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To: Celtjew Libertarian
That's what we do with much of our weapons systems and military supplies. Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, Pratt-Whitney, etc. are private firms that the military contracts with.

No analogy whatsoever. Does Boeing provide "military consultants" as pilots ? Do we have "Wild Geese" or mercenary units ?

A lot of libertarian nonsense romantically assumes that a capitalist society will just plain magically more militarily effective than an authoritarian society. That is romantic nonsense. The values of a good soldier are duty, obedience, order, discipline, courage, and self-sacrifice. These are not free market libertarian values. They are authoritarian values.

86 posted on 02/27/2005 6:31:51 PM PST by Sam the Sham
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To: Sam the Sham
No analogy whatsoever. Does Boeing provide "military consultants" as pilots ? Do we have "Wild Geese" or mercenary units ?

I disagree that we could have a privately run military. But, given that in many countries the state has provided the armament and equipment, not private industry, I think it's an important point.

The values of a good soldier are duty, obedience, order, discipline, courage, and self-sacrifice. These are not free market libertarian values. They are authoritarian values.

But it is a free market value to choose to perform under authoratarian discipline -- something that more doctrinaire libertarians sometimes forget.

Not having served, I could be wrong. But I have the impression that initiative is also a virtue that the military approves of -- one that is more prevalent in a free market society. I'd also suggest that courage and discipline (at least of the self-discipline sort) are as much free market as authoritarian virtues.

89 posted on 02/27/2005 7:03:33 PM PST by Celtjew Libertarian (Shake Hands with the Serpent: Poetry by Charles Lipsig aka Celtjew http://books.lulu.com/lipsig)
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