"I'm sure most people, pacifist or not, would agree that violence is indeed neither the only way nor the best way to solve anything."
BS, a lot of people disagree with you. Violence is a very good and expedient way to solve some problems, save lives, time and money right away.
If Hitler had been shot in the head for about 15 cents back in 1939, the world would have been spared a lot of lives and misery. Same for Stalin, Mao, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Mugabe, Kim Il Sung, Chavez and a whole lot of Iranian mullahs etc. The list is long.
Nothing like shooting the right son of a bitch in the head at the right time to save a lot of lives.
Let's kill a large portion of the Islamofascists right now and save a lot of time, money and misery or would you rather wait till they nuke NYC?
Sorry, but violence works and if done the right way it's cost effective and moral.
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.
You nailed that one.