Some second-graders asked their teacher what was going on between the United States and the place called Iraq. So the teacher said, "Well, think of it this way: Somebody in your neighborhood has a gun in her house. All of the neighbors are afraid of it, and they go to Margaret, the owner of the gun, to ask her if she'll get rid of it.

And, Margaret said yes, she would. But after a while, the people began to doubt that Margaret had really thrown the gun away. So they went to see her again and asked her if she still had the gun. And she said yes, she did.

So they told her that the fact that she had a gun made them afraid, so she had to get rid of it.

But Margaret said no, she wouldn't because it was her house and her gun.

So all the neighbors went back to their own houses, got out their guns, pointed them at Margaret, and shouted that they would shoot if she didn't throw her gun away.

Then a child in the room spoke up and said, "Teacher, that is a really dumb story. It doesn't make any sense." Right.

— Joan Chittister in Becoming Fully Human