Click
on material by Prof. Marc Herold one effort, disputed
by the US government and military, to catalogue the number of
civilian casualties in Afghanistan
Behind
the war
The
truth behind September 11 from Guerrilla News
Why
did it happen - general view
America
on Alert
Definition
of War:
WAR
- A contention by force; or the art of paralyzing the forces
of an enemy.
It
is either public or private. It is not intended here to speak
of the latter.
Public
war is either civil or national. Civil war is that which is
waged between two parties, citizens or members of the same state
or nation. National war is a contest between two or more independent
nations) carried on by authority of their respective governments.
War
is not only an act, but a state or condition, for nations are
said to be at war not only when their armies are engaged, so
as to be in the very act of contention, but also when, they
have any matter of controversy or dispute subsisting between
them which they are determined to decide by the use of force,
and have declared publicly, or by their acts, their determination
so to decide it.
National
wars are said to be offensive or defensive. War is offensive
on the part of that government which commits the first act of
violence; it is defensive on the part of that government which
receives such act; but it is very difficult to say what is the
first act of violence. If a nation sees itself menaced with
an attack, its first act of violence to prevent such attack,
will be considered as defensive.
To
legalize a war it must be declared by that branch of the government
entrusted by the Constitution with this power. And it seems
it need not be declared by both the belligerent powers. By the
Constitution of the United States, Art. I, Congress is invested
with power "to declare war, grant letters of manqué
and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and
water; and they have also the power to raise and support armies,
and to provide and maintain a navy."
