PBS: WWII 'The last necessary war?'

Ongoing | Ken Burns & Lynn Novick

[BluH2o]

Endorsements & Reviews

"The War is a remarkable storytelling feat and a visceral television experience."
San Francisco Chronicle

"There are works of TV art so extraordinary all you can do is be grateful."
USA Today

"Elegiac and compelling"
The New York Times

[BluH2o]

Last evening I watched the final episode of 'The War' on PBS.
At the end as the credits began PBS characterized WWII as the last 'necessary' war. That implies, at least in my mind, that all wars since WWII were unnecessry. Speaking as a former Marine going back to the Vietnam era I take exception to this characterization of WWII. The Korean War, the Vietnam War, Gulf War I, the current war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan all unnecessary?
Remember this is PBS and the glowing reviews all come from their cohorts in the liberal media.
What are your thoughts?
The series will repeat with encores every Wednesday evening at 9PM.

[dfwgator]

Back in 1998, it sure seemed to the libs that Kosovo was a ‘necessary war.’

[Colofornian]

To the liberals, the war on the pre-born sure seems to them to be a necessary war. (Not too many bigger threats than 18 years of responsibility)

[Loud Mime]

Good point.

You forget that liberals are smarter than conservatives. They know which wars are necessary; and the war against people who kill the innocent en masse and enslave women is not seen as necessary.....because they hate Bush too!

[ex-snook]

Of interest, The enemy axis made pre-emptive strikes on us.

[SampleMan]

I challenge libs all the time on this notion of WWII being forced on us, while we chose other wars.

The simplest challenge to them is to ask why we couldn’t have chosen to mind our own business in East Asia and Europe? They are to a person completely ignorant of the history leading up to our involvement.

DO NOT read this to say I think we chose poorly, just that we did in fact choose that war. We chose better sooner than later, and we chose to appose fascism.

[Tired of Taxes]

Americans did not support WWII 100% at the time. Only in hindsight do people tend to agree that WWII was necessary.

Many of my uncles and cousins fought (one died) in WWII. Yet, many people, including their own parents, opposed sending Americans into war at that time. Even though they themselves were European immigrants with relatives still living across the Atlantic, they viewed themselves as Americans and the war as someone else’s problem.

So, many people opposed WWII back then. The difference was: Back then, most had enough common sense to realize that openly protesting it would embolden the enemy against whom their American sons were drafted to fight.

Of course, the government’s stance was much harsher then, too. Imagine, we weren’t attacked on U.S. soil, yet suspects were rounded up and expatriated or imprisoned. Contrast that with today: After thousands of civilians were attacked on our own soil in a major city, the government tiptoes around suspects and is harshly criticized for the slightest hint of any violation of individual rights.

[Charles Henrickson]

At the end as the credits began PBS characterized WWII as the last 'necessary' war.

I watched all of "The War" and saw the credits also. I remember the phrase, "necessary war," but I do not recall seeing the word "last" in front of it. Are you sure it said that?

[BluH2o]

I remember the phrase, "necessary war," but I do not recall seeing the word "last" in front of it. Are you sure it said that?

I didn't record the episode, so I can't verify as to 'last' being used in conjunction with 'necessary war'.
However, even if the word 'last' was omitted, it was certainly implied.

[Charles Henrickson]

even if the word 'last' was omitted, it was certainly implied.

Not necessarily. The phrase in the closing credits was picking up on the title of Episode One, "A Necessary War." That title, in turn, was derived from what one of the veterans interviewed said about the reasons for getting into WWII, i.e., that it was "a necessary war."

[BluH2o]

Not necessarily.

You're entitled to construe necessary any way you wish ... I didn't watch every episode of 'The War'. However, with the encore presentations beginning almost immediately after the last episode I'm sure, eventually, I will. In the interval I'm left with the distinct impression Ken Burns and PBS deliberately want viewers to view WWII as necessary, (by extension) implying all others since, or, before for that matter, unnecessary.

[absolootezer0]

i completely agree. with the forces we have- especially nukes- if we showed that we were actually willing to use them to their full capacity, we could avoid war. the couple hours or less it would take to deliver a nuke or a large enough force to quickly end a conflict would constitute a “preemption” not a war.

[Spok]

Karl Marx taught that all forms of human endeavor are essentially political. Liberals take that notion to heart by infusing every course of human conduct with the dogma of their beliefs; art, science, mathematics, sex and even human physiology is politicized to the point of the sacrifice of their own credibility, and it discredits even their most brilliant works.

[weegee]

The generation that fought WWI thought it was the war to end all wars. It was called the “Great War” not “WW ONE”.

The Cold War was necessary because Stalin was permitted to continue to enslave and murder millions. Communism was spread around the globe killing and enslaving even more. The Communists infiltrated our government, our institutions, and our media to shape US policies.

The war against Islamic Imperialism comes up ever so many years. It has for hundreds upon hundreds of years. It still needs to be fought to conclusion.

[weegee]

Communist Party USA was very up front about opposing going to war against Nazi Germany. That is until Hitler betrayed their beloved Joseph Stalin.

[VOA]

For reference...here’s the URL for the last episode discussion thread
for “The War”.
Please note the useful links to discussion threads and “places
to buy” in the first couple of posts.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1905614/posts