From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Thu Sep 05 2002 - 15:45:40 MDT
On Thursday, September 5, 2002, at 04:13 pm, Dehede011@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 9/5/2002 1:42:08 PM Central Standard Time,
> mail@HarveyNewstrom.com writes: Such a government would not be by the
> people
> for the people. Such a government would be a dictatorship where the
> only
> voters are those who are approved by the government. This would not
> be a
> democracy, in my opinion. Are people here really turning against
> democracy?
>
> Harvey,
> Are you sure you read Starship Troopers? Those points are almost
> totally irrelevant to the material in the book. It was his right to
> be a
> citizen if he wanted to exercise it. Anyone of any IQ level and any
> physical
> condition could volunteer and earn the right to vote. I could go on
> but I'll
> stop there.
Yes, I read it. I liked it a lot. This system also made a lot of
sense. However, if only people who choose government service can vote,
it implies that other people can't. It implies that voting is not a
"right" but an earned privilege. It implies that the government owns
the right to voting and governance and that these must be purchased via
service to the government. I don't see how this is a democratic or
self-governed society.
> As to the desireability of that system I can't recall that the
> author
> ever advocated it. It was a system he wanted to use for fictional
> purposes.
I have no idea if RAH really advocated this system in real life.
However, there do seem to be some factions on this list that do advocate
this for real life.
(And yes, for those who don't know, I have performed extensive services
for all branches of the military and the government, including many
undocumented ones. It is not through any lack of service that I
discount this requirement for basic rights and freedoms.)
-- Harvey Newstrom, CISSP <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> Principal Security Consultant <www.Newstaff.com>
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