Jaltcoh: Does America's military really "protect our freedom"?

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Will Wilkinson, in a blog post I wish I had written about patriotism and war, admits that he doesn't know — and neither do you, or anyone else.

Jason (the commenter) said...: I think he wasn't able to find answers because he wasn't asking clear questions. Question: Does being able to form a large army and having the will to fight for years make it less likely a foreign power will turn your country into a colony? Answer: Yes, obviously.

Patriotism and militarism are tools. Like any tools they need to be used intelligently. Wilkinson's post doesn't grasp this. It's like he was trying to figure out if screwdrivers are good or bad. Some people use screwdrivers to attach things, others stick them in light sockets and die.

I think a smarter question would have been to ask if we are smart enough to handle patriotism and militarism. And if we aren't how exactly we can be smarter about them.; December 05, 2009

Jaltcoh