BTS's Military Conscription Is a Reminder That Mandatory 'Service' Is Servitude

The South Korean government brings the country's greatest cultural export to heel.

"What???!!! Noooo……." my 14-year-old daughter first shrieked, then howled. Chimed in her equally shocked but more restrained galpal: "Wait, they can do that? How??"

These are indeed the questions to ask in response to the news I had broken to the shook teens: BTS, the South Korean K-pop boyband megastars who have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, are going on forced semi-hiatus until 2025, due to their country's compulsory military service for males by the time they hit age 30.

"We have always been aware of the eventuality of mandatory military service, and we have long been making preparations to be ready for this moment," CEO Jiwon Park of Hybe Corp., which owns BTS's label Big Hit records, wrote in an appropriately super-corporate letter to shareholders. "In the short term, individual activities for several of the members are planned into the first half of 2023, and we have secured content in advance, which will enable BTS to continue their engagement with fans for the foreseeable future."

Translation: They'll be releasing solo records, staggering their various tours of duty; there'll be some sporadic tour dates, and we swear it'll be business as usual sooner than you think.

But will it?

All pop music is youth music, all youth music—even manufactured boy-bandery!—is intrinsically transgressive and rebellious, and there is approximately zero rebelliousness in acceding to your government's demand to do a record-scratch across your life and prepare for war.

"[Elvis Presley] died when he went in the army," John Lennon once said about his biggest hero. "That's when they killed him. The rest of it was just a living death." Added Paul McCartney in the authorized biography Many Years from Now: "We liked Elvis' freedom as a trucker, as a guy in jeans and swivelin' hips….But [we] didn't like him with the short haircut in the army calling everyone 'sir.'"

Hard as it may be to imagine the counterfactual, the Beatles themselves were perilously close to having been squashed by military service before Beatlemania could take global flight. The U.K.'s mandatory 18-month military service for males between the ages of 17 and 21 ended only in 1960, when Lennon and Ringo Starr were 20, McCartney was 18, and George Harrison 17. Hard to mount a British Invasion with all the cultural footsoldiers uniformed in olive drab.

Mandatory military service has thankfully fallen out of favor in most of the free, rich world; the 60 or so countries that still require armed servitude to the state are largely impoverished authoritarians like Cuba, Turkmenistan, and Iran. Of the richer world exceptions, most live in a state of real or perceived existential threat on their borders—Israel, Estonia, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea.

(Mysid - Own work based on: BlankMap-World.svg)

Those fond of equality-of-immiseration arguments will surely cheer that the Bangtan Boys could not parlay their wealth and fame into an exemption from this nationwide requirement. Indeed, the country's "entertainment soldier" semi-exemption was kiboshed in 2013 (ironically, the year BTS started) after outcry over fairness.

But that was some $30 billion in BTS-related economic activity ago (as estimated by the Hyundai Research Institute). According to Nikkei Asia, public opinion in South Korea is tilted squarely in favor of granting the group artistic exemptions and is already roiling domestic politics. And no wonder.

BTS, and K-pop writ large, demonstrated to Koreans that they could transcend the historically stifling limits of their country's national borders and achieve worldwide success and adoration. The boys' submission reinforces national solidarity in the face of an ongoing threat, yes. However, it's also a reminder that this was an authoritarian country in living memory and that there is still a finite expanse of leash on any citizen's ambitions.

The United States has no such excuse, even for the remnant of its long-shuttered military draft, the Orwellianly named "Selective Service" system of registering 18-year-old males today (and maybe females tomorrow!) for some theoretical future draft. The Selective Service should be ended, not expanded; at minimum, we need a complete and total shutdown of the Selective Service's godawful Twitter feed:

Parents, if your son is an only son and the last male in your family to carry the family name, he is still required to register with SSS. Learn more about who needs to register at https://t.co/GYbRK99c09. pic.twitter.com/tzW6uKkyl5

— Selective Service (@SSS_gov) October 7, 2022

I won't recommend policy for South Korea, though it's long since past time for our soldiers to leave Korean manpower defense for the Koreans. But Americans are supposed to be a free and self-respecting people organized around the noble and revolutionary idea that among our unalienable rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is the liberty culture that brought the world Elvis, dammit; a pox on all governments who would attempt to clip his (or his successors') mighty wings.

