Maybe I'm a Communist. But Mostly no.

Tonight I watched Charlie Wilson's War and I felt it was a good movie, but I really like history. This movie in particular not only taught some history but it is relevent to what's going on in our world today. At least it helped me understand a bit more (although perhaps I ought to have understood it better before now...but as I have learnt from nursing school: I am terrible at teaching myself).

There was quite a bit of footage from the actual fighting and it made me a little sick to my stomach. There's this whole part where we are supposed to feel all victorious and whatnot because the Soviet's are being shot out of the sky. In a way this is good. The Afghan people are no longer defenseless against the brutal attacks that were taking so many innocent lives. Yet, at the same time I couldn't help but think of the Soviet soldiers who were dying and feeling sick. I don't know how to describe it. In the movie they showed 3 pilots in helicopters attacking an Afghan village (this was all re-enacted...not actual war footage) and they were portrayed as arrogrant, heartless jerks. They were talking about their girlfriends or whatever back home in a rather rude way as they were firing on the village. The helicopters of course are the first 3 that are blown up by the Afghan people with their new guns from the Americans.

This is where my sadness comes in. Even though it was terrible that the Soviet soldiers were killing so many Afghan people and I am sad for them, but I am also sad for the Soviet soldiers because under the Soviet regime they didn't really have a choice. They were either forced to fight or they were brainwashed to believe that what they were doing was right.

And so when the movie was listing how many Soviet planes and helicopters and tanks were blown up I wanted to cry.

I think I just don't like war.

On that note I am looking forward to being able to watch Passchendaele although I know that this movie will make me cry. For all the people who died: the "good guys" and the "bad guys".

We'll never break even so why not just, I don't know. Just clear the slate off, and start over. Forgive and forget the past things we've done to eachother. Well, don't forget because that would dishonour the dead, but let's forgive. Clean slate people. Clean slate.