I don’t defend Steve Skutnik’s column, but wish to dispatch a major misconception about pacifism made in Paul Armstrong’s letter against “left-wing pacifist tree-huggers.”

Armstrong makes a justified claim that military inaction in the Middle East would be a suicidal move. I agree. We humans have shown a tendency to engage in savage battles over the strangest things in the past, but now we do so with some degree of civility. If the world allows madmen to perpetrate acts of terrorism then we are a hop, skip and a jump away from the mass slaughter of innocents.

Armstrong claims without justification that pacifists are anti-American. A pacifist believes armed conflict is the worst solution to any problem. But pacifism does not preclude passivism. A patriotic pacifist can still love and defend freedom, but does so by actively pursuing peaceful solutions other than combat, not just by burying his or her head in the sand when the bullets fly.

Unfortunately, many people claim to be pacifists when it comes time to pick up a gun, but are really passivists. If you believe military force is the proper solution, I encourage you to enlist or otherwise show your support to our troops.

If you believe there are better ways to defend our country, then by all means put down your gun and think one up. However, the moment a patriotic pacifist stops working in their own way to keep our country free, he or she becomes a passive pacifist, a coward. So fight, work toward a peaceful solution, support something, or get out of the way.

Isaac Gitchel

Senior

Counseling psychology and Russian studies