Comments

[Bubba Jones]

South Korea is the worst foil one could choose for an opinion piece against conscription.

You can’t seriously look at North Korea, advocate for US withdrawal, and at the same time wail against South Korean conscription.

[Briggs Cunningham]

No shit. I wonder how down Kim Jong Un is with boy bands? I kind of doubt the life of the average North Korean boy band, assuming there is such a thing, is quite the same as the typical K-Pop variety.

Shackford and DeRugy are just liars. Suderman is nuts. ENB is just a cat lady feminist leftist. Welch is just a moron. God what a stupid column.

[Dillinger]

>>Kim Jong Un is with boy bands?

fed a popular actress to the dogs for mouthing off or something iirc

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[Rob Misek]

Jews make conscription racist.

“Conscription in Israel has been in place since the country’s independence in 1948, and is limited to Israelis of three ethnicities: Jews (both genders), Druze (male only), and Circassians (male only).” Wiki

Conscripting Palestinians might be counterproductive to their agenda.

[n00bdragon]

Yeah, that was an odd take. Whatever you think of the U.S. presence in South Korea, the very concept of “national security” is completely different there. It is simply something no American can understand fully understand because we don’t have a psychotic nuclear armed hermit kingdom still factually at war with us a mere 15 miles from Washington D.C. It would be like if a million armed soldiers were camped out in Baltimore constantly preparing and threatening to invade (and actively shooting off missiles at random intervals).

[Longtobefree]

Well, as long as they accepted “migrants”, and promised to only invade PA and points north, we could probably work something out.

[Agammamon]

Yes you can. Conscription is slavery.

[Bubba Jones]

Only if you can’t vote and they ban you from emigrating.

[Agammamon]

Even if you can vote and being able to flee being enslaved doesn’t make it not an attempt to enslave you.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Meanwhile in the real world, South Korea has to put forward at least a semblance of military power to make the North hesitate. No amount of wishing for libertopia will make that threat vanish.

So, a year of conscription is a sucky option, but I wage much better than a life in the united Korean paradise.

[soldiermedic76]

Something they never seem to think of is that South Korea and Japan haven’t sought nukes mainly because they’re allied with the US and we have troops based there. If we withdrew what incentive do they have for not acquiring nukes? Don’t get me wrong, I think they should be responsible for their own defense but let’s not be blind to what that could and likely would involve.

[sarcasmic]

FTA:
Of the richer world exceptions, most live in a state of real or perceived existential threat on their borders—Israel, Estonia, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea.
They do acknowledge that SK is a special case.

[But SkyNet is a Private Company]

It’s rather humorous

[Libertariantranslator]

You could if American industry were free to export them a mess of tactical and strategic fusion weapons. #RESTARTROCKYFLATS

[Bubba Jones]

“$30 billion in BTS-related economic activity”

Approximately zero of that generated any capital wealth. It’s a meaningless zero sum transfer of value. If they ceased to exist, the customers would seamlessly substitute some other entertainment. The “economic activity” would not disappear.

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[Unicorn Abattoir]

“What???!!! Noooo…….” my 14-year-old daughter first shrieked, then howled.

Sure, Matt. It was your daughter who did that.

[Briggs Cunningham]

Yeah, I guess it is kind of cute Welch thinks anyone believes that it was his daughter doing that.

[Eeyore]

Lol

[Unicorn Abattoir]

“[Elvis Presley] died when he went in the army,” John Lennon once said about ahis biggest hero.

Hendrix was a paratrooper. Didn’t stop him.

[Briggs Cunningham]

Elvis went to Hollywood after he got out of the Army and made more money and had more fun than any man should ever have. Then he went back to become one of the biggest money making touring act in the world.

I don’t think Elvis is a good example of a career being destroyed by conscription.

[InsaneTrollLogic]

All Welch had to do was go to Wikipedia for that information. Rather lazy, if you ask me.

[Vernon Depner]

It was “Col.” Parker that crippled Elvis’s career, not the Army.

