user info) at 2008-07-08 14:15:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
It was more blathering than droning, really.
Submitted by shadow (user info) at 2008-07-08 14:10:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Sorry I couldn't be of help; I've drifted off of politics and science and been reading fantasy, for a change.
Submitted by shadow (user info) at 2008-07-08 14:09:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Theories, theories, beautiful theories...
What is the truth?
Unknowable.
What is fact?
Unthinkable.
What is real?
Everything and nothing...
...
Nothing? Nothing?! Tra la la!!!
Submitted by vergedor (user info) at 2008-07-08 11:42:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Hey F.J.
TY for the info... I redirect my rant to Sherlock Holmes.
In the future, pls say so when you quote someone else. If you don't, we think you came up with the phrase and\or that you approve of it.
Submitted by iambetteratit (user info) at 2008-07-08 11:21:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
France did pretty much bankroll the entire American revolution for us. The only decisive battle they took part in (as I recall) was the battle at Yorktown. (where Lord Cornwallis surrendered) They blockaded the Chesapeke bay to prevent British retreat or resupply. They also landed several thousand troops to assist in that ground engagement. All together the combined ground forces that defeated the British at Yorktown numbered 17,000 troops.
Submitted by F.J.Bell (user info) at 2008-07-08 10:27:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Love the effort, vergedor, but my comment was actually a Sherlock Holmes quotation, so you should direct your thoughts elsewhere.
Submitted by vergedor (user info) at 2008-07-08 10:24:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
_________________________________________________________________
Submitted by F.J.Bell (user info) at 2008-07-04 11:18:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
What object is served by this circle of misery and violence and fear? It must tend to some end, or else our universe is ruled by chance, which is unthinkable. But what end? There is the great standing perennial problem to which human reason is as far from an answer as ever.
_________________________________________________________________
Key phrase here: "which is unthinkable"
Who are you to say that the theory that the universe is ruled by chance is unthinkable? What does that mean exactly? That we cannot physically think the words required to formulate the theory? Obviously we can formulate the theory.
Then, does that mean we can formulate the theory but can't believe in it because we know its false from evidence? Again, who are you to say what we can believe in or not?
I suspect that the "chance" theory is simply MORALLY unacceptable to you. You just can't deal with it. You need a Santa Claus world view for your romantic mind. That romantic mind requires that the universe has a pre-determined goal set by a generally benevolent supernatural moral being capable of intentions like humans (stupidest and most widely accepted conception of God, full of paradoxes and contradictions).
I happen to believe in the theory that the universe is ruled by chance with a passion matched only by religious fanatics!
And I am not alone to think that way! the first monks that were allowed to travel from one monastery to another in the middle ages were so surprised by the chaos of the outside world that they went into a cultural revolution.
They realized quickly that religion was just a mass mind control program full of bullshit and that the world was ruled by chance. They started to hang out in taverns, drink and sing and have sex. Beside our current western technological civilization, what remains of this cultural revolution is their songs.
Their most famous song is titled "Chance rules everything" -- "O Fortuna Imperatrix".... ya you got that right! the only persons of the day that were allowed access to books and to travel abroad realized not only that God did not exist, but that chance ruled everything. These songs were rediscovered a few centuries later and adapted into the opera: "Carmina Burana".
The great standing perennial problem to which human reason is as far from an answer as ever is not whether the universe has an end. This problem has been turn into a subdivision of philosophy called teleology. Teleology became an obsolete theory since Charles Darwin formulated the theory of evolution. The theory of evolution is clearly incompatible with the general teleologistic world view promoted by monotheistic religions. That is why backward rednecks in the USA insists that creationism and intelligent design theory be thought in school on the same level of acceptability that the theory of evolution. Clearly, some adults are not happy when we promote the idea that Santa Claus ain't real. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleology
In fact, there is no philosophical problems on which we have not made some progress... including what is the nature of consciousness.
