There are a pair of new letters in Locus Online regarding SFWA's refusal to take an official stance on the war.

Here's the one from Sam Lundwall, the overseas SFWA director who resigned over this issue:

Dear Locus Online,

I have, as has been reported in Locus, resigned my position as Overseas Director of the SFWA, due to the fact that the SFWA as an organization does not want to make a statement against the upcoming US, and to some extent UK, war against Iraq.

When the Axis of Evil, Darth Vader of the US and Sauron of the UK, mass their orchs to attack the cradle of Western civilization -- Babylon and Ur -- we must do something. I don't love Saddam; he was once the creature of the US, so he must be thoroughly bad, but this whole thing stinks.

Sam J.Lundwall
Stockholm, Sweden

Cute, huh?

As I've said before, bully for Lundwall and Swanwick if they want to shout from the rooftops (or post to their websites) their opposition to the war.

But to resign and pout because the professional organization you belong to, an intellectually and politically diverse group formed to serve the needs of writers, won't presume to speak for all its members on a particularly divisive issue?

Well, that just seems silly.