Editor,
I am amazed at the over-simplified view some people can take on matters of life and death. To suggest that peace movements and activists promote war demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the fundamentals of war. War is the last bastion of the incompetent, and while occasionally necessary, it is always wrong.
War is not just about brave soldiers making the ultimate sacrifice for their countries. It is also about the families who suffer losses and those who are rendered homeless, disabled and overwrought by the ravages of war here and abroad. My family experienced this firsthand. After World War II, the only survivors of my dad's family were my dad and his mother. This occurred not because of my family's religion, race or nationality, but because they lived in parts of France where the bombs fell and the tanks rolled. If Germany, Japan and others had strong peace advocates, perhaps that war may have been averted.
Cease-fires in the Middle East often give innocent civilians the chance to get out of harm's way and hopefully allow reason to prevail and diplomacy to run its course. Peace activism saves the lives of soldiers and civilians alike and brings awareness of the futility of war and the tragedy that accompanies it.
Robert Christner
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
UNM staff