Submitted by Axolotl (user info) at 2008-07-07 20:08:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
asw +2
Submitted by monkeyswithguns (user info) at 2008-07-07 12:07:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I can certainly agree that civilization is cyclical, with waxing and waning, and pretty much everything else you said here also.
Submitted by Maddog (user info) at 2008-07-05 09:28:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
You should re-think your postulate. Anything that can rain explosives and cold steel over an entire kilometer grid square has my vote as a very effective force multiplier.
Submitted by redskieslookfake (user info) at 2008-07-05 05:03:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
yes
Submitted by Caulaincourt (user info) at 2008-07-04 19:25:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
americans like to say the french only helped a tiny little bit in the war of indepedance.
which is like saying european restistance groups won WWII with just a little help from the US&UK.
Submitted by Bubba2341 (user info) at 2008-07-04 17:12:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Onion_De_Tuna!!!! Where the fuck you been? Do you still work for the porn rag, or did you move like you said?
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2008-07-04 16:20:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by F.J.Bell (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:45:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I've never heard of the Gaia theory, but having skim-read Wikipedia's opening gambit on the matter then, yes, I suppose so. I wouldn't stretch to say its like believing in God, though - more like trusting the Earth to know what's best for it.
This would also fit in with my suspicion that homosexuality is nature's way of weeding out those with rubbish genes from procreating.
-----
i read an article on this recently. sisters of gay men tend to have more children than other women. so really homosexuality as a heritable trait is just as likely to survive as the default setting of being hetero. until of course we start manufacturing customizable babies.
Submitted by no1hasdis (user info) at 2008-07-04 13:24:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
No Comment
Submitted by Linus (user info) at 2008-07-04 12:27:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Elementary and possibly incorrect.
Submitted by haikumikoo (user info) at 2008-07-04 11:36:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Man babies.
Can I have them?
Not really.
But,
Submitted by F.J.Bell (user info) at 2008-07-04 11:18:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
What object is served by this circle of misery and violence and fear? It must tend to some end, or else our universe is ruled by chance, which is unthinkable. But what end? There is the great standing perennial problem to which human reason is as far from an answer as ever.
Submitted by Bubba2341 (user info) at 2008-07-04 10:52:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by messmind (user info) at 2008-07-04 10:25:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Without war, civilization as we know it, would not have come to be.
Suffering is just personal, history remembers that as a sidenote, while the
big events atract all the attention.
Global peace would mean extinction.
</crap>
==========================================
"War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength."
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2008-07-04 10:43:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
That is like saying that if we couldn't look at some people who had been born without lips (or perhaps an overabundance of lips) and feel sad that being woken up with orally sex by a beautiful woman wouldn't feel as awesome as it does.
Submitted by messmind (user info) at 2008-07-04 10:31:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Btw: 'Cities in Flight',wasn't so bad. But not Nebula-award level either.
Submitted by messmind (user info) at 2008-07-04 10:25:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Without war, civilization as we know it, would not have come to be.
Suffering is just personal, history remembers that as a sidenote, while the
big events atract all the attention.
Global peace would mean extinction.
</crap>
Submitted by Bubba2341 (user info) at 2008-07-04 10:19:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
"Perhaps with a true freedom of thought and information human society will become boundless, rendering borders and men with dreams of empire redundant. Perhaps that will even prove the key to ending war, but as long as one man needs what another has then that won't happen."
================
Do I detect the aroma of Socialism?
Submitted by DonkeyOnTheEdge (user info) at 2008-07-04 10:03:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I guess.
Submitted by F.J.Bell (user info) at 2008-07-04 09:35:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I am indebted to you, Sir.
Submitted by CarterPFly (user info) at 2008-07-04 09:29:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I can answer the window cleaner question.
A friend of mine worked with his father as contract window cleaners, The buisness grew and they got in bigger and better kit like van sized watertanks with big waterpumps and huge extendable poles. The absailing started when the collage they cleaned the windows on installed security cameras everywhere and the hanging platform thingys couldnt get to all the windows so he did a course in absailing and did it that way. He did more absailing courses and is now at instructor level and the buisness has boomed as they now clean all sorts of buildings where the design of the building makes a platform thingy impractical. Now its the preferred method of doing the job.
