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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Mar 7, 2008, at 9:34 PM, Robert Walton wrote:

> > If one fights for peace, then on cannot be a pacifist, by definition:

Be free. Do not be confined by the old political definitions of  
critical words in dusty books. Words are important to convey ideas and  
avoid misunderstanding but they are also limiting. Pacifism is such a  
word. I would use whatever means at my disposal to protect those close  
to me but I am against using war to resolve differences and dictate  
sovereign behavior. War is an admission of our failures.

I never said it to him out of respect, but I think that warriors, and  
Tvo qualifies, must fix in their minds the rightness of their cause as  
sufficient and strong justification to kill the children on the other  
end of the battle field and that is why he and I had a different  
perspective. Unnecessarily but purposefully killing another human, no  
matter how heinous their behavior, sets back our quest to  
civilization, it reduces our humanity and coarsens our soul. The  
psychological manifestations of returning soldiers tell the story.