Stardate 20011013.1037 (On Screen): Somehow it's not getting through to the antiwar protesters that
no-one is going to pay attention to them until they offer a credible alternative. Their message is "War is icky; people get hurt." Yes, that's true. They say they want peace. I like peace, too. But they assume that it is unilaterally within our power to make the war stop and to bring peace -- and that is false; it takes
two to make a peace, but only one to make a war. "We think very strongly that this bombing action ... might well encourage further terrorist acts." But that assumes that without the bombing there would be no further terror attacks. The WTC attack happened without any bombing by us; do they think that's the last attack al Qaeda would ever make if we were to leave them alone?
Their message is that "War is not the answer." But until they can provide another answer that's better, then they're whistling in the wind. Their implied answer is that if we stop bombing then everyone will go back to living in peace and harmony and loving brotherhood. That's very difficult to believe. (discuss)
This, for instance, was apparently delivered straight -- but it reads like parody. I swear, I could have believed it to have been written by The Onion. And it's blatantly slanted; point 4, for instance, doesn't bother mentioning the possibility that violence now might prevent violence later. And point 8 is right out of the touchy-feelie manual. Apparently no-one ever starts a war; they just happen.
