BL> Everyone says that those who don't learn from history are bound
 BL> to repeat it, but no one has a good word to say for geography.
 BL> Geography gives the *reason* for history.

 FM> I know this is an old message, and there's been a bit of
 FM> subsequent discussion. Further to my comment at the top there
 FM> was, as far as I recall, no solid info from the other party,
 FM> just "Nope, you're wrong", etc. But then I did accidentally
 FM> destroy a swag of messages, so I guess it was all in there. :-)

  Yair... and I think I twitted him halfway through when he turned
abusive (as usual). There are a couple of best-seller War books by a
retired Field Marshal (... Sir Somebody or other) where he writes
about WW III and how it will be fought in Europe. It was fascinating,
and mostly a geography lesson. The crap by Julius Caesar they made us
read in school was the same... all geography.

  We are well set here in Australia, with a clear border, no path
through to someone else, and our only nasty neighbour threatening
nothing but tropical deserts - but it amazes me that no one ever
mentions New Caledonia. The Japs swept around through the Solomons and
failed at Port Moresby, but even with New Guinea they still needed to
take contol of the Coral Sea before they could invade the east coast,
and that meant New Caledonia (which was never under threat in WWII).

  Whoever holds New Caledonia can dominate the east coast of
Australia, the South Pacific, and even New Zealand. New Caledonia is
our Hawaii, but no Australian has the brains to see it because no one
is taught geography properly.

Regards,
Bob

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
@EOT:

---