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Peace and Violence By: John Verion on 3/16/2003; 8:51 AM A woman I communicate with said, "Violence doesn't solve anything." I wrote the following response to her... Those are words that can only be spoken by a person whose liberty and safety are first purchased and then routinely maintained by others who use violence. Violence is a blunt instrument to be sure, but to claim it doesn't solve *anything* is to be blithely ignorant of the way the world works and has worked for millenia. Violence should be the last, best option in any conflict, but often times any other option is a luxury that we can ill afford. Every day men use violence to stop hideous and atrocious things that occur all around us. You find it distasteful and that is fine, but it must be done or else the human creature in whom you have so much confidence would be your captor, murderer, slaver, rapist, or thief. The fact is that those who are not afraid of violence protect the innocent. Like it or not, this world is populated by a significant minority of people who would just as soon kill you and/or take what you own as say "Hello" and "How do you do." Non-violence is a fine technique, but it only works against an aggressor who can be shamed by the immorality of his act. Non-violence works for men like Ghandi when he faces down the British Empire. It works for men like MLK Jr when he is set on by dogs and bigots. But, please remember that it works because the foes they face are ostensibly men of conscience who have an internal mechanism to which an appeal can be made. Non-violence did not work for Rome against the Huns. It did not work for native peoples against Europeans. It did not work for Africans against Arab slavers. It did not work for the Jews against the Germans or for the Chinese against the Japanese. It didn't work for a few million Russians against Stalin. And I do not think it would work against Saddam Hussein. I say that with confidence because he lists two of those groups as the kinds of people he would most like to emulate. Peace is a virtue, but peace at all costs is nothing more than a vice that elevates itself above the good and the weal of mankind.
RE: Peace and Violence By: Daryl Del Rosario on 3/18/2003; 7:31 AM Peace and War... One cannot be without the other... Yes, a very good essay you got here J.V.
RE: Peace and Violence By: R.A.B. on 3/19/2003; 1:15 AM Yupm it's true indeed. Human history had long proven that fact.
RE: Peace and Violence By: Vlad Vostok on 9/11/2003; 9:35 PM as within,so without...anyone with a brain realises,no matter with how much difficulty given civilians were involved,that what happened on 9/11 was a case of major chickens coming home to roost... which plainly means those who hold violence within themselves will sooner or later meet it without themselves....you underpin a native economy with a military-industrial complex,and sooner or later you suffer native consequences, its the golden rule,as you do to others,so is done to you.
RE: Peace and Violence By: ScottN on 9/19/2003; 8:49 PM At the risk of responding to a troll (see his other posts)... I've heard the "you deserved it" argument, and that's BS. If terrorists attacked military installations, maybe I could buy it. But four civilian airliners and the WTC are not military targets. That's murder plain and simple. The only potential "you deserved it" target is the Pentagon, and attacking that with a civilian airliner voids the argument. IHBT. IHL. HAND.
RE: Peace and Violence By: David Loredo on 10/19/2003; 1:07 PM lets see... every man is capable of reasoning. The only reason that they are shameless of their action is becuase of the traumatic life that theyve had to endure. And you just want to take the easy way and murder what you cant even begin to comprehend? People like sadam lived a life in fear and had to endure it to a point were it was just too much... and he snaped. Violence solves nothing, it is getting rid of the problem when it gets out of control. Instead of judging the people who are too weak to pull themselfs out of the marsh you should try to be part of the solution. Becuase in the end most of the life we live is not up to us to chose, who here among us wouldnt chose a better life if we had the chance? Its true that some mans ignorance is too much to expell but if we dont try and just accept the death penalty in the end youre not just judging that one person... you are judging humanity as a whole. Killing and ending the pain wont get rid of the problem. And if anyone is to be killed, its the people who induced such pain. Youve made a valid point ill give you that. but untill youve expierienced the pain that an abusive parent, the feeling of being less then human, and untill youve expirieced fear to a degree were everyone is your enemy, your point will not be taken in consideration to my thoughts. becusae in the end.. you dont know what youre talking about.
RE: Peace and Violence By: Ben C on 10/19/2003; 8:11 PM Harsh man. I agree and disagree with YOU TOO. I think that yes, in some cases, hard lives = hardened people. But there are exceptions to your sentence: "untill youve expierienced the pain that an abusive parent, the feeling of being less then human, and untill youve expirieced fear to a degree were everyone is your enemy" Because not everyone who goes through these things becomes a hardened person oblivious to other people's pain and snaps... so if that's true... then it should have been possible for the person (ie: sadam, other brutal and so-called uncaring people) to have avoided becoming heartless and cold... or maybe it was unavoidable? I'm not completely sure... but I was wondering... if that's what you base your thoughts on David, and you claim to be open minded, then you should at least be open to the stark possibility that you might be wrong, or that at least you're both wrong? Telling someone they don't know what they talk about, but at the same time acknowledging that they have raised a valid point, while not stating the basis of your arguement (I'm assuming you grew up living a horrible life and know what its like to be abused and made to feel less than human). But if you haven't been abused, or if you just don't feel like sharing personal tragedies, then that's fine and dandy, but then how can you just throw things like "becusae in the end.. you dont know what youre talking about." around on the net without sounding completely Funny? respond if you wish, and be nice, ben
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