This seems very strange now, but my nose was to the floor and I had a red crayon and I was making my passage by drawing a wide red line down the hallway floor. Others had done this before me, so this was not unusual. I just widened the line and left my mark as I went. I was hoping nobody was watching me from behind though.

I looked at my crayon and it was about 1/2 way worn down when I reached home.

When I reached home at the end of the mall, it was more like an office. There was a clothing rack with hooks on it where my clothes were supposed to be, but all that was there was a supply of empty triangular hangars.

There was a vine wrapped around the clothing rack, so I unwound it and was going to take it with me because it was mine, but I didn't want to deprive others of looking at it, so I left it there.

There were some small plants there too I put into small containers to get rooted.

I was really hungry but my mother refused to feed me, though she was feeding the others in the area, but I had some money in my pocket. I knew I wasn't going to starve. I could buy my own food.

I decided I would help with the dishes before I left, even if I didn't eat anything. There were two 9" square glass baking dishes on the floor that people had to jump over to get past, so I picked them up to put them into the sink, which was like one of those large double-wide deep laundry tubs people have in their basements.

I also saw empty glass mayonnaise jars and 2 empty metal wastepaper baskets in the tubs which I took out and put into the floor so they could be used appropriately.

A tall, blonde guy came past to go to an office nearby. He spoke with a German accent. He said to me as he passed by, "You know nobody cares if there is war as long as they have their sports."

I understood what he meant. Our soldiers were off at war in another country, and we just kept watching football and basketball like there was nothing going on.

We knew there was a war going on, but we didn't know how it got started.  I said, "Who really gets to declare war?" 

Nobody knew, so we were going to look it up in the encyclopedia.

We went outside then and were standing in an alleyway near a small grove of trees. The German man, myself, and another young woman were standing there, trying to understand how wars get started when an older gray and ugly yellow station wagon came down the alley. A middle-aged man bellowed something out the window of the car which we couldn't understand as he went by. His voice was loud and intense like he was angry.

The car pulled to a stop overlooking the edge of what was either Lake Michigan or the ocean. I just know it was a beachhead type of area.  We heard him bellow the same word across the water but we still couldn't understand him.

We avoided him by walking to the other side of the grove of trees so he couldn't run us over with his old car as he went by. Twice ore he went by bellowing something we couldn't understand.

We kept hiding in the trees so he couldn't hit us.

Finally he got out of his car and walked past us. Now that he was walking, we could understand him, but still - in an angry voice, he bellowed - "PEACE! NOBODY WANTS ANY!"

Also See:  The Blitz Dreams

On August 1st 1914, Germany declared war on Russia, and
on the 3rd, on France. On the 4th, Great Britain declared war on
Germany. The following day, Austro-Hungary joined the fray.
Posters and newspapers spread the news throughout Europe. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congressional Declaration of War
on Germany 

December 11, 1941

The President's Message

To the Congress of the United States:

On the morning of Dec. 11 the Government of Germany, pursuing its course of world conquest, declared war against the United States. The long-known and the long-expected has thus taken place. The forces endeavoring to enslave the entire world now are moving toward this hemisphere. Never before has there been a greater challenge to life, liberty and civilization. Delay invites great danger. Rapid and united effort by all of the peoples of the world who are determined to remain free will insure a world victory of the forces of justice and of righteousness over the forces of savagery and of barbarism. Italy also has declared war against the United States.

I therefore request the Congress to recognize a state of war between the United States and Germany, and between the United States and Italy.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

From: http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/germwar.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org6-7.htm

Remembering the Forgotten War: Korea, 1950-1953

Though some insist it should be referred to as the "Korean Conflict" or a police action because the participants never officially declared "war," there are few veterans who would disagree that the fighting in Korea between 1950 and 1953 was as bitter as any war. In recent years, the Korean War has been called "The Forgotten War," because it has been overshadowed by the more immediate memories of Vietnam, Desert Storm and the fiftieth anniversary commemorations of World War II. With four million
casualties, however, the war that President Truman declared a testing ground in the conflict between communism and democracy has left an indelible imprint on the history of the twentieth century.

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Vietnam War: 

Many soldiers felt a lack of support for their efforts from the general population. The United
States involvement in the war was controversial and sparked violent protests..

The war was fought in a country whose history, culture, religions, and values little known or
understood by the general population of the United States.

There was no direct threat against the United States.

War against Vietnam was never declared by Congress, thus the correct term is Vietnam Conflict,
although the word war is commonly used..

The war's goal was unclear; there was never clear indication that America would do whatever
was necessary to win.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Persian Gulf War or Gulf War, Jan.–Feb., 1991, armed conflict between Iraq and a coalition of 32 nations including the United States, Britain, Egypt, France, and Saudi Arabia. It originated with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990; Iraq then annexed Kuwait, which it had long claimed. Iraqi president Saddam Hussein declared that the invasion was a response to overproduction of oil in Kuwait, which had cost
Iraq over $14 million when oil prices fell. Saddam Hussein also accused Kuwait of illegally pumping oil from Iraq's Rumaila oil field.

The UN Security Council called for Iraq to withdraw and subsequently embargoed most trade with Iraq. On Aug. 7, U.S. troops moved into Saudi Arabia to protect Saudi oil reserves. On Nov. 29, the UN set Jan. 15, 1991, as the deadline for a peaceful withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. When Saddam Hussein refused to comply, Operation Desert Storm was launched on Jan. 18, 1991, under the leadership of U.S. Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf.

