Jim-

Certianly your brother was brave! Among America's bravest! Then again, so were the kids at Kent State who stood up to armed soldiers with nothing but flowers. They were brutally murdered by men in American uniforms, and yet others like them continued to protest to stop a war they felt was wrong. That was also bravery.

I don't think you and I disagree on this one. But while no one here has maligned American soldiers, many have maligned American protesters. American protesters have done as much for this country as American soliders. And I'm not just talking about ending Viet Nam. I'm talking about those who helped gain voting rights for all Americans, even after some of their friends were murdered by the POLICE in Mississippi. I'm talking about about Freedom Riders being beaten in Birmingham and Montgomery while the police watched in order to gain the right for everyone to ride on whatever part of the bus he or she chose. I'm talking about John Brown bravely facing the gallows at Harper's Ferry. I'm talking about brave men tossing tea off of a ship in BOston Harbor.

America owes as much to protest as it does to military action. Neither group has a monolopy on bravery. And if anyone feels that a political protester dishonors great men like your brother, then I feel just as stronlgy that those who malign those protesters dishonor all those brave men and women I mentioned above!