At the war memorial

Just spent the day at the site of a minor skirmish in WWII with far-ranging philosophical implications. The site was overrun with German and Japanese tourists [1], and surrounded by the sort of tacky souvenier shops that realize that they don't have to give you a good deal because some tourists will pay anything for a tacky plastic reminder of their stay [2].

The interesting thing about the site [3] is that it was the location where Allied servicemembers and local civilians died in order to bring about the end of the war. Without their deaths, the Axis might have been able to drag out the war in that theater for months or even years longer. The strength of courage and the willingness to do the necessary thing, even when it had a moral cost measured in thousands of innocent lives, is something that our modern leaders sadly lack, IMHO.

John

[1] Not the philosophical point in question, but amusing in an ironic way.

[2] Sort of like the French Market in New Orleans, actually...

[3] I'd post photos, but then you'd know where I had been!