Peace activist Rev. Jim Gower and others tell our president to discuss “alternatives” to his Iraq policy without offering examples (BDN, Dec. 25). President Bush is responsible for the security of our country, whereas the moralizers on the sidelines are not. They are not responsible for protecting the United States, so they are irresponsible when they preach their peace solutions.

Wars are always horrible, with loss of our own soldiers and of enemy civilians. So why even consider a violent riposte? The movie “High Noon” showed us why. When thugs invaded the town, the town meeting decided meekly to do nothing. But one man found the time had come to take a stand, turned his escape wagon around and returned to engage the hoodlums.

Some tell us that one can always preserve peace by negotiating. But that takes reasonable men on both sides. Somerset Maugham said it well: “There is no explanation for evil. It must be looked upon as a necessary part of the order of the universe. To ignore it is childish; to bewail it senseless.”

Bo Thott

Cutler