Pacifism

It may be true that as John J. Thulis writes in his letter to the editor (NCR, March 21), "Pacifists enjoy the luxury of freedom of speech because generations of men and worsen gave their lives to guarantee freedom of speech." It pains me greatly, however, that I have not ever heard anyone who uses such a line go on to explain this: Many of the men and women of those generations found nonviolent ways to give us, and later help preserve for us, many of the constitutional rights we as Americans enjoy today. As much as our military-industrial-complex-obsessed society would like us to believe that all who have gone to war and returned with medals and citations are heroes, they are not. Some maybe, but not all of them are. The sacrifices and privations that soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen face today may be great but they pale in comparison to the privations our nation inflicts on the people of other nations around the world, in and out of our war zones.

The sacrifices of our military would be meaningless if it were not for those who regularly and nonviolently exercise their freedoms to question those in authority in keeping with the traditions of the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah, Jesus of Nazareth, St. Francis of Assisi, Henry David Thoreau, John Kline, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Archbishop Oscar Romero and Rachel Corrie to stand up, live differently, speak clearly and love compassionately.

JIM BATTERTON

San Antonio

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