I heard THIS STORY on my local NPR affiliate a couple of weeks ago and I thought, "Fantastic! Bloody well about time!" But I knew that many people, including Dennis Kucinich (candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 2004, and again for 2008) have been advocating this for years. It was nice to hear that others were actually picking up on an idea that is so patently intelligent and reasonable that it should be obvious to all. Department of War? Why not have a Department of Peace, dedicated to trying to solve conflicts through diplomacy and negotiation rather than the knee-jerk reaction of "calling out the Marines?"

But as the story progressed, I was stunned and sickened by the reaction of some of the people in the town. It seems that if you would prefer to work things out peaceably rather than immediately reaching for your gun, that makes you a "communist" or a "wuss!"

Sometimes I despair of my species!

Don Firth