On: BP oil slick

[khafra]

I fuzzily remember a quote about either the hot-air balloon or the gatling gun; something to the effect that it would make war so terrible that it would no longer be waged. It doesn't matter how terrible the consequences of something are to everybody else; if it profits someone who's powerful enough to get it done, it'll get done.

[oz → khafra]

Yes. Gatling thought that it would save lives by reducing the amount of soldiers necessary for war.