Posted on 07/24/2006 10:42:24 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
bttt
I don't recall that the pacifist was ever reluctant to call the police when trouble loomed; nor was he reluctant to enjoy the freedom of personal safety, freedom from violent conquest, and the freedom of democracy and the countless personal choices allowed him by the protection of the nation from tyrants - all furnished by those in the armed forces. There are no self-styled pacifists working actively for the disarmament of the police or agitating for the armed forces to be disbanded. Thus, content to exercise force by proxy, the pacifist is also typically a hypocrite.
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
“But war, in a good cause, is not the greatest evil which a nation can suffer. War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. When a people are used as mere human instruments for firing cannon or thrusting bayonets, in the service and for the selfish purposes of a master, such war degrades a people. A war to protect other human beings against tyrannical injustice – a war to give victory to their own ideas of right and good, and which is their own war, carried on for an honest purpose by their free choice – is often the means of their regeneration. A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. As long as justice and injustice have not terminated their ever-renewing fight for ascendancy in the affairs of mankind, human beings must be willing, when need is, to do battle for the one against the other.”
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), “The Contest in America.” Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 24, Issue 143, page 683-684. Harper & Bros., New York, April 1862.
There are so many versions of this story my efforts at research have not turned up an unequivocal original.
There was a bomb attempt on Hitler's life in '39, and only missed killing him because it was on a timer and he unexpectedly ended his speech 10 minutes early.
That quote is doubtful. I doubt the word "pacifist" existed back in his day
Keeper. ping
These protestors only seem to have a problem with a free people fighting to remain free or fighting to free someone else.
And, they will be glad to let other people's sons go in harms way to protect their right to have a croissant and latte with the NYT on Sunday morning. Other people and their sons who the pacifists don't know, and that the pacifists look down upon with contempt. Other people's sons whose blood drips off the pacifists fingers as much as it does off those of the terrorist filth because the pacifist (or Kerry/Dean faux pacifist) gave aid and encouragement to the terrorist filth by their limp wristed behavior.
BTTT
I saw an interesting bumper sticker the other day:
"I'm already against the next war"
Kind of sums up the pacifist mentality. When nothing is worth fighting for, you're left with nothing.
Ahhhh, you're ASSUMING that Tony is of the African-American persuasion. I say Tony is a Puerto Rican. Either way, let's play along. Jack & Jill are obviously white yuppies and Tony is a minority. Why could we not have had Juan and Angelina getting mugged and murdered by Ian McNamara? Happens everyday, right?
Pacifists were around during the WW2. I remember articles of George Orwell, whos a social democrat, who often voice disgust of pacifists
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
--John Stuart Mill
LOL!
Great article! I know a couple of pacifists that I would like to knock some sense into.
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