Today I fly the Flag

It was supposed to have been the War to End All War, but of course it was not. Flowers still bloom in Flanders’ Fields, and young men and women still go off to war. The world is not yet safe for democracy, nor do we live in freedom from fear. Yet we must honor and give thanks for those who died – hopefully not in vain – to move us towards those goals. So today I fly the flag.

It will surprise many of you to learn that I am a firm believer in universal service – a return of the Draft. Any country whose citizens are not willing to die in its defense is doomed. A universal draft is not only a guarantee of national strength, but a curb on adventurism. It’s much too easy to make war with other people’s children. Also, an all-volunteer army – as noble as the individuals who serve in it may be – eventually leads to the rise of Caesar’s Legions, and the crossing of the Rubicon into Rome. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Thus, any nation that relies on a warrior class, separate from the rest of its citizenry, faces either invasion from the outside, or devolution into military dictatorship from the inside. Take your pick.