My initial reaction to the bombing of Serbia was, there it goes again. History is repeating itself because of greed, power, hatred, economics, you name it! There's a bad kid in the schoolyard and NATO countries, riding on the coat-tails of the US, are going to teach him a lesson.

As I watch the events unfold, my thoughts turn to the dispossessed people of Kosovo and the terrible anguish they are going through as they are killed outright or expelled from their homes and their country. This forced expulsion reminds me of the anguish my ancestors, the Acadians of Nova Scotia, suffered through hundreds of years of conflict, expulsion, exile and attempts to re-establish a vibrant culture and way of life.

I don't think this skirmish will not lead to WWIII. It will end one way or another and western leaders will bury their collective heads in the sand until the next time.

The longer-term tragedy is that the Serbs and the Kosovars will continue to hate each other ... just as other groups in the world will continue to hate. Because of this hatred, they will not accept the simple fact that people are people regardless of ethnic background, culture, religion and colour. We all have the same needs and concerns as people everywhere else. We want to make a living, live in peace, raise our families and enjoy life. We all have the ability to contribute to the world.

What really scares me is that, as civilized people, we seem to be unable to learn from the lessons from the past. And if we don't soon learn to appreciate each other for who we are, learn to live with each other in order to reach our full potential and learn to rejoice in each others' differences, we'll be witness to more of these wars. Future conflicts may literally reach our doorsteps.

There has to be a solution to this rampant suspicion and hatred of others. Other than saying we need statesmen with the skills and the gumption to guide us through what will be many more years of hatred and killing to peaceful co-existence, I wish I knew what it was.

Bob