Nuns and Guerillas By Donnel Jones, May 21, 2003

I don't know what to think of this story of three nuns who broke into the secured grounds surrounding a nuclear missile site in Colorado.

The sheer myopia of these nun's idealism is at once striking and horrifying. Striking, because we see what people are capable of when seized by an idea. Moderation is not a hallmark of religion and that is why, perhaps, religion has so many rules for behavior. Once you get the "spirit" you just might go crazy. Horrifying, because the nuns have no idea what they're up against: the real world. For them as Christians, the next world is more real than this one, but not so real that one can ignore the present one. So they roll up their sleeves and begin trying to make a paradise on earth complete with world peace and mutual love and understanding among all peoples. The nuns actually believe they can achieve peace by having the U.S. rid itself of nuclear weapons.

Nor are they above vandalism by hefty force to show their intent:

In 2000, they had done their first Plowshares action, at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. With two other nuns, they struck a grounded Marine fighter jet with a hammer and threw a bottle of their blood on the aircraft's landing gear. All charges in that case were eventually dropped.

The naivety of these women is astounding. Unfortunately, history and even a cursory glance at human nature reveal that "world peace" is an impossibility. And always will be. Better to render onto Caesar's what is his. Leave his nuclear silos alone!

. . . he believes some of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, rebels are ideologically committed, . . .

Mr. LeMoyne thinks the guerillas care about Colombia's poor. It's only a small matter that the guerillas murder the poor and drive them from their homes.

He does have one valid point, though. He asks Colombia's wealthy::

Are your sons, nephews or grandsons in the army? ... Who makes the sacrifices in this country when there is combat?"

You need all the men and women you can get to fight the war against the terrorist guerillas. Everyone should do their share of the fighting.

In the meantime, we at least know that, once again, the U.N. loves to appease and proves itself to be a well-nigh worthless institution