When one examines the history of American society one notices the great weakness inherent in it.  The country was founded in violence.  It worships violence and it will continue to live violently.  Anyone who tries to meet violence with love is crushed, but violence used to meet violence also ends abruptly with meaningless destruction. Consider the history of America closely.  Never has America lost a war.  When engaged in warfare the United States has always applied the principle of overkill and mercilessly stamped its opposition into the dust.... No quarter, even if requested.  Consider Vietnam, where the United States has already dropped more bombs than it did during the last world war - a classic of overkill. Consider also the fascination of America's military leaders with the body count.  It is not enough to kill people, bodies must be counted and statistics compiled to show how the harvest is going.... Yes, violence is America's sweetheart. But name, if you can the last peace the United States won.  Victory yes, but this country has never made a successful peace because peace requires exchanging ideas, concepts, thoughts, and recognizing the fact that two distinct systems of life can exist together without conflict... As Indians we will never have the efficient organization that gains great concessions from society in the marketplace.  We will never have a powerful lobby or be a smashing political force.  But we will have the intangible unity which has carried us through four centuries of persecution.  We are a people unified by our humanity - not a pressure group unified for conquest.  And from our greather strength we shall wear down the white man and finally outlast him.... We shall endure. Vine Deloria, Jr. (Lakota) 1969