Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site loral.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcc6!loral!simard
From: simard@loral.UUCP (Ray Simard)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: On peace and weapons
Message-ID: <671@loral.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 21-Nov-84 11:20:47 EST
Article-I.D.: loral.671
Posted: Wed Nov 21 11:20:47 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 23-Nov-84 02:20:20 EST
Organization: Loral Instrumentation, San Diego, CA
Lines: 52

[The finger on the button is Yours!]

     (The following is a revised version of a mail response to a  correspon-
dent who questioned my statement that nuclear weapons are not a problem).

     To expess it a bit differently, these (and  all  other)  weapons  exist
because  of attitudes of attack/defend in the minds of nearly everyone.  The
problem I have with freezes, the gesture at Brown U. and other  such  things
is  that  they  focus  the  energy  of the protest on the hardware - things,
rather than human attitudes, perceptions, and policies.

     If you want to see the real threats to world peace,  forget  Washington
and Moscow and all the rest; look at most any neighborhood.  Observe the two
families who exchanged a few cross words once,  and  haven't  spoken  since.
See  the  father  teaching  his son that it is "unmanly" to decline to fight
when challenged.  See the almost universal inability to  say  to  those  who
hurt  us,  that  we  are  above the pain, and we forgive - automatically, NO
MATTER WHAT.

     It's much more fun to join a mob and carry picket signs.   It's  excit-
ing,  and  creates  a  feeling of "doing something".  But, beyond doubt, the
"peace" demonstrator who bears in his mind  and  heart  hatred  for  anyone,
including  those on the other side of the issue, or police and the military,
is a pure hypocrite, nothing more.

     Summarizing: the only significant progress in  world  peace  will  come
when  there  is no longer any inclination to build weapons - not due to fear
of their consequences, but rather a total absence of any  sense  of  needing
them.

     And you won't get rid of nuclear weapons until you  get  rid  of  brass
knuckles.   When  people learn it's not losing face to make peace with those
with whom they are feuding even when (or *especially* when) they "know  damn
well  it's  their  fault", when all the myriad minor attack/defend scenarios
that play out daily are released because at least one party refuses to  feel
attacked,  and  therefore  does  not defend, when starting gossip, attacking
character, or building advantage on someone  else's  misfortune  becomes  as
generally unthinkable as streaking your neighborhood church - only then will
the (ostensible) goals of the peace movement come to fruition.

     Peace begins at home.  Let's start a peace  movement  there,  where  it
counts.
-- 

[     I am not a stranger, but a friend you haven't met yet     ]

Ray Simard
Loral Instrumentation, San Diego
{ucbvax, ittvax!dcdwest}!sdcsvax!sdcc6!loral!simard

...Though we may sometimes disagree,
   You are still a friend to me!