fandomhigh | Leadership: Wednesday, Period 1, Class 12 (4/1/09)

"War is hell," Nathan said after everyone had gotten to their seats. "There aren't many people who find war fun. There are those who find it inevitable. As a leader one of your hardest decisions will be about when to go to war.

"Do you go to war to defend your people? What counts as defense? If you know of a threat do you strike first or do you wait until you're hit? Is it ethical to make the pain and death of your own people a touchstone? Are you serving your people well if you allow them to be hurt?

"What about others? Many would argue that genocide is wrong, but would you go to war over it? Does it matter if it's happening to an ally? An enemy? Someone who you have no relationship with at all? What about if your country is suffering a depression and doesn't have the resources to go to war? What if you think you should go to war but your people don't agree? Does it matter if their disagreement is based in a prejudice of some kind? What if it's based on the argument that resources are better spent caring for the sick and poor within your country?

"As you can see, it's a complicated topic," Nathan said. "There is no way that it could be covered in a single class. For today let's limit ourselves to a discussion of those questions. Or, boiled down to a single one: When, as a leader, do you decide to go to war?

"Let's hear your thoughts."

[ooc: OCD is up!]

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Collapsy!

Lee Adama

Tahiri Veila

Peyton Sawyer

Yasutora Sado

Hoshi Sato

Ichigo Kurosaki

Inara Serra

Naomi Wildman

Dōjima Yurika

Zayne Carrick

Take notes, talk amongst yourselves, the usual.

Lee chewed on his pen as he thought about the question. He figured 'whenever someone threatened me!' would just be a schoolyard answer so he tried to come up with something better.

Tahiri groaned quietly. Yay for touchy and too-relevant subject material?

Hoshi was thinking of her history lessons about wars in the past, and that made her grimace. She was sure war was inevitable, but she wasn't fond of the idea.

As Chad listened and tried to pay attention, he wondered if it was inappropriate that he was having Edwin Starr stuck in his head all through the lecture.

War

Inara couldn't help thinking of Gavin and Jaina and Luke, and all the different versions of the war they fought, but she also thought about what Principal Washburn and River had told her about her own time and what the government was doing there.

She had no answers at all. It seemed that everything she thought of would make things worse.

Dōjima was trying to take notes, but she wasn't paying the best attention. Bored.

This was like a conversation that was was starting to come up among the Jedi regarding the Mandalorians. It was definitely food for thought.

When do you think you should go to war?

"See... this is why I would never want to be president," Peyton said.

"I think it shouldn't be the first response or line of defense, but I also think that if you're afraid to go to war because of the implications and loss of life, then that's another form of weakness. Inaction is sometimes worse."

"It's all..." Chad said, frowning a little as he grunted and thought, "kind of situational, isn't it? I mean, I'm a pacifist. If I don't have to fight, I don't want to, but if it's to protect someone or something I care about, there's no holding back..."

Though you probably don't want to know the reasons he thinks are acceptable for going to war.

OMG I AM SO TIRED

Leadership: Wednesday, Period 1, Class 12 (4/1/09)

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Talk to Nathan

OOC