Five Libertarian Ideas #11 - Israel, Crimea, the Mafia, National Defense

Orthodox Jews in the IDF

[Regarding the new Israeli policy to draft Orthodox Jews into the Israeli Defense Force:] I'm okay with voluntary statehood but states that force people to fight for what they don't believe in ARE NOT free countries. -3/16

 

 

Ukrainian soldier killed in Crimea

"Crimean Self-Defense Force" (Russian Army invaders)

[Regarding the Ukrainian soldier shot dead by Russian troops in Crimea:] He was just doing tower duty at his duty station in his own country. Until now, Ukrainian soldiers in Crimea have been unarmed, RESISTING PEACEFULLY. Vladimir Putin, you Stalinist bastard! -3/19

　

National defense and voluntarism

Congressman Ron Paul said that the armed forces should exist only for national defense. I never trained anyone to kill a man but I do take pride in training people to save lives, military and civilian alike. National defense, baby!! -3/19

Constitutional national defense

I love the Army and I love the soldiers who dedicate their lives to national defense. What I hate are the politicos and the crony capitalists who collude to send my brothers and sisters into harm's way unnecessarily. When the liberty movement peacefully restores the government to its constitutional boundaries, more libertarians will be able to celebrate all the men and women who voluntarily contribute to a CONSTITUTIONAL national defense. -3/21

　

Pope Francis against the mafia

I support Pope Francis' stand against the Italian mafia. His stand may just get some of their dedicated Catholics to repent, and prevent other Catholics from joining the baby-killers. However, the mafia in Mexico has formed a religious cult (Santa Muerte) as a response to their excommunication. What the world needs are 1) leaders like Pope Francis who take a be-all-end-all stand against organized crime, and 2) civilians with the right to bear arms who will not be prosecuted for defending themselves against criminal insurgency. -3/21

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"Crimean Self-Defense Force" image by Voice of America and in the public domain. Pope Francis photo by Edgar Jimenez and used via CC BY-SA 2.0 license.  Both images obtained from Wikimedia Commons.

Five Libertarian Ideas #10 - Wars in Ukraine

Russian troops with no insignia occupy Crimea, Feb. 28, 2014

Civil wars in Ukraine

Nearly 100 years ago Ukraine had a civil war to decide whether Ukraine would be an independent nation-state or join with Soviet Russia. The Ukrainian Bolsheviks won the war and Ukrainian suffered in the USSR. This time around, I hope the Ukrainian people unite to fully emancipate from Russian influence and avoid fighting each other. –2/25

Three-sided civil war in Syria

The Syrian Civil War has devolved into a three-way war between the Syrian government (and Russian troops), the secular Syrian rebels, and jihadists. The people of the Middle East need to approach future revolutions with extreme caution because non-state groups will look for any openings they can find for religious war. –2/27

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russian troops are on standby to enter the Ukraine. If the Russians invade, Ukraine will surely spiral into civil war. Just like in 1918, pro-Russians and pro-Western Ukrainians will fight over the future of their country. Violent revolutions eat their children; for that, I'd much sooner see Ukrainians lead a decade of peaceful reforms than suffer one year of war. –2/27

White Russians capture Bolsheviks in Kerch, Ukraine, 1919.

Russian invasion commences

Yet again the Kremlin invades a neighbor for housing individuals who want their country to be totally free of the Cold War. –3/1

Secession of Crimea

Russia is imposing the secession of Crimea from the Ukraine via its army which invaded foreign territory. We libertarians support self-determination for people who wish to secede, but not when they're made puppets by invaders. Crimea's Ukrainians must vote whether or not to secede in a plebiscite moderated by a neutral party. –3/3

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Russian troops in Crimea photo by the U.S. Navy.  Kerch 1919 photo from the Imperial War Museum Online Database.  Both images are in the public domain.