was already growing moribund by the American Revolution; as an institution, it was arguably dead by the Militia Acts of Slapping the name on a centralized, federally conscripted force does not make it so. “militia” 1792: what the U.S. government runs today is certainly not a militia. a standing army. Worse, It’s And imperial in scope. Conscripting everyone will not revive the militia of old. It will only grow it’s the empire. The leadership will remain professional. The already colossal institution will grow even bigger. The central government will remain firmly in charge. The positive public choice effects on our foreign policy are speculative at best. And my younger brother, who lives in Ohio, will find it exceptionally implausible that he must go to South Korea, Afghanistan, Germany, Egypt, Japan, Honduras, Greenland, or Kyrgyzstan—to defend his neighborhood, his home, and The militia too bad. Then the wasn’t his family. The militiamen of Lexington and Concord would never see themselves in this. In short: state came along and killed it. Demanding that we serve the state in the place is militia’s perverse.
was already growing moribund by the American Revolution; as an institution, it was arguably dead by the Militia Acts of 1792: Slapping the name “militia” on a centralized, federally conscripted force does not make it so. And what the U.S. government runs today is certainly not a militia. It’s a standing army. Worse, it’s imperial in scope. Conscripting everyone will not revive the militia of old. It will only grow the empire. The leadership will remain professional. The already colossal institution will grow even bigger. The central government will remain firmly in charge. The positive public choice effects on our foreign policy are speculative at best. And my younger brother, who lives in Ohio, will find it exceptionally implausible that he must go to South Korea, Afghanistan, Germany, Egypt, Japan, Honduras, Greenland, or Kyrgyzstan—to defend his neighborhood, his home, and his family. The militiamen of Lexington and Concord would never see themselves in this. In short: The militia wasn’t too bad. Then the state came along and killed it. Demanding that we serve the state in the militia’s place is perverse.
Premier-Debate-Brief-SO17.docx