I have a box set of cassette tapes titled "Great Speeches of the 20th Century" and one of the addresses is called "Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain: On His Return from the Munich Conference".

"This morning I had another talk with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, and here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine."

What is audible, but won't show up on a transcript of Chamberlain's short speech, is the distinctive rustling of paper as the Prime Minister says "here is the paper." He's shaking it before a small crowd, which puts up a cheer of approval.

Paper shakers. That's the first thing I think of when I hear Ted Kennedy or Jacques Chirac or Nelson Mandela, or any of the countless rabble waving their "No Blood for Oil" signs. They want to shake Resolution 1441 in Saddam's face. Then, when he still doesn't disarm, they'll want to shake Resolution 1442. The letters of disapproval will clog Hussein's mailbox and he'll duck the process servers with the international subpoenas. He'll be unmoved by the editorials in Le Monde and the Economist.

The Munich Pact did not bring "peace in our time" and Neville Chamberlain was forced out of office in May 1940, yielding power to Winston Churchill. Chamberlain died, a broken and defeated man, in November 1940. He never had to witness the tens of millions lives sacrificed on the altar of appeasement – including over a million Americans killed or wounded.

February 14th, Hans Blix gives his next report to the United Nations and February 15th there will be demonstrations in New York and around the globe. Let them all shake their papers, reports, and posters. Meanwhile, American soldiers will stand ready.