W. C. BAUERS
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Should the United States Reinstate the Draft?

3/7/2015

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What are your thoughts on a mandatory military service requirement, also called the Draft? 

Periodically, this subject surfaces, often in connection with Israel. I saw it surface again last week. Israel has a mandatory service requirement for women and men. Should we?  

I'm opposed to the draft for two principle reasons. 

1. Forcing people to go to war seems to me to be an intrinsically bad idea. The all-volunteer military is the obvious alternative, and my personal preference.

2. I'm for freedom. If the state has the power to force you into harm's way, or possibly order you to surrender your life for the greater good, then you aren't truly free. 

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Mr. Spock said as much in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. To an extent he's right. The fate of a ship or a nation is more important that that of any single crew member or citizen. But, remember, Spock made the choice to sacrifice himself for his crew. He wasn't forced or compelled to do it. The needs of the many - in our case the state - might outweigh the needs of the few. But, in the course of defending its interests abroad and even its homeland, the state should never strip away the rights of the people it's sworn to protect and serve.  

Philosopher and noted author Ayn Rand [and others] have argued - and rightly so - that all other rights hinge upon personal property rights and, I would add, are given to us by our creator. See the Declaration of Independence for more on that. My body, my property. I lose that then I've lost everything. My rights don't come from the state, they come from God. I am not a ward of the state; the state doesn't own me. My life is a gift from God. The state may not cash it like common currency.  

Note: For this post, I'm specifically thinking of wars fought upon foreign soil. If America was invaded, I'm confident that, without being asked, tens of millions of the body politic would open their closets, take out their Remington bolt-actions and AR-15s, and refresh the tree of liberty with the blood of patriots and tyrants. 

Okay...let me know what you think. And thanks for reading. 
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Mr. Spock Taught Us All So Much  

3/1/2015

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Picture
Picture
Leonard Nimoy's death has been weighing on me all weekend. Aside from being a huge Trek fan for as long as I can remember, Star Trek was a very important part of my relationship with my dad. It still is. 

Dad and I watched all the original episodes together, multiple times. And the Next Gen episodes. Deep Space 9 and Voyager. But Kirk and Spock and the original crew were the dearest to us. Special. It's hard to put into words. 

Dad took me to see THE WRATH OF KHAN. It's my earliest memory of the theater. I'll never forget the mind control bug burrowing into Chekov's ear. It gave me nightmares. Or the pain on Kirk's face as his best friend died before his eyes. 

Friendships of the kind Spock and Kirk shared on and off-screen are rare. Earlier this week, William Shatner tweeted out his love for his friend, that he "loved him like a brother."  

"I have been, and always shall be, your friend." I just watched this and couldn't help tearing up.  Perhaps that's why Leonard Nimoy meant so much to so many. He gave us a picture of what friendship and brotherly love can and should be. And what it means to lay your life down for your friend. 

There is no great love than that.  

I hope to see Nimoy on the other side of the veil. 
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