[rev-arthur-l-kuckland]

Welch is quoting John Lennon. John Lennon didn’t like Elvis after the military, and apparently he is the same as a prophet to welch

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Jerry Garcia was discharged after a couple months, unfit for military service.

[Vernon Depner]

Such a shame they didn’t keep him.

[Dillinger]

to be fair lol he was missing a finger from teen years.

[Mickey Rat]

Lennon may have been a talented songwriter, but he was a jerkass idiot in other things. I expect he had a childish image of who Elvis was broken by Presley being drafted.

[Vernon Depner]

Based on things he said, I believe John was aware of and troubled by his childishness.

[Libertariantranslator]

True facts. Not a lot of people have heard what Jimi said about defense against communist dictators at Woodstock either. Veterans of ‘Nam are to this day surprised to learn that Megook is the S. Korean word for Americans.

[Social Justice is neither]

Funny how leftists like you had no issue with the compelled speech and action here when it aligned with your leftist masters demands. How many times did you alk say Masterpiece Bakery or Little Sisters of the Poor should just comply with the State mandated action? Fuck you, this is no different and your argument against this is weakened by your support for previous coercive mandates.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

due to their country’s compulsory military service for males by the time they hit age 30.

Why did you include a picture of young ladies then?

[Briggs Cunningham]

Korea is a hard place. Even the girls have to go in the Army.

[Bubba Jones]

We all know that boy bands naturally expire at 30. This is just an excuse to drive sales and let them retire gracefully.

[Nardz]

^winner!

[Vernon Depner]

They’re already getting creepy at 25.

[Bubba Jones]

Why did you include a picture of young ladies then?

I bet they could replace all of them and no one outside of South Korea would be able to tell the difference.

[BestUsedCarSales]

I can imagine even within South Korea. It’s a known phenomenon there that plastic surgery is so common, and so widely accepted, that celebrities are evolving towards a similar face. It’s very striking if you known Korean-Americans and you see how different they look.
Or even rural Koreans, where the plastic surgery thing is more a city trend. I guess that’s often true here as well.

Gangnam Face is a thing there.

[Agammamon]

Oh, they have. The whole point of these bands – including J-pop and similar – is that the bands have a rotating roster of members that fill specific performance niches (bad boy, nice guy, etc). Same dynamic as in the US bands and there’s really high turnover in the distaff versions of these bands.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

All pop music is youth music, all youth music—even manufactured boy-bandery!—is intrinsically transgressive and rebellious

So when some pop star is pillorying me about not wearing a mask, and telling me to get the experimental jab from a trillion dollar mega-corporation… he’s being transgressive and rebellious?

[Homple]

^^This.

[ElvisIsReal]

Nah, he just got paid to say that. Pretty much the opposite of being rebellious.

https://newspunch.com/bidens-hhs-and-cdc-paid-screen-writers-and-comedians-to-mock-the-unvaccinated/

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been exposed running the most disturbing and elaborate propaganda campaign in living memory. Screen writers, comedians, influencers and church leaders, among others, were recruited and paid to promote Covid-19 vaccines to the masses, while ridiculing and shaming those who refuse the jab.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Mandatory military service has thankfully fallen out of favor in most of the free, rich world; the 60 or so countries that still require armed servitude to the state are largely impoverished authoritarians like Cuba, Turkmenistan, and Iran. Of the richer world exceptions, most live in a state of real or perceived existential threat on their borders—Israel, Estonia, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea.

It has? Oh… mandatory Military service.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Haha, I was just listening to BTS. Trying to get into them but, eh. They have some good singles so far but they’re no Backstreet Boys.

That said, I appreciate them following through with their conscription. That they were unable to escape it says something good about their society, regardless of one’s opinion of the existence of universal conscription like this. I am also against it, but that it’s being applied in a pretty straightforward manner like this says something about their system.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

No no no, you’re doing it wrong. The way to fight a universal rule (roofer licensing, etc) is to make an exception for someone telegenic, popular or sympathetic, while leaving it in place for everyone else.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Good news is, Asian Women will continue to fill the void.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Of the richer world exceptions, most live in a state of real or perceived existential threat on their borders—Israel, Estonia, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea.

