Of course people with a variety of stances on the issue all call themselves “pacifists”, just as there are “vegetarians” who eat fish. I respect the choices tha

Of course people with a variety of stances on the issue all call themselves “pacifists”, just as there are “vegetarians” who eat fish. I respect the choices that you describe, because they’re your choices, and don’t endanger other people. The pacifists I consider morally obtuse are those who refuse to see that they enjoy their freedom under the umbrella of institutions that are decidedly not pacifist. It’s a kind of philosophical parasitism. And the pacifists that I have real contempt for are those who would refuse to defend other people against violence. “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.” -- John Adams