As I recall, Buddhaism requires absolute non-violence. I am more of the mind that to every thing there is a season; a time of war, a time of peace... Self-defense is normal and natural, and unfortunately, sometimes necessary.

Charlieboy - things used to be like that here when I was growing up. I think now there is a swing towards religious fundamentalism (it gained a lot of power with the Bush administration), and with that comes a certain amount of intolerance and a sense of superiority.

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