Re: Ethics and Politics

Mark Grant (mark@unicorn.com)
Thu, 18 Sep 1997 19:56:36 +0000


On Wed, 17 Sep 1997, Arjen Kamphuis wrote:

> I'm still not clear who is going to manage the ICBM's in a fully privitised
> economy, or the battle-carrier groups stationed in the gulf for securing
> oil-supply (both the US and European economies depend on this as lifeblood).

I did reply to your original message, but several of my messages have
vanished into limbo lately. However, we'd probably be less reliant on oil
if the oil companies weren't able to get the government to steal money
from the workers to pay to protect the oil supply.

On the ICBM front, I suspect they'd be owned by anyone who wants one. I
seem to be one of the few people on the list who feel that personal
possession of nuclear weapons is a good thing, and resolves some of the
area-defence arguments against anarchic or libertarian societies; nukes
give rich individuals the power to destroy attacking armies by themselves.

> Are you going to give Nimitz-class carriers and stuff to Exxon?

No, but they can buy them if they want them (of course they probably can't
afford to, so they won't).

> But whatever comes of this discussion *please* Mark, do not call me a
> communist or imply that I am one.

I wasn't neccesarily implying that you're a communist, just pointing out
that a free market allows the existence of communes of people who totally
disagree with it, whereas communism won't allow people to 'drop out' into
a free market.

Mark

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