
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 16, 1995                   TAG: 9503160030
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ROBERT S. TERRY
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ONE CAN'T ALWAYS RUN FROM A FIGHT

I'M VERY grateful that none of my children or grandchildren has been exposed to the philosophy espoused by Christopher Walter in his Feb. 28 commentary ``When parents sanction violence.''

His arguments are based on a common set of false premises. In the first place, not all people are nice, and not all people can be reasoned with! I like to think most people are, but they aren't the problem. Even if those who will not ``negotiate'' were in a very small minority (it's not that small), self-defense would still be a necessary skill.

Walter's second erroneous premise is that those willing to employ ``violence'' when necessary are of violent natures or soon will be. This one isn't even close to true.

Rufus Perkins sent me home bloody and bruised throughout most of the first grade. After summer vacation was over and he trapped me on Granby Street again, I realized I had grown as big as he. A punch in the chest startled him so that he fell flat on his vicious little butt. End of that era!

Was I then the new bully on the block? Nope, it wasn't part of my makeup. Self-defense remained the only excuse for hitting back. My parents had made sure I knew that a claim of self-defense had better not be frivolous. My claim would be examined.

Perkins did teach me that when an antagonist refuses to negotiate, you better have a limit to how far you back up or spend your life at his mercy. Choosing another world to live in may be an option, but it seldom is.

Most of us would rather get along than fight. My wife and I, like most caring parents, have taught our children from infanthood that generosity and sharing are better than selfishness and fighting. We also have allowed them to learn that you can't always retreat. Sooner or later, you'll encounter that person who will press your retreat as far as you're willing to go. Walter's ``ad infinitum, ad nauseam'' applies only to the unending pursuit we can expect when we consider appeasement to be our last option.

One last false premise must be laid open. Our society cannot protect us with its laws. Our insistence on liberty doesn't allow intrusive measures a society must take to be ``protective.'' We permit government to charge and prosecute suspects, and to apply limited ``discouragements.'' These discouragements can only be applied after the fact.

Defense remains our individual responsibility. The right of self-defense had best not be tampered with. Judge a claim of self-defense when you must, but do so carefully lest you endanger the right of self-defense.

Violence is promoted not by the kid, or nation, who fights back, but by demonstrating that we won't!

Robert S. Terry, of Bedford, is a civil-engineering consultant and builder of Voice of America stations.

by CNB