Like many other people in the US, I first heard about this movie via the news (TV and Radio). So much was said; both negative and positive, that it raised my curiosity about the movie. The furor made me pay to go see for myself what all the controversy was about. After watching the movie, I do not understand why some people seem to think that this movie is anti-gun. Mr. Moore raised several good points in the movie that tells me that violence in our culture has no simple answer.

I believe some math can help with all the confusion. In the movie, Mr. Moore states some figures that I will use:

Total Population in Canada - 30,000,000
Total Population in America - 260,000,000
Total Murder in Canada - 554
Total Murder in America - 15,000

Divide Total Murder by Total Population.
Multiply your answer by 100,000 and you will get the following statistics

Canadian Murder Rate - 1.8 Murders for every 100,000 people.
American Murder Rate - 5.8 Murders for every 100,000 people.

As you can see, there are more people in America, hence the chances for violence is greater. I do not mean to imply that violence is not a major issue in this country, because it is, but let us address the issue with clear, rational minds. Is an increase in population an answer for all the ills in our society? No. But the above example illustrates how important it is to take things with a grain of salt. The news agencies are always bombarding the public with statistics and numbers that may seem scary, until you take the time to figure out what they really mean.

Mr. Moore did a great job of bringing to our attention a difficult issue, violence in our culture. But the answers to stopping the violence are not simple. It isn't violent television or video games; go to Japan where all the children have access to even more violent games and television, the crime rate there is lower. It can't just be gun ownership, because Canada has a large portion of their population who own guns, yet less violence occurs in Canada. It can't just be our history, because there are other countries with even more violence in their histories than our own and yes, their crime rate is lower. For myself, I believe it is a whole host of factors that contribute to the violence in our country. The only way to figure out how to stop it is if we devote time and energy to study the problem and come-up with a solution. I can't promise a Utopia or even to stop all the violence, but we can at least minimize it.

Let me first say that on a purley Anime basis, I would give this DVD 5 stars! Unfortunately, for some reason the creators of this DvD have made it impossible to play on my Computer's DVD player. It will work fine with my regular DVD player, just not with the PC's, which is really annoying. In case you're wondering, my PC will play other anime DVDs just fine, so I have to think it is just this particular anime company.

Okay, that said, I think this story of Kenshin's beginnings is really cool and awesome. Perhaps one of the most artistic sword fight scenes I have ever seen in anime is in this story line. Plus, the music is great and matches the moods shown in the story and even enhances them. These two factors alone would justify buying this DVD. Then add the extra scenes at the end and the fact that all the OVA episodes are on one disc and you are in anime heaven.

Now having sung this DVD's praises and drawbacks, I should warn you that if you already own the earlier version of this Kenshin OAVs, then I do not think it is worth spending $$ for this version alone. My recommendation, spend the $$ on another anime or other DVD. Cheers.

First, I would like to admit that I became curious about this book because of the movie "Thirteen Days." President Kennedy has always been one of my favorite heroes and so when his character mentioned the book in the movie, I became intrigued. I now understand why this book was so important to President Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Barbara Tuchman has done a masterful job in making clear to the reader that historical events take place because of accidents and blunders. It is sad to realize that an entire generation (no exaggeration folks) of people died in World War I because the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Russia (both civilian and military) were so misinformed and imbecilic. Each of the leaders believed that he knew exactly what his adversary was going to do, even when facts were
produced that showed his perceptions to be mistaken. For example, the Chief of Staff of France believes that it doesn't matter how many soilders Germany concentrates in her right flank, opposite Belgium, since it makes his plan for an offensive against the German center that much more likely to succeed. He even strips troops from each of his flanks to concentrate in the center of his lines, leaving too few soilders to oppose the German war machine. The outcome, in a matter of days, Germany takes over Belgium and then proceeds to crush every French army it meets in a matter of weeks.

Each of us would like to believe that the leaders of our countries are intelligent and rational people. That during an international crisis (like war), because of their extensive schooling, experience and training they can handle themselves in a calm rational manner. We are wrong. It is becoming more apparent as I study history, that the leaders of our societies are just as failable to inpatience and irrational behavior. This literally keeps me awake at nights worried that something like the events of August 1914 could happen again. I hope this book becomes required reading for anyone mad enough to become the leader of thier country.

I highly recommend this movie for two very good reasons.

First, the acting and the dialogue involved with this project are great. I can still hear Lady Bird Johnson telling a frightened and fatigued LBJ "When eloquence of words are no longer effective, then perhaps it is time for eloquence of action..." And with these words, LBJ decides to retire the presidency and public life.

Second, I recommend "Path to War" because of the subject of this impressive movie is Lyndon Baines Johnson. Arguably one of the most controversial figures of American history, it is easy to forget all the good he has done for our country in the hell of Vietnam. This movie finally reminds the viewer that although President Kennedy had such wonderful dreams and ideas for our society, it was President Johnson who made those dreams a reality by maneuvering the congress to enact the "Great Society" laws. The audience can feel his joy and elation as he sees his vision of an America that has beaten poverty, racial discrimination, and the host of other social ills present in America during the 1960s. Then, we see his dreams transformed into nightmares as the American public become increasingly angry and hostile with his policy towards Vietnam. The audience is shown the private torture inflicted by decisions president Johnson makes in regards to Vietnam and the anger he knew they would generate...In conclusion, "Path to War" reminds me of a Greek tragety; riveting and enjoyable to watch and experience in the comfort of ones own home.

It is with a sad twist of irony that I find myself reading this book while living in the United States at this moment in history. All my life, I never would have thought to be witness to such an event as the current war on Iraq. I hope this sentiment piques your curiosity to read this book and try to understand the mounting dread I find growing in the pit of my stomach as I compare the actions of our current government against those mentioned in this book. Once again Santayana is proven correct:

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"

I hope I am proven wrong by history.