# War is not the answer! The answer is, um, er, ah, my brain hurts... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 20, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237 "2003-02-20T00:15:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/1 "2003-02-20T00:15:22Z")
[Check out what intelligent, well thought out, practical and usefull ideas the anti-war crowd has!\*\*\*\*\*](http://brain-terminal.com/articles/video/peace-protest.html) \*\*\*\*\*Quicktime movie, broadband required. ---
**Author:** ![Iacob\_Matthew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Iacob\_Matthew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iacob_Matthew)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/2 "2003-02-20T00:31:41Z")
Maybe if he had asked someone 18+… ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/3 "2003-02-20T00:32:09Z")
Doesn’t Jay Leno do this bit? Yeah, it’s about as funny. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/4 "2003-02-20T00:48:45Z")
Don’t know what you watched, but most everyone he talked to looked over 18. You can argue that they only picked certain interviews, but they seem representative of every peace activist’s opinion that I’ve heard. We don’t know what is, but war is not the answer because its so icky! ---
**Author:** ![MrTuffPaws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MrTuffPaws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrTuffPaws)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/5 "2003-02-20T01:24:18Z")
So, do you feel that killing untold numbers of soldiers and the possibility of having a huge number of civilian casualties morally soothing? War is horrid. It will always be. Now this brings me to the question of “do you think war/violence is the only answer?” If you do, you limiting yourself. There are a myriad of possibilities of avoiding war in this situation. Everything from the idiotic to the feasible. Too bad GW seems so set on war. ---
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/6 "2003-02-20T01:32:08Z")
Counter question: Would war be more palatable if only a small amount of soldiers died and an even less amount of civilians? Would it even more palatable if, with these “acceptable” amounts of deaths, Saddam is removed from power, the Iraqi people are freed from his tyranny and any and all iraqi offensive weapons are verifiabley destroyed? ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/7 "2003-02-20T01:34:55Z")
> [@](#): > > So, do you feel that killing untold numbers of soldiers and the possibility of having a huge number of civilian casualties morally soothing? If it helps prevent another 3000+ American casualties, you bet your ass I do. And no, I don’t think its the only answer. But I fully believe its a realistic and just option. I do not dismiss it outright on the basis of being too ignorant to accept what the consequences of **not** forcibly disarming your enemies can be. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/8 "2003-02-20T02:40:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrTuffPaws \* > \*\*Now this brings me to the question of “do you think war/violence is the only answer?” If you do, you limiting yourself. There are a myriad of possibilities of avoiding war in this situation. Everything from the idiotic to the feasible. Too bad GW seems so set on war. \*\* Feel free to offer a non-war suggestion or two. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/9 "2003-02-20T02:48:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrTuffPaws \* > \*\*Now this brings me to the question of “do you think war/violence is the only answer?” If you do, you limiting yourself. There are a myriad of possibilities of avoiding war in this situation. Everything from the idiotic to the feasible. Too bad GW seems so set on war. \*\* Feel free to offer a suggestion or two. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/10 "2003-02-20T03:06:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrTuffPaws \* > \*\*Now this brings me to the question of “do you think war/violence is the only answer?” If you do, you limiting yourself. There are a myriad of possibilities of avoiding war in this situation. Everything from the idiotic to the feasible. Too bad GW seems so set on war. \*\* Feel free to offer a suggestion or two. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/11 "2003-02-20T03:08:06Z")
Damn, posted 3 times! Mods, can you delete two of them please? ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/12 "2003-02-20T03:17:31Z")
There are so many ways that a war on Iraq might do good : [ol][_]It could free the Iraqi people from being controlled by an evil tyrant.[_]It might prevent Saddam Hussein’s WMDs from being used to attack a neighboring country.[_]It might prevent Saddam from again starting a war with Kuwait, Iran, Israel, or Saudi Arabia.[_]It might avoid an even more horrible war a few years down the line.[_]It might encourage better behavior by other middle eastern despots.[_]It might encourage better behavior by terrorists and rogue nations in other parts of the world.[/ol]Any one of these could more than make up for the horrors of a war. If there ever was a moral war, this is it. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/13 "2003-02-20T04:01:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hail Ants \* > **If it helps prevent another 3000+ American casualties, you bet your ass I do.** And what if it doesn’t? I only ask because our opponent in the war in question has never been involved, directly or indirectly, with 3000 American casualties. As a matter of fact, this opponent has never harmed a single American civilian, and has only harmed our soldiers during wartime. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/14 "2003-02-20T04:04:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ITR champion \* > \*\* As a matter of fact, this opponent has never harmed a single American civilian, and has only harmed our soldiers during wartime. \*\* So what? These soldiers who were killed and wounded are people, too. And, the war was entirely Saddam’s fault, wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/15 "2003-02-20T05:56:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ITR champion \* > \*\*And what if it doesn’t? > > I only ask because our opponent in the war in question has never been involved, directly or indirectly, with 3000 American casualties. As a matter of fact, this opponent has never harmed a single American civilian, and has only harmed our soldiers during wartime. \*\* Hmm, I seem to recall another dictator the US felt compelled to go after, even though he’d never harmed a single American civilian, and afterwards, everyone seemed to think that it was a pretty good idea the US decided to take him out. We actually would have declared war on him first, but he beat us to it, since he couldn’t stand the thought of us Americans being first. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/16 "2003-02-20T06:40:24Z")
After seeing that video (I saw it linked over at NRO’s _The Corner_), I want to go to the next demonstration. To simply be in the presence of so many bufoons would be, to borrow a phrase from the left, ‘empowering’. ---
**Author:** ![tigsnort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@tigsnort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tigsnort)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/17 "2003-02-20T06:46:52Z")
You _do_ know how easy it would be to find a bunch of dimwitted folks from the right & videotape them saying stupid things, right (ever watch a Michael Moore movie?)? If a liberal posted THAT with the aside, “See? This proves how dumb them warmongers are!” it would be equally idiotic. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/18 "2003-02-20T07:03:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Any one of these could more than make up for the horrors of a war. If there ever was a moral war, this is it. It would be immoral to make war when Hussein could be “forced” by peaceful means. This is as far down on the list of “necessary wars” as any that I can think of. In the meantime, the Defense Department has ordered 75,000 body bags. **December** , were you an adult during the Vietnam War? ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/19 "2003-02-20T10:13:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > \*\ ***December** , were you an adult during the Vietnam War? \*\* Yes. Born in 1942 ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237/20 "2003-02-20T10:26:28Z")
Yeah, the question here is, who’s more stupid: A) the angry warmongers B) the brainwashed neoanarchist protesters C) the American people for actually listening to either of those groups Answer: C [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-is-not-the-answer-the-answer-is-um-er-ah-my-brain-hurts/156237.md?page=2)