Friday, September 11, 2009

Day 131 - The End of My Military Enslavement

To confirm the absolutely arbitrary and tyrannical nature of my former involuntary servitude to the Navy, I was "discharged" this morning at 9:57 AM simply by signing a sheet of paper and having someone else sign it as well. Prior to these ink marks having been made on that paper, others would have deemed themselves justified in throwing me in a cage if I didn't work for them. However, with this magic document the individuals calling themselves the "Navy" suddenly lost the so-called "right" to completely control my productive capacity. The reality is that these people never had, nor could they ever have, the right to own me or anyone else.

The fact that I'm no longer threatened with imprisonment if I don't work for them does nothing to justify the previous 1,516 days during which that was an ever-present reality. The truth is that despite having only filed my written request to be classified as a conscientious objector 131 days ago, I could not have freely left any day prior to today.

While I'm thrilled that the injustice of my forced labor for the Navy has ended, this is not a victory of right over wrong, nor is it proof that, however slowly, "the system does work."

Before praising the Navy for having done the right thing, think of it this way: if a slave-owner suddenly decided to release one of his slaves would you speak well of him even if he never publicly admitted that he was horribly wrong for having enslaved someone in the first place? What if the slave owner did nothing to try and make restitution to the individual he had enslaved? Finally, and perhaps worst of all, would you have kind words for the "Master" if after releasing one slave he continued to threaten hundreds of thousands of other slaves if they quit working?

Sadly, this is not merely an analogy, but it is the reality of what has happened with myself and the Navy. In ending their threat of imprisonment today, those comprising the Navy have never admitted the immorality of having forced me to labor for them for the previous 1,516 days that I did. Additionally, they have not in any way sought to make restitution for this grave injustice. Finally, and one of the major reasons this blog will continue, they continue to threaten hundreds of thousands of other people with imprisonment should they leave their jobs without the "papers" I was given today.

Ultimately, war is immoral, and part of this immorality is the manner in which people are forced to risk their lives, limbs, and property to either fight in it or fund it. Were it not for the perceived legitimacy of military enslavement (generally read "enlistments"), the likelihood and destructive power of war would be greatly reduced, if not eliminated. Therefore, I will continue to apply my talent and effort toward promoting the truth of military slavery and the overall immorality of war. I do this not as a man embittered by his personal experience, but rather as an individual who is inspired by the possibility of creating a voluntary society.

4 comments:

  1. How interesting that you would be discharged on September 11th... Hope any others who don't want to be there can follow in your wake. There's no doubt war is immoral but we live in a country that tolerates immoral behavior on many fronts. Difficult to define morality for everyone, and harder yet to enforce it.

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  2. 9/11: The day they lied us all into war. Now it's the day Mr. Daniel J. Lakemacher is free from the lies. The irony is truly compelling.

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  3. I'm very glad you're no longer being forced to serve, Daniel. Your efforts have paid off in this regard. But as you noted, the meme of involuntary servitude is still intact; true justice still remains in the shadows of most people's conceptual awareness. In America, as in any other place where "government" holds sway--essentially any society where there are people who presume to be "rulers" over others (children and grown adults)--the main "crime" is disobedience. The way to rewards and riches is through compliance, after all, and that is how people sell their souls to the 'devil,' the authoritarian/obedience devil, the slave/master meme that requires individuals to sacrifice their mind, volition, and life to "others" and various invalid, collectivistic abstractions.

    Regardless of how many are freed in the future from this immoral and unjust situation, the root-striking and moral nature of your arguments for freedom is key. As Thoreau elequently put it: There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. I suspect that this is predominantly why they released you from their threats and impositions: You've been damaging to their public relations scheme. After all, the perceived legitimacy of authoritarian sociopathy via "government" always hangs in the balance of public opinion. The more that our fellow political slaves wake up and come to terms with the nature of their enslavement, the more hope there is for true freedom in "the land of the free."

    Love of domination ("Do this because I said so!") and the fear it induces in people (as well as the fear from which it stems) are the main psychological deterrents to complete liberty. Intellectually and technologically, a voluntary society of independent and respectful people has all the answers that are constantly missed (and thwarted) by central planning mentalities who seem to relish being in control of others' lives.

    Unfortunately, even though you've been allowed to leave one specific form of involuntary servitude, you'll continue to experience--like the rest of us--the coercion and threats of coercion that is "government" in general (be they people at the city, county, state, or national level). Of course, only a logical philosophical perspective and peaceful actions will free us from this terribly deficient state of humanity.

    Here's to your determined root-striking, Daniel,
    Wes

    P.S., For those who want a glimpse into the magnificent future of freedom, of the possibilities of a voluntary society (in our lifetime), I invite you to read the short section in Complete Liberty:
    Imagine A Free World
    http://completeliberty.com/chapter4.php#91

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