Can I twist your arm into
sending to the list? Or am I just the spam bomb and I should cease and desist. The
whole schmear plus my comment to the list and the archive.
With Steve 100%, but now I am reading this statement
over and over and it is dark and written from a very strange place. It is sort
of uncomfortable to read. I think about the writers as I read it In general I don’t like the tone of it
and there would be quite a bit of re-write if I got a hold of this. Quite
probably some slashing as it shouldn’t take 99 words to make the selective
system go away.
However I recognize that I may not be the Libertarian to
do this.
Is everything this dark? Where can I find my copy of
the platform? Is there a link to it on the web site? Am I blind?
paul
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, January 17, 2003
6:58 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED];
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED];
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Conscription and the
Military Plank
To minimize the volume of messages that I cause, I plan to
submit only one recommendation to the platform committee for your
consideration.
It is to remove one statement from the I. Individual Rights and Civil Order,
17. Conscription and the Military plank. That statement is "Members
of the military should have the same right to quit their jobs as other
persons."
Here are my reasons:
If an individual joins the military voluntarily and he (or she) is deployed to
a combat zone, he may come under enemy fire. That platform statement
implies that he may desert, thereby increasing the risk of harm to his
compatriots who remain to fight, without suffering any consequences for his
cowardice.
The plank already contains a number of statements in opposition to conscription.
So, the LP's firm stance against compulsory military service is not affected by
the removal of that one statement.
Libertarians recognize that the obligations specified in contracts should be
honored by the parties who enter into them freely. A contract between an
individual and the government should be no less valid and no less enforceable
than a contract between two individuals.
El Paso County is a military mecca. This is one of the statements that
Republican officeholders, candidates, and supporters have published in
newspaper ads and letters to discredit the LP and Libertarian candidates.
This is the only recommendation that I plan to submit. Your consideration
and approval of my recommendation to remove the statement, "Members of the
military should have the same right to quit their jobs as other persons,"
from the Conscription and the Military plank is requested.
The entire Conscription and the Military plank follows for your reference.
- Steve
www.lp.org/issues/platform/platform_print.html#consmili
17. Conscription and the Military
Recognizing that registration is the first step toward full
conscription, we oppose all attempts at compulsory registration of any person
and all schemes for automatic registration through government invasions of the
privacy of school, motor vehicle, or other records. We call for the abolition
of the still-functioning elements of the Selective Service System, believing
that impressment of individuals into the armed forces is involuntary servitude.
We call for the destruction of all files in computer-readable or hard-copy form
compiled by the Selective Service System. We also oppose any form of national
service, such as a compulsory youth labor program.
We oppose adding women to the pool of those eligible for and subject to the
draft, not because we think that as a rule women are unfit for combat, but
because we believe that this step enlarges the number of people subjected to
government tyranny.
We support the immediate and unconditional exoneration of all who have been
accused or convicted of draft evasion, desertion from the military in cases of
conscription or fraud, and other acts of resistance to such transgressions as
imperialistic wars and aggressive acts of the military. Members of the military should have the same right to
quit their jobs as other persons.
We call for the end of the Defense Department practice of discharging armed
forces personnel for homosexual conduct. We further call for retraction of all
less-than-honorable discharges previously assigned for such reasons and
deletion of such information from military personnel files.
We recommend the repeal of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the
recognition and equal protection of the rights of armed forces members. This
will thereby promote morale, dignity, and a sense of justice within the
military.
