Larry says: "...as to giving war a chance, we have again and again, and it hasn't worked yet."

What's your definition of "working"? Please give an example of a situation in which peace has "worked." I'm thinking of the story of Adam and Eve, and even then peace didn't work because of greed and jealousy.

By the way, what is your non-retributive definition of justice? How would you deal with the criminally unjust to keep them from committing more criminally unjust acts?

Larry also says: "As to the rich kid and poor kid, don't forget the rich kid, in this instance has his toys because the poor kid's folks are living in poverty to maintain that particular rich kid."

Now, I've been assuming that the "poor kid" in your analogy is the average Afghan or Saudi or other Middle Eastern Muslim who has turned terrorist. But up until now I'd thought the "rich kid" was the US; now I'm thinking you must mean the rich Middle Eastern oil magnates, since the US buys the oil from them and therefore they, not the US, are the ones keeping the "poor kids" in poverty. If they are not sharing the wealth with the people of their own countries, why does the US need to pay twice (once for the oil and then again for the greed of others)? Osama bin Laden himself is a fine example of a "spoiled rich kid" saving himself from a beating by the poor kids, by pointing to another kid across the playground and yelling, "It's his fault, not mine! I'm on YOUR side! Let's get him!" Instead of squandering his wealth to attack America, bin Laden could have helped the poverty-stricken of his own homeland in a constructive way. So why not tell him THAT in your letter to him, instead of complaining along with him about how terrible the US is?

As for the US "using the world as a sweat shop," that should indeed be stopped... but that would require other countries of the world to stop abusing their workers and putting them in sweatshops to make goods to export to the US! The US is not the only greedy country here!!! What is your plan to stop the WORLD – not just America – from driving people to terrorism and to war?