You could have just not used the qualifier “real or perceived” there. It’s worth an article of thanksgiving that we don’t live in the situation these countries do. That we have two peaceful neighbors (maybe 1.75 peaceful neighbors and .25 prone to drunken piques of violence neighbors) is very valuable.
At the very least, trying to tell Estonia that the threat from the dastardly Finns to the north isn’t real is condescending.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

I came here to note that South Korea having universal conscription might make more cultural sense if you had Kim Jung Un living next door.

[BestUsedCarSales]

And China, like, 200 miles across the Yellow Sea.

Honestly, Japan has invaded and literally raped Korea so many times historically I can imagine they’re a bit nervous on that end too.

[Libertariantranslator]

Nope. Nuclear weapons changed all that. The trick is to pretend to be willing to surrender to communism rather than keep and bear 20th-Century arms. America’s looter Kleptocracy politicians then nervously send someone else’s money plus promises of reliable protection. “Trust The Gaijin Kleptocracy” has replaced the less-profitable “Greater Co-Prosperity Sphere.”

[Ken Arromdee]

You do realize that Estonia is next to Russia, which 1) has occupied it in the past as part of the USSR and 2) is currently invading another country that used to be part of the USSR? It’s not Finland that’s the problem.

[Libertariantranslator]

Sadly, those godless commies also remember when Czechoslovakia, Poland, Norway, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Latvia, estonia, Finland and The Netherlands–and the opium farms from Hungary to Greece were part of the Third Reich. The only striking difference between force initiating Russian Socialism and force initiating German National Socialism is the icons, crucifixes and other mystical accoutrements. This the Ukrainians learned bitterly, yet have still not discovered laissez-faire libertarianism.

[Jerryskids]

Between the uniforms, the synchronized movements, and the scripted speech, what’s the difference between a boy band and the army?

[Briggs Cunningham]

That is a very good point.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

No makeup.

[Moonrocks]

Camouflage face paint.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Don’t make it gay.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Apparently their fans are called the ARMY as well. So, they had some military theming of some sort. I’m not sure how far it was extended.

[Libertariantranslator]

I voluntarily paid for training in Korean military police combat techniques, and was glad to have that freedom. Blessed be the right of any GOP or Dem “elected” officeholders to go over to S.Korea and volunteer for combat. It’s really a pity those musicians lack a Bill of Rights and Second Amendment. Enumerated rights could toughen up their moral resolve to replace conscription with the capacity to fry communist invaders with enough gamma radiation to turn them a really bright red–matching the Master’s flag.

[Don't look at me!]

Guns?

[Naime Bond]

Ending the draft and military service in America was a move embraced by the globalists and the left and was the beginning of the end to E. Pluribus Unum and ushered in the ‘age of obesity’ and terrible things that have helped divide and conquer America. If someone told me that conscription could turn a rich or free country like American into the next Cuba, I would say, let me guess, you read that on Reason and they would respond, ‘…no I’m absolutely right. Do you know what John Lennon said about Elvis?…’ K Pop will be 1,000 times more popular when they complete their service, regrow their hair (sorry Paul) and be a source of pride for EVERY one of their fellow citizens – they have helped to unite, not divide their country and won’t be found dead like Elvis.

[Briggs Cunningham]

The three countries that I know of that still have meaningful national drafts are Israel, Finland, and South Korea. All of three of those countries seem to be doing quite well and more importantly don’t seem to be nearly as infected with the various globalist viruses.

You may have a point here.

[soldiermedic76]

Another bad move was ending judges offering military service in lieu of jail. The military teaches discipline, self reliance and personal responsibility (even if we do tend to party a lot), not to mention it also is a great place to learn a marketable skill. Attributes far more likely to result in reformation than prison time. Also, you won’t be saddled with being an ex-con and you get veteran preference in hiring.

[soldiermedic76]

My father had a few friends that were offered this, they credit it with saving them, even the ones who ended up in Vietnam.

[Vernon Depner]

Much of the jobs in the Army these days are too complex for them to be able to take just any doofus who gets in trouble.

[soldiermedic76]

11B and 0311 would like to have a talk with you. Transportation Corp, engineers, quartermaster, wheeled vehicle mechanics, the whole 19 series, the whole 13 series, etc. There’s tons of jobs in the military that anyone with average intelligence can perform or even slightly below average intelligence. Especially in the Army and the Marine Corp.

