[Utah Girl]

Excellent article. The responses I get from my peacenik co-workers is "War is never the answer" "Isn't there another way to disarm Hussein?" "We have no right to overthrow a leader of another nation" yada yada yada.

[punster]

"The responses I get from my peacenik co-workers is "War is never the answer" "Isn't there another way to disarm Hussein?" "We have no right to overthrow a leader of another nation" yada yada yada."

They try to tell everyone, "Violence never solves anything."
The truth is: Violence has settled more disputes than diplomacy. Author and philosoppher, Robert Anson Heinlein, had one of the characters, in 'Starship Troopers', make a famous quote on the subject. Heinlein suggested that we have Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington debate the subject.

Another truth: War is the extension of diplomacy. When no agreement is reached, the next stage of negotiations is war. There was a good line about that in the Star Wars II, 'The Attack of the Clones'.

Of course, I have given myself away as a science fiction fan.

[Question_Assumptions]

"Isn't there another way to disarm Hussein?"

No. If they don't like that answer, say, "OK, then name another way that has a reasonable chance of working." If they mention something that's been tried for 12 years but hasn't worked, well, it hasn't worked before so there is no reason to believe it will work if tried again. If they say they simply don't know but someone will figure something out if given more time, point out that with all the people in the world spending the last 12 years trying to figure that out, no one has thought of anything that would work. What makes anyone thing that even another 12 years will come up with a solution? Basically, this is the peace movement's equivalent of the "unnamed Democrat" that would win against Bush if he (or she) ran for president. But like the "unnamed Democrat", the "another way" is a fantasy that doesn't exist.