[Exi-bay-chat] When to fight

[Samantha Atkins]

Since you do not wish to hear about the extent to which we abuse our 
power (those comments you invite us to keep to ourselves) I am forced 
to the conclusion that you are not interested in a full exploration of 
the question you raise.   I have elected not to guess what it is you 
really intend by the message.

- samantha

On Feb 1, 2004, at 12:35 PM, Kennita Watson wrote:

> This is keeping me awake.
>
> When is it time to fight? When is it time to raise an army? When is it 
> a matter of National Security?
>
> I hear doctrinaire libertarians say that the United States ought never 
> use its army except to protect the national security; some even say 
> that the very shores of the United States must be at risk. But what 
> constitutes a matter of national security? Killing off or subjugating 
> our trading partners might apply.
>
> Some dismiss the questions, saying "anyone who wants to help is 
> welcome to pick up a gun and go do so". But for an individual to do 
> such a thing is not helping, it is suicide. As it happens, this is 
> also an argument for the broadest possible interpretation of the 
> Second Amendment, because an individual, or group of individuals, 
> ought to be able to buy a tank or a grenade launcher or a machine gun 
> to go help with.
>
> Congress has the power to declare war. Since we have a representative 
> government (supposedly), ought not then the people have the power to 
> declare war - at least as long as we have a volunteer army, and with 
> the proviso that the funds for any particular campaign ought to be 
> voluntarily collected? I say all this from the standpoint of 
> attempting to justify a libertarian intervention in World War 2, a war 
> in which I think most Americans believed it was appropriate for us to 
> be involved. Civil war is one thing; wholesale slaughter of the 
> defenseless is quite another. Defending ourselves is always 
> appropriate; when might it also be appropriate to defend those unable 
> to defend themselves?
>
> Arguably, the only thing totalitarian regimes are good at is force - 
> using armies and police forces to bully, terrorize, and destroy their 
> enemies and dissenters. (You may keep your comment aboutt the extent 
> to which the United States fits this description to yourself.) If this 
> is the case, had Hitler managed to take over the entire European 
> continent, we would be minus not only many people, but many thriving 
> economies. So, if we had allowed that to happen, and to the extent 
> that we allow similar things to happen today, while we may still have 
> a large slice of the pie, it would be a smaller pie.
>
> Comments?
>
> Live long and prosper,
> Kennita
> --
> Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
> none but ourselves can free our minds.
>           -- Bob Marley, "Redemption Song"
>
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