For someone like myself, who fought in World War II, and since then has protested against war, I must ask: Have our political leaders gone mad? Have they learned nothing from recent history? Have they not learned that no one "wins" in a war, but that hundreds of thousands of humans die, most of them civilians, many of them children? Full Story »
Posted by Derek Hawkins
This is a moving plea for pacifism from a WWII vet; and his thoughts are a valuable contribution to the discussion of how best to secure our nation and combat terrorism. Unfortunately, the thrust of the piece is to suggest that these matters are simple--if we adopt a pacifist stance, the horrors of war end. It doesn't answer the question: What happens then? I respect this veteran's views, but I fear he doesn't address the complexity of our modern world. His own war serves as the perfect example; didn't the Allies win the War? Yes, huge numbers of people died, but would the US and our world be better off to have waged "peace?" In any case, this is thoughtful and persuasive.
