Election 2004: A Perspective from Veterans for Peace : July/August 2004 : Peacework

... a powerful article. "War is terrorism."

I recently saw the movie "Hero". This is a beautiful movie but it has, IMO, two lessons. One leeson I love is the idea to live honestly and within the framework of one's ideals. One of the main characters, the assassin Broken Sword, has realized that pacifism is the way. He sacrifices his own life and allows himself to be killed for this belief and ideal.

The second message is more controversial and related in a way to the above article. The main idea is that "the ends justifies the means." In the movie the war on small states is seen as justified since it will mean the unity of all states into one peaceful nation. The violence against the few is seen as acceptable based on the vision of the future.

This is an idea I cannot understand or condone. Since "War is terrorism", how can terrorism fight terrorism. How can the killing and destruction of cultures and civilizations justify the "hoped-for" freedom from terrorism? To fight a monster must we also become a monster. I hope and dream that it is not so.