Friends,

I am sorry -- my sarcasm was apoparently not showing as clearly as I was feeling it. In my opinion there are thousands of stories on our historical line of incredible couragethat never should have been needed, incredible cruelty uncalled for, and incredible stupidity unprevented by others more able to see what was coming. In my mind for every war that bore heros to their fate there have been hundreds of wars that did NOT happen because some hero stepped in quietly and suggested an effective way of communicating instead. Those are the real causes celebres; it is a lot harder to step up with intelligence and energy and manage a war into not happening than it is to be courageous in the face of lead and mustard gas and the fear of bombs. I mean no respect to past heros who have died, and I am awfully grateful that the insanities of 1916 and 1939 were stopped before they ruined even more lives.

But the quiet, effective ones who prevent wars, unsung, unnamed and unacknowledged have saved millions of lives from being wasted courageously.

A