[Paul Ross]

Bump.

It's a truism.

[tdewey10]

Heinlein's Starship Troopers should be required reading in elementary schools.

[Wombat101]

To paraphrase Orwell:

Pacifism is a philosophy espoused by those who never want, nor ever expect, to be in political power, because power ultimately means repsonsibility. It is an affectation of the intellectually lazy and the morally soft, who do not realize that the exercise of political power entails coercion by force, in which case, pacifism, by it's very nature, is a non-starter.

[TeenagedConservative]

It has worked. In my college, pacifism is standard fare.

Sometimes I like to wear my "Peace - Through Superior Firepower!" T-shirt just to bug them.

[ConservativeMind]

Liberals just don't understand such basic things.

[DuncanWaring]

While it's not really related to the subject of this article, who's got a reference to that picture comparing "Pacifism in Theory" (Antiwar protest) to "Pacifism in Reality" (black-and-white photo of the guy being shot in the head on the edge of the ravine)?

[thubb]

does anyone here see the similarities between this article and the "war on terror"? pacifism will never "pacify" bullies and other evils. a good swift kick in the ass might, though. but leftist weenies will never come to that conclusion, sadly. maybe only if it's too late.

[bmwcyle]

bttt for later

[camle]

Pacicism worked real well for tibet.

[marinamuffy]

Good article. See my tagline. Dennis Prager had a great column on the idea that pacificm encourages brutality.

[WildBill2275]

The best defense is a strong offense!

Defending yourself!
I think this is what liberals call a disproportionate response.

[silver charm]

Very interesting article, thank you for posting it.

I still remember my one encounter with a school yard bully. Circa 1959, Granada School, Alhambra, LA county. Before my parents decided to send me to a goofy quaker school.

I was playing with my friend Anny,when the bully (a 6th grader)took our ball away. I summond up all my courage (he was pretty well known on the play ground as one tough hombre) and told him to give it back or else. He replied (with diva-like attitude) "I'll knock your head between your legs!" Funny how I can remember those exact words to this day, just like it was yesterday. Needless to say, it was on like Donkey Kong.

Well somebody got their head knocked alright, and it wasn't me. I was 7 years old, sister to 2 rowdy brothers, and more than a little bit of a tomboy. I was surprised how easy it was to knock him down and clean his clock. He was balling for help ( I was on him pounding his face and trying to gouge his eye out). I was terrified at the prospect of getting the "board of education" as I marched to the principals office and was almost in tears by the time I was called inside. I was warned very sternly never to fight at school and told of all the dire things that would happen to me if I did again and let off. I was sent home, my mom picked me up and I knew my father would be told- now that was a scary thought.

I always wondered why the principal seemed to be about to laugh as he lectured me; it wasn't till years later I realized that I was probably the answer to his prayers. The worst bully on the playground got his a$$ kicked by a 3rd grade girl. Proplem solved.

I've never backed down from a bully since.

[Rembrandt_fan]

My son is twelve-year-old state Golden Gloves champion. As a result, every misfit kid in his middle school with a chip on his shoulder or with something to prove tries to show how brave he is by provoking my boy--never touching, mind you, or doing anything that might actually result in anything physical, but it strains Jacob's patience to the breaking point. My son is under strict orders to take it, do nothing, let it go--unless and until the kid lays hands on him. After that, Jakey gets to defend himself--but even then, only to the extent that the other kid leaves him alone. (I guess the other kid lying there, battered and bleeding, constitutes leaving him alone.) In any event, no matter what the school does or says, if my son adheres to the policy that my ex-wife and I have established, he's good to go.

Pacifism only works as long as one's opponent respects the concept. Gandhi would never have tried a nonviolent approach against Hitler, for example.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

"Pacifism" IS about self-defense - self-defense of the school against LAWSUITS. Schools are NEVER NEVER NEVER going to encourage self-defense in students because if someone gets hurt or the self-defense is "disportionate", the school would be sued for millions. Of course they can't come out and tell your kids that they are teaching something bad for them. They have to lie and subvert your kid's moral philosophy for their own protection. It is up to YOU as a parent to tell your kid it is a bunch of bull and why the school feeds it to them. And then you have to tell your kid to deny you told them that so YOU don't get sued!

P.S. You METE out punishment, not "meet".

[EdReform]

The Deadly Lie of Pacifism: How physical and psychological disarmament encourages violence

See also: Pacifism: The Ultimate Immorality (This is SENSATIONAL!!!)

[222BBB]

How true!
Weakness only invites Aggression.
The pacifism taught in schools doesn't work.
Our children were home schooled. My youngest entered public school at middle-school, wherein the school bully figured that he was an opportune target and gut-punched him. My son decked him and broke his jaw (I don't condone the jaw-breaking, but if you pick a fight, we taught him to finish it!) The school expelled them both. It did stop the bullying. However, it feels like Wild-Wild-West. Afterwards, everyone wanted to challenge him to see if they could best him. Where is the happy medium?