[extropy-chat] 70% oppose resumption of military conscription

Mike Lorrey mlorrey at yahoo.com
Sun Jun 26 00:38:43 UTC 2005



--- c c <beb_cc at yahoo.com> wrote:

> If a draft isn't necessary why does the government need a Selective
> Service system? Oughtn't 
> ALL libertarians be opposed to Selective Service? Draft registration
> or any other preparation for military conscription is diametrically
> opposed to the entire foundation of libertarianism.

Depends. What is the militia? It is the whole of the people, as the
founding fathers said. How does one mobilize the militia? Militia is a
libertarian concept. What is improper is using the militia, i.e. a
draft, to forcibly mobilize the militia for foreign adventures against
forces that did not attack the US or its citizens, or violate its laws
(including treaties). 

Enforcement of the laws is a time honored use of the militia, going
back to the days prior to William the Conqueror, when the English
system of constables and shire reeves was all that was needed to
mobilize the people for either law enforcement or military defense.

We don't live in the middle ages any more, though, we are not a simple
agrarian feudal society. Society is complex and our laws are complex,
and our Constitution, our highest law, recognises the legal weight of
treaty with foreign nations as law, subject only to judicial
interpretation in cases where they conflict with other law.

Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com


		
____________________________________________________ 
Yahoo! Sports 
Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football 
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com



More information about the extropy-chat mailing list