You could say that terrorism is the privatization of war. Terrorists are the free marketers of war. They are people who don't believe that the state has a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence.

__________________
"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."
~Thomas Jefferson

"There is Still No Such Thing As a Fair Tax"

Good point. And i will add to it by saying that because terrorists are better at violence they will inevitably defeat any western privatized defensive/aggressive market.

Andrew

__________________
Ethanol is a fabulous solution to our energy dilemma because it will provide more fuel for us to drive around and look for food.

-- Unknown

Where?

Article I section 8:

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress

Article II Section 2

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States;

__________________
"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."
-John Calvin

None of which precludes the people from utilizing a private security force to ensure their safety.

oh true, I just think it's a bad idea for various reasons that I have already listed. And since the Constitution says it's a responsibility of the federal government i see no real reason to change the status quo.

__________________
"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."
-John Calvin

Considering the federal government has ignored the Constitution with specific regard to national defense, I don't exactly feel safe with it at the helm.

Of course you would be referring to the federal government and the Constitution since their inception, correct?

__________________
Obama's New "57 State Patriotic Pin":




Sayeth John Drake - 10/13/08: "OK, you're right, I admit to LYING"

It's just a goddamn piece of paper, after all.

...just like all those pieces of paper we write our laws on?

I was being sarcastic.

(For the record, I don't know that he said it. But the fact that it's not out of the realm of possibility scares the hell out of me.)

It shocks me that this is actually an argument. Privatization of defense, and anarcho-capitalism in general, is outright insanity.

__________________

The status quo has become the privatization of the armed forces, not completely, but it is a huge industry operating in many countries.


Andrew

__________________
Ethanol is a fabulous solution to our energy dilemma because it will provide more fuel for us to drive around and look for food.

-- Unknown

Milton Firedman is not in any way for free markets. He is repsonsible for the with holding tax; there is a special level of hell reserved for him.

Try Walter Block, or Milton's son David.

__________________
"Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question."
-Thomas Jefferson in his first inauguration address

Terrorists are not free markets of war. First, a good deal of their money comes from governments. Second, as I understand it, any of the money that they make themselves is made by doing illegal things, such as selling drugs. (If I am wrong on this, I am sure someone will tell me.) The only reason drugs are so expensive is because they are illegal. If they were not illegal, the price of drugs would come down as the supply increases, thus making the drug trade less profitable.

But, let's consider something else, also. Who was in charge of the security that allowed the terrorists to board the planes on 9/11? It was the TSA- part of the national government. What if we allowed each airline to be in charge of its own security? The airlines would have a vested interest in keeping their airlines safe. Look what happened to the airline industry after 9/11. The attacks were disasterous for the industry.

__________________
"Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question."
-Thomas Jefferson in his first inauguration address