PUTTING THE SMACKDOWN ON PACIFISM: Here's an inelegant but simple explanation for why I don't believe in pacifism. I've seen it on several blogs without any reference to who actually first wrote it, so I post it without attribution:

How to explain violence to a Liberal
1. Listen politely while this person explains their views. Strike up a conversation if necessary and look very interested in their ideas. They will tell you how revenge is immoral, and that by attacking the people who did this to us, we will only bring on more violence. They will probably use many arguments, ranging from political to religious to humanitarian.

2. In the middle of their remarks, without any warning, punch them in the nose.

3. When the person gets up off of the ground, they will be very angry and they may try to hit you, so be careful.

4. Very quickly and calmly remind the person that violence only brings about more violence and remind them of their stand on this matter. Tell them if they are really committed to a nonviolent approach to undeserved attacks, they will turn the other cheek and negotiate a solution. Tell them they must lead by example if they really believe what they are saying.

5. Most of them will think for a moment and then agree that you are correct.

6. As soon as they do that, hit them again. Only this time hit them much harder. Square in the nose.

7. Repeat steps 2-5 until the desired results are obtained and the idiot realizes how stupid of an argument he/she is making.

Just a few additional comments:

- I think the title of this might be better as "How to Explain Violence to a Pacifist," but then I'm something of an apologist for Liberals, since I'm still not sure if I am one or not.

- Also, I still think non-violence is the answer. But when someone puts their foot on your neck and threatens you, it's okay to remove his testicles as a deterrent/preemptive strike.

- I'm reminded of something I learned in martial arts, that it's usually relatively easy to pick out a potentially dangerous person or situation well in advance. If possible, simply get away from the dangerous person or situation. If not, assume a posture that's not provocative but that allows you to defend yourself if necessary. And finally, if the dangerous person somehow invades your personal space or otherwise acts in a menacing fashion -- even if they don't hit you, but they look like they might -- you're well within your rights to ask them to step back (or, as the case may be, to give up WMD), and if they don't, to launch a Single Direct Attack at one of their soft spots (say, for example, their capital).