Monday, January 12, 2009

Conservative Columnist In Favor Of Slavery

TheRawStory.com has reported on Conservative columnist Tony Blankley's assessment that the draft is necessary in order for the US government to win the clash of civilizations. This provokes the question, why is it important for one civilization to win over another? Isn't this really as frivolous as which team will when a baseball game, and doesn't this line of thinking have the potential to kick start a war the likes of World War I? Of course, that's the whole purpose, as he explains on Fox News:
I don't like it, I love the volunteer army ... but we don't have enough troops. When George Bush wanted to have the surge, he was told by the senior generals we didn't have the extra 20,000 troops to finish the war. ... Now Obama wants to go to Afghanistan ... but he says we don't have the troops unless we pull them out of Iraq. What happens if Pakistan goes jihad-y? We don't have the troops to go in there and stop them from taking over the nuclear weapons.
Not only, Mr. Blankley, do you not have the troops, you don't have the money either. So get out of the Middle East and support a rational policy that brings all troops home. Start supporting individual freedom and stop worrying about civilizations clashing.

11 comments:

Douglas Porter said...

Until there is an amendment outlawing the draft and asserting an individual citizen's right to choose to join the army, it is constitutional. How is it constitutional? The legislative branch can legislate anything NOT explicitly prohibited by the constitution.

Josh said...

You're defending slavery?

Douglas Porter said...

I'm not defending anything. I'm making a statement of fact.

Josh said...

That you would interpret the constitution to allow for slavery shows your poor interpretation it.

Douglas Porter said...

The constitution is a series of laws that state positive rights. Until amendments are written outlining other positie rights, the legislature can do what it wants. And, no, its not an interpretation. It's a fact of the constitution.

Josh said...

Slavery violates those rights which are listed.

Douglas Porter said...

"Slavery violates those rights which are listed."

And so does banning same-sex marriage, but dont worry, Josh, you can be a hypocrite!

Draft is technically not slavery, but you are right, there is no free choice involved. But since it is not technically slavery, it is not technically outlawed by the constitution. In principle, maybe, it application, no.

Josh said...

"Draft is technically not slavery, but you are right, there is no free choice involved. But since it is not technically slavery, it is not technically outlawed by the constitution. In principle, maybe, it application, no.`

Yes. It is slavery.

Douglas Porter said...

"Yes. It is slavery."

No, Josh, the draft is a democratic, communal decision to force people to fight in a war. Therefore, there is no master and slave. It's pretty close to slavery, I'll agree, but technically, i.e. based on definition, it is not.

Josh said...

The master is the state and the slave is the soldier. Under a democratic society, slavery existed in the US for 60 years. It was still slavery, and so is the draft.

Chris said...

"The master is the state and the slave is the soldier. Under a democratic society, slavery existed in the US for 60 years. It was still slavery, and so is the draft."

There is no such thing as the state apart from people. And, no, the draft is not slavery. It may be like slavery in the sense that it entails sacrifice, but no it is not slavery.