[Bellflower]

History shows that whoever fires the first shot normally loses. I just pray we're smart about these times.

History shows that a first shot, singular, would be stupid and suicidal. Take away the singular and put in a vast plural, and you might not lose, depending on how smart you were about it, historically speaking, that is, of course.

[rdb3]

History shows that a first shot, singular, would be stupid and suicidal.

That's what concerns me most. It only takes one idiot...

[prof.h.mandingo]

The American Revolution, probably some scared Minuteman. British training was little short of organized sadism at this time in history. Chinese revolution, Communists fired first. You are fixating on the Civil War. Yes Germany lost but you are talking a different type of war. This is a revolution and firing first many times leads to victory.It can be argued that the Communists fired first in their revolution with various assassinations etc. prior to the Czar's troops massacre on Bloddy Sunday 1905. During the revolution various socialists like the Bolsheviks, Menshevicks etc. joined together. They almost brought the government down at that point. WWI ended the peasants idea of “if only the Czar knew.”