So yea, It came out of a need to clean windows that were hard to reach otherwise.
Submitted by Littlebint (user info) at 2008-07-04 09:05:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by orph (user info) at 2008-07-04 09:00:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I think the Gaia theory does well if you think of it as written by a retarded 5 year old.
--
So it was written by someone here then? That sucks
Submitted by orph (user info) at 2008-07-04 09:00:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I'm a stupendous badass. Its just natures way.
I think the Gaia theory does well if you think of it as written by a retarded 5 year old.
Submitted by Littlebint (user info) at 2008-07-04 08:59:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Female masturbation is definately no myth.
Submitted by EmissionImpossible (user info) at 2008-07-04 08:37:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Berty, im busy, but hi, well done and good luck.
Submitted by F.J.Bell (user info) at 2008-07-04 06:04:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
*shrugs*
I'm just making it up as I go along, to be honest.
I like how you always put your username in the title of the post.
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:54:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
... Well quite.
Whilst I suspect that is akin to saying "people born with dark hair are natures way of putting identifying people more likely to get in late night traffic accidents", I am far from expert in these matters, or any matter for that matter.
If we're going to go down the path of 'Nature got a plan', could it not be a method for forming a stable caring couple from 'spare' population that would be able to care for the offspring of the alpha males respective harems of baby factories?
Submitted by myshit (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:53:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by F.J.Bell (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:45:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
more like trusting the Earth to know what's best for it.
---------------
The whole universe is a finely balanced equilibrium.
All things WILL equal.
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:53:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
history has shown us: armies from france continually suffer from sunburned armpits
Submitted by F.J.Bell (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:45:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I've never heard of the Gaia theory, but having skim-read Wikipedia's opening gambit on the matter then, yes, I suppose so. I wouldn't stretch to say its like believing in God, though - more like trusting the Earth to know what's best for it.
This would also fit in with my suspicion that homosexuality is nature's way of weeding out those with rubbish genes from procreating.
Submitted by BranDo (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:44:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
keep droning
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:42:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
You mean like the Gaia theory? Ive always felt that's a little bit like believing in God.
Submitted by F.J.Bell (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:37:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Oh I know its easy, I just wonder what the motivations are for the guys that actually clean the windows. Like, what came first? The love of extreme sports or the appreciation for a well-wiped pane?
Anyway. Regarding civilisation, I think the Earth decides which people it wants on it and which it doesn't. Witness the earthquakes in China, devastation of New Orleans and flooding of Sheffield as examples.
Its a bit of a half-cocked theory, but there it is.
Submitted by myshit (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:34:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Perhaps that will even prove the key to ending war, but as long as one man needs what another has then that won't happen.
----------------
You got that right.
While there are human beings, there will be wars*
*unless in 2360 they find Bertys old and stripped bones, extract some of his DNA and clone him a billion times.
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:32:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Flash, in order to make those skyscrapers a lot of construction workers have to go up there on girders to build them from the ground up. In comparison to that; cleaning the windows on them is easy.
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:26:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
* - Cities in Flight by John Blish. It's mostly awful but the appendicies make for interesting reading.
Submitted by F.J.Bell (user info) at 2008-07-04 05:24:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I love a good ramble.
You know those guys that clean the windows of sky-scrapers and high-rise offices by abseiling down from the top with a squeedgie? Well, what I want to know is how they got into that. I mean, were they regular window-cleaners, wandering from door to door with a ladder and a sponge, and one day though to themselves "I've achieved all I can from this vocation. I need a new challenge, new windows, new thrills..."
Or were they dare-devil, adrenaline junkies to start with who loved nothing more than to clamber up and down buildings who decided to put their hobby to good use and make a bit of pocket money on the side? "Yeah, its cool, gimme the wet cloth - I'm going up there anyway, might as well do something useful while I'm at it."