From: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0838511.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kosovo:  President Clinton was in violation of the War Powers Act which makes this war indisputably illegal. The "peacekeeping" force on the south border of Yugoslavia expanded to 50,000 and was openly described by policy makers as a potential invasion force. The US Air Force cancelled all retirements and
declared Kosovo "a major theater war" - even though war was not declared, the 60 days given Clinton by the War Powers Act is up, and an apparent majority of Congress were opposed to the war.

Russia, China, and India called for an immediate end to the bombing as did numerous other countries.
On May 25, Russia's Yeltsin went so far as to threaten "reprisals" and "extreme measures" if the assaults on civilians continue. It was within the country's capability to act on these threats.

The peacekeeping forces, under NATO auspices lasted 78 days.

Lessons from the War in Kosovo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Afghanistan:  The War on Terrorism

One week after the tragedies in New York and Washington, on September 11, 2001, the United States prepared to wage a war against terrorism. "I want justice," declared President Bush. He vowed to go after countries that harbor and help terrorists. Almost immediately after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, President George W Bush declared that America was at war with, 'an enemy with no
clear identity, aims or country'. Having taken the unprecedented step of declaring war against persons unknown, the American and British governments then went looking for an enemy to wage it against. As the nation looked for who to punish, one country came up over and over again: Afghanistan. 

How did this poor, drought- ridden nation become the U.S.'s main target?  More than three weeks later, having selected their enemy, the US and UK military launched air strikes against Afghanistan. Yet
the Allies seem keen to deny that they are at war at all.

Afghanistan is home to Osama bin Laden, the main suspect in the attack on America. Bin Laden is a terrorist who hates American policies and the American way of life. He has declared an Islamic Holy War against the U.S. From his base in Afghanistan he controls a worldwide network of terrorists. The
highjackers of the planes that crashed in New York, Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh are believed to have been followers of bin Laden.

President Bush Declared a Humanitarian Emergency in Afghanistan On September 28, 2001, President Bush declared a humanitarian emergency in Afghanistan and authorized an immediate $25 million in
emergency refugee and migration funds to assist the work of UNHCR, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and non-governmental organizations.

The President instructed the Defense Department to prepare for airdrops of food into regions of Afghanistan where displaced persons risk starvation.

The Administration provided additional U.S.-origin food assistance for displaced persons in Afghanistan and refugees in neighboring countries, including Pakistan, Iran and Central Asian states.

Jerusalem: Eternal, Intractable

By Middle East analyst Gerald Butt 

Of all the outstanding issues in the way of an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, the status of Jerusalem is probably the most complex and sensitive. 

It is one which, on the face of it, offers no scope for compromise. 

Israelis of all political persuasions insist that a united Jerusalem will be the eternal capital of the Jewish state - come what may.

With equal insistence, the Palestinians say that the Arab eastern half of Jerusalem - where the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, sacred Islamic sites, are located - will be the capital of their new state.

Given these mutually incompatible demands, negotiators have been trying to find a solution that would allow each side to claim that its rights have been honoured. 

Compromise 

At the beginning of the year, according to Arab diplomats, the two sides moved towards some kind of compromise - the one that was alluded to by the Israeli Deputy Defence Minister, Ephraim Sneh. This would give the Palestinians sovereignty over a limited number of Arab districts just to the north of Jerusalem - with these districts being brought inside the city boundary. 

At the same time, the Palestinian flag would fly over some key buildings in the eastern half of the city, including Orient House - the unofficial Palestinian seat of government. 

The Palestinians in the city would also vote for their own mayor. 

"In effect," a diplomat said, "the Palestinians would have sovereignty over their people in Jerusalem, but not the land." 

'Victory for both sides' 

The advantage of this scheme is that it could be presented by negotiators on both sides as a victory. 

The Israelis could say that, as promised, they would be maintaining sovereignty over a united city. At the same time, Yasser Arafat could claim credit for raising the Palestinian flag over the sacred Islamic sites and other buildings in east Jerusalem. 

Such a scheme would undoubtedly attract criticism from some right-wing quarters in Israel who object to any concessions being made to the Arabs. 

But stronger objections could be expected from a much wider section of Palestinian society - and from the Arab world as a whole. 

Palestinian unease 

There is a feeling among the Palestinians that an ageing and ailing Yasser Arafat - in his desperate
desire to become the first president of Palestine - has already made too many concessions in the negotiations with Israel. 

There is now widespread anxiety in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that Mr Arafat will accept a deal on Jerusalem which leaves the Palestinians with nothing more than a token presence there. 

"Such a deal would not meet the requirements of a just peace," said Rev Dr Naim Ateek, President of the Sabeel Ecumenical Theology Centre in Jerusalem. "This is not the Jerusalem people know, and I don't think the people will accept it." 

Some other Palestinians believe that non-acceptance would take the form of a return to street violence of the kind witnessed during the intifada - the uprising against Israeli occupation which began in 1987. 

"This is not what Palestinians suffered and gave their lives for," said one former adviser to Yasser
Arafat. "An unacceptable compromise over Jerusalem will make their blood boil." 

Nevertheless, Yasser Arafat knows that a compromise is the best he can hope for. 

And with the state for which he has strived all his life so tantalisingly close, the chances are that he will accept such a deal, no matter what the dangers may be.