Challenging Perceptions of World War II as "The Good War"
“The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it not have material and spiritual evil as its consequences which far exceed whatever good might result? When will our moralists give us an answer to this question?” -John Hersey, Hiroshima A side from the recent 2003 'War on Terror', America has had a history of debating whether or not to go to war. Is the war being waged a 'just war'? How must it be fought and what goals and plans do we as a nation have in entering and eventually ending a war? D ebating publicly over whether or not to go to war is a fragile part of our American legacy as a democracy. It is the necessity for the public to engage in healthy discussion over whether or not to send their sons, daughters, uncles, mothers, and fathers off to war. Once debate is silenced and dissenting voices are muffled, either one of two things is happening--we as Americans are apathetic t