Yesterday, I discussed my views on the military at the Libertarian Party of Rhode Island state convention. Here's what I presented. There are some parts of the military that do something useful. Those parts should be handled by the free market, and would be improved if they were handled by the free market. The Coast Guard rescues people. It's a good thing to do. However, they are also the largest part of the war on drugs, in terms of the value of the assets that they steal from businesses. Groups like AAA and various insurance companies are able to provide roadside assistance on the millions of miles of roads. These private sector services work reliably, and don't squander effort and resources on things as ludicrous as the War on Drugs. Would people be able to afford to pay for a AAA of the sea? My thought is if you have the money for a boat, you probably have the money for rescue insurance. The Navy protects shipping lanes. Again, a good thing to do. But it does so at an astronomical expense, with firepower levels disproportionately greater than any current or expected threat of piracy or impressment. Could the several multibillion dollar shipping companies find a way to pay for that? I think so. If not, the other option would be for companies to produce things domestically. Instead of outsourcing production overseas, having the shipments sent back to the U.S., with protection paid for by our tax dollars, companies would have to do a proper risk-reward calculation. It might increase domestic production (note that the U.S. is a net importer of physical goods). But then there are things that no one should be doing, at all. All U.S. involvement in foreign civil wars should end. All U.S. foreign military bases should be shut down today, and the troops should be brought home. We should immediately leave NATO, and let Europe pay for its own defense. Whatever supposed "influence" we are buying at the cost of such huge military spending is not worth it, and it is not working. NATO is allowing Europe to become socialist, as they don't have to be financially responsible enough to pay for their own defense. It is forcing us to become socialist, since we have to pay unacceptable taxes to fund that defense. Finally, the issue of culpability came up. I pointed out that good intentions don't erase bad actions done by the individual, or by the collective that they voluntarily support, but that those bad actions similarly don't erase the good intentions. Larry Sharpe <https://www.facebook.com/neosage?fref=mentions> pointed out that according to law and custom, culpability is what separates crimes like murder 1, 2, 3, manslaughter, etc., and that the intent had to be weighed very, very heavily. I found myself agreeing with Larry's perspective on this. I also agreed with his position on not behaving as Americans did with Vietnam vets, which lead to an entirely lost generation. Instead of converting vets into a powerful force for freedom, it simply hurt them for the sake of hurting them. On reflection, I am forced to recognize that while opposing military worship, which is often used to manipulate people into immoral acts, is right, and fighting the military industrial complex is right, and fighting military policy that creates enemies and reduces safety is right, and provoking people to reexamine their world view is right, creating collateral damage is wrong. I have no intention of being the kind of leader who can challenge the views of others, but cannot challenge his own. Words can hurt brutally. That's why I use them against the state, and the worship of the state. But they should be used carefully for that same reason. During the last week, I failed to be careful enough with those words. While they helped some people, they also hurt a lot of people. To those who were hurt by my words, I apologize to you, specifically, for both what I said, and for the impact it had. I know it will be a long time before many of you who have been involved in the military will be able to trust me again, if ever. I'll do my best to earn your trust the only way I know how to earn trust. I'll speak to you honestly. I'll fight for your freedoms with every weapon I have. My aim with a weapon is frankly laughable, but my words can do some damage. Whether you end up trusting me again or not, I will be fighting with you, against the state, for our shared goal of liberty. In Liberty, Arvin Vohra <https://www.facebook.com/VohraEducation/?fref=mentions> -- Arvin Vohra www.VoteVohra.com VoteVohra@gmail.com (301) 320-3634