Symbolic link problem

[William M. Quarles]

Hi,

I keep having this problem with symbolic links to directories on my 
computer.  Once they are set up, if I try to remove them, this paradox 
occurs:

[root at resistance plugins]# rm ns7/quarlewm/
rm: remove directory `ns7/quarlewm/'? y
rm: cannot remove directory `ns7/quarlewm/': Is a directory
[root at resistance plugins]# rm -Rf ns7/quarlewm/
rm: cannot remove `ns7/quarlewm/': Not a directory
[root at resistance plugins]#

I also cannot place force a different symbolic link in it's place, as it 
just places the new link inside of the "directory."

Does anyone know what the underlying problem is, and any possible ways 
of solving it or circumventing it?

Thanks,
William