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Letters
Sometimes, call to arms is the only solution to evil dictators
It is important to remember that when living in a community of people, or a community of nations, or in a conventional family, evil destructive behavior cannot be tolerated. When conversation fails, forceful and thoughtful "tough love" action is necessary.
With regard to the situation in Kosovo, "ethnic cleansing," particularly in the brutal manner as now being done, is intolerable, and one must act to stop it. Conversation and entreaties and warnings have not been accepted. A bully must not be allowed to continue with repugnant trauma-creating behavior.
If it continues, all that we hold dear is lost. We cannot enjoy our lives so long as brutal suffering continues to occur in other parts of the world.
We cannot accept another Holocaust. We must act in a manner similar to what we are now doing. Arresting and trying Milosevic and thus terminating his bad behavior is one goal.
Saddam Hussein should be arrested and tried for crimes against humanity. Prompt deterrence of Hitler, necessarily done by arms, would have saved suffering. Implementing an arrest the first time will mean some loss of life, but arrests will become easier after procedures are established.
There are definable occasions when one should shoot to halt bad behavior, such as: if torture is about to occur, or if you are about to be shot, or if another human being is about to be shot, or if one's family is attacked, and the occasion has been preceded by many verbal remonstrations, and there is a weapon available. If any of the foregoing, one must shoot to stop the potential perpetrator from impermissible behavior. With mass murderers and tormentors, artillery is needed.
Only after an example of forceful deterrence of barbarism is made, for all to see, can the world's humanity progress to the higher levels for which we all yearn. In other words, human rights are essential to democracy and peace, and are essential to the human race's effort to reach higher levels of beauty.
Charles Walton
Los Gatos
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Campbell, California
