Four Reasons We Should Abolish the Military

lewrockwell.com ^ | February 10, 2004 | Brad Edmonds

[cinFLA]

I imagine they snared a few ...

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

I love how these morons (and yes, I'm being harsh on purpose) tell us how the Constitution is being misabused, and yet those who wrote the Constitution (Adams, Hamilton, Madison, etc.) were of the same mind as most Americans on most issues. Maybe the founders didn't understand what they wrote? Maybe Lenin and Marx used a hypnometer to change the mind of Washington, Franklin, and Adams from the time the Constitution was established until Washington's inauguration? Maybe aliens, who look a lot like George Bush, kidnapped everyone and gave them "common sense" but left the tin foil hat protected people (i.e. Lew Rockwell and company) alone?

Morons.

[theDentist]

HAAAAHAhahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Oh. He was serious?

BWAHAAAAHAHAHAHahhahahahahahaaaaaa! AAAHHAhahahahahahahahahaa!

[camas]

where is the barf alert

[reluctantwarrior]

Dixieunpatriot believes that the US military is planning to take over. The reality is that having been in the US military it would remove the generals and the pols that dared to remove our liberties.

[cinFLA]

Hehehe, kinda hard to argue, if ya kin read???

Please explain yourself.

[El Gato]

Maybe we could "Outsource" our defense.

We are. There are more contracters on military bases, at home and abroad, than has been the case in the past. They are doing things that military people formerly did. While many are ex military, many are just mercenaries (in the technical not necessarily prejudicial sense of the word) in it for the money.

[PLMerite]

Is that Kerry on the right?

[j_tull]

This retard refuses to give up on this garbage. I'll repeat my post from the thread when the first installment of his trilogy came out two weeks ago, "FU Brad."

[Semper Paratus]

There are more contracters on military bases, at home and abroad, than has been the case in the past.

That worked well for the Roman Empire in the 400's.

[TheGunny]

Would you please explain your mercenary comment? Im a little slow.

[Snuffington]

Actually, considering that other Rockwell writers want to abolish the government too, this is almost worth taking seriously. Besides, Brad Edmonds wites about food, wine and spirits sometimes, and we have similar taste. So he must be redemable.

Let's start with perhaps the biggest problem:

Many things the federal government does today are unconstitutional, but this is no reason not to continue to consider the Constitution an authoritative document.

Actually, it is a pretty good reason. Either that document is a working one that is truly the supreme law of the land, or it's a dead-letter which contributed to our current government but can't honestly be claimed as our supreme law anymore. Okay, maybe dead-letter is a bit extreme, because the Constitution is still clearly part of the law of the land. But just as clearly its role is not what it used to be, and we shouldn't ignore that in resolving fundamental policy.

That's an important admission, because it forces us to confront problems squarely, rather than pretending if we just follow the Constitution all the problems will simply go away. "Oops! We discovered the military in unconstitutional, so turn in your weapons and go home guys," is not a rational or workable policy.

The private sector could provide heavy-weapons regional defense better than the government.

We've actually got some history to draw upon here. Private mercenary armies have played a formidable role in Western civilization. Guess what? The mobilization of citizen armies by nation-states made them largely obsolete. In my opinion, the main reason is that smart economic entities won't willingly assume the ridiculous risks armies assume when waging war. As Lew Rockwell's folks fondly point out, modern wars are economic losers.

Even if the military were both efficient and constitutional, a standing military is a threat to our liberty, as has been proven in US history.

This one is actually quite true. We simply disagree on whether the risk outweighs the benefit. But this is the major reason we have civilian control of our military.

As the military is a government outfit, it can never be efficient.

Efficiency isn't some binary yes/no question. It's a question of whether the efficiency is good enough to accomplish the task. Our military's primary efficiency goal is that it has to be efficient enough to accomplish its mission - which it is. It's secondary goal is to be efficient enough it isn't wasting money or resources. That one is a never-ending struggle, but in itself it's not a justification for abolishing the military.

Overall I'm a bit confused whether Mr. Edmonds believes each one of these reasons is good enough to stand on their own as justification to "abolish all government military forces now." Or whether he means that, taken collectively, the reasoning is compelling. I suspect he means the latter. I disagree in either case, but it would be more illustrative of his overall reasoning to know which he intends.

[xp38]

I think Marx and Lenin would have needed an atavachron (obscure Star Trek technology reference to theme already introduced in thread earlier) as well.

[billbears]

What's there to explain? From a Constitutional standpoint, there was never an intent for a standing army.

Unfortunately is it probable? Doubtful, and even so not in our lifetime. Mind you, I'm not advocating less spending on defense (operative word there opposite of pre-emptive strikes) for spending on useless entitlement programs that just continue to expand such as education, healthcare, etc. Just return the money to the citizens of the respective states

[Richard Axtell]

If Rockwell were one of the founding fathers, and he got his way, the United States would have long ago ceased to exist. We would either be part of Mexico, or the Barbary States, or more likely the British Commonwealth.

[L.N. Smithee]

If Rockwell were one of the founding fathers, and he got his way, the United States would have long ago ceased to exist. We would either be part of Mexico, or the Barbary States, or more likely the British Commonwealth.

If he got his way, this country would most likely look like Switzerland, a supposedly neutral state in which everyone is armed, that produces nothing of note except overpriced watches, tourist-friendly delicacies, and a haven for laundered money.

[reagan_fanatic]

Lew Rockwell is the on-line equivalent of a box of Kleenex and a National Geographic.

[Brad’s Gramma]

What a stupid article.

[Little Ray]

The private sector could provide heavy-weapons regional defense better than the government

JEEZ! Like mercenary soldiers are not a threat to the peace, order, and security of nation? This moron needs to read the history of the 30 Years War!!!!!

[Clean_Sweep]

You forgot the Barf!! alert