Peace Activist Takes a Stand in Favor of Persian Gulf War : Philosophy: A Costa Mesa man writes a letter to his daughter about anti-war protests and tells her why he is not joining the protesters this time.

Dear Barbara:

We are peace activists, but I do not want to be identified with those opposing the current war. You may not understand my position on this, and I am almost certain you will not agree with it, but I believe it remains my duty as your father to express it, nevertheless, for your consideration.

I believe what the United States is doing in joining with the other countries of the world is a necessary enforcement of world and moral law.

I further believe that all reasonable alternatives have been exhausted to a point of clarity about what must be done as a part of assuming the responsibility for and bearing the costs of achieving and maintaining peace, justice and freedom in the world, the benefits of which we enjoy so freely.

We could not even be peace activists in Iraq. They don’t permit dissent there.

I celebrate this war as proof of the world community’s caring enough to join together in international agreement to right a wrong. As one of my bumper stickers says: “War doesn’t decide who’s right, only who’s left.” That’s not the point. What and who is right has been determined through careful and extensive deliberation by a court of some of the wisest persons in the world, and the most caring about world peace--the United Nations. This has been a forum open to the world, with every conceivable effort at averting war made and then war only as a last resort.

Negotiation is only possible where something negotiable is at stake. Take the case of a robber confronting someone at gunpoint and wanting a victim’s money. To the robber, whether or not he gets the victim’s money is not negotiable, and although the victim would like to negotiate to keep his money, the robber has him held hostage and only force will deter him from keeping the victim’s money once the robbery has been carried out.

In our world situation, Saddam Hussein is like a robber, or a kidnaper, who has been holding the world hostage while hanging onto Kuwait as the kidnaped victim. I am glad in this case that we have a standing army to serve with others of the world community as a trained police force, for good; not for the purpose of world domination or economic betterment, such as making sure we have enough oil at affordable prices, but to suppress evil and evildoers.

I am grateful for the courage of the leaders of the world who have been willing to make the tough, hard decisions to do the distasteful and the difficult in bringing Saddam Hussein, and those of a mentality to follow him, to justice through war. It is the only realistic means of accomplishing this, given the circumstances.

I have not “sold out,” as you may be inclined to believe. We have shared in The Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament, the California State Peace March, being arrested together at the Nevada test site, and in the Global Walk for a Livable World, in which you are even now engaged.

I still believe in pursuing world peace, and that nuclear weapons are an abomination to humanity. But, there comes a time to take a stand sometimes which may seem at odds with our ordinarily expressed views. I believe that in order to “meet life on life’s terms,” to which we subscribe, we need to be flexible in responding to changes in circumstances.

I have weighed carefully my point of view on all this as I’ve struggled to gain my own independent position and maintain my personal integrity. I offer you this information and my perspectives in order that you might simply have them to take into account in considering your own position as you choose your beliefs about what is right and wrong.

I love you dearly and respect your ability to choose wisely in developing your own integrity and belief systems. I hope and trust I have not alienated you by sharing mine with you.

Love,

Dad