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In "Starship Troopers" military service was required to be franchised. I don't believe it was necessary to be considered a *citizen*, only to be able to vote, which most people weren't interested in doing, anyway. It's been a while since I've read it (I've got a copy), so I may misremember.

Tuor

"In "Starship Troopers" military service was required to be franchised. I don't believe it was necessary to be considered a *citizen*, only to be able to vote..."

That seems like a distinction without a difference. The fact that a good many people fail to vote does not mean that the RIGHT to vote is not one of the perquisites of "citizenship".

Also, remember that Heinlein wrote STARSHIP TROOPERS for a juvenile audience- the details of libertarian philosophy were incidental to the action- adventure story. This particular scheme never struck me as being well thought-out, anyway- and I read this book when I was 12 years old!

In Starship Troopers the term 'citizen' meant one who had earned his franchise, if I remember correctly. Non-veterans still had normal civil rights, they just couldn't vote or run for office. Soldiers, btw, were not yet veterans, and could not vote while still serving.