[soldiermedic76]

Hell my son was only in the hospital 50th percentile on his ASVAB and was eligible for hundreds of MOS, including some like UH-60 mechanic and AH-64 mechanic. Tried to steer him in that direction because there’s more career opportunities for a helicopter mechanic than for a tank crewman (19K) which is what he chose.

[Vernon Depner]

I think you’re underestimating the doofism of the kind of young guys facing incarceration these days. Few are helicopter mechanic material. Most are virtually illiterate.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

The ACLU will have none of that.

[Agammamon]

No. God no. Look, if you’re looking down the barrel of a prison sentence then you are simply incapable of integrating into the military.

This isn’t the military of 1976 when they could beat you and hasn’t been for 40 years.

[Apollonius]

There were a bunch of men who chose green over prison grey, and went on to illustrious careers, in and out of the service, crediting that choice as the moment that saved their lives.

[Agammamon]

The draft, in the US, only existed for brief times during specific conflicts, ending with the Vietnam War – an unpopular war of defending a French colony against French mistakes.

The draft played no functional part in the development of the US character.

[Mickey Rat]

I believe the post-WWII world was the only long term peacetime draft in American history. The draft in the mid-20th Century was an aberration in American culture rather than the norm.

[damikesc]

“According to Nikkei Asia, public opinion in South Korea is tilted squarely in favor of granting the group artistic exemptions and is already roiling domestic politics.”

Tis VITAL to insure that the “better” amongst a nation do not have to abide by laws. Helps things a lot.

“All pop music is youth music, all youth music—even manufactured boy-bandery!—is intrinsically transgressive and rebellious”

Takes a special idiot to buy that argument.

[Briggs Cunningham]

I missed that. Oh my God, he can’t actually believe that? Wow. Like I said above, Shackford and DeRugy are just liars. Suderman is nuts. ENB is just a cat lady feminist leftist, and Welch is just a moron.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

squarely in favor of granting the group artistic exemptions

To be fair, do you really want “artists” in military service?

[BestUsedCarSales]

Yes. Our military’s decay has tracked 1-to-1 with the decline in pin up girls painted on the sides of our tanks and bombers.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

That can be outsourced.

[BestUsedCarSales]

If this ends with Anime girls painted on the side of our nukes I’m going to officially become a NatCon.

[soldiermedic76]

Some of the most famous singers, actors etc from the last century served.

[Tukeen]

I am finnish person and I actively advocate for ending the draft here. No country with universal healthcare, corporate handouts and a conscience can honestly support involuntary servitude without pay. The politicians have the money and resources for a great voluntary force, but they would rather spend it on other things. In practice they are cheapskates, as long as they get away with it they will do it. Finnish people need to start resisting.

I did my time for my “overlords”, it made me bitter and hungry for social change. I wish no one else would have to face involuntary servitude or jail, because of their beliefs. I would love pressure and help from the American especially libertarians to fight goverment sanctioned slavery everywhere it exists. Thank you Matt Welsh.

[Utkonos]

Someone in the army damn well needs to know how to draw weapons!

[BestUsedCarSales]

That’s just Welsh’s middle-aged dude indulgence. I think rock-n-roll rebellion midlife crisis shit is probably what keeps him otherwise one of the more middle of the road writers here.

[Mickey Rat]

That sort of attitude seems to be a matter of faith among the type of liberal arts nerds who are attracted to a career in journalism.

[MWAocdoc]

There are actually two issues here (light-hearted banter notwithstanding): 1) should Korea (or anyone) have a draft; and 2) if you have a draft should “artists” be exempted from the draft. There are no other issues here. No, Korea and the US should not have a draft; and No, if you have a draft (e.g. during a national emergency) no one should be exempted. In a true emergency there are lots of things almost everyone could find to do to be helpful. The notorious “4F” exemption was reasonable on the face of it – if you are confined to an ICU bed on a ventilator there may not be anything you can do in national service – but people with fallen arches (or whose rich powerful daddies got the medical examiner to SAY they had fallen arches) were felt to be unsuitable for military service. My position is that I don’t want to share a foxhole during combat with a mate nursing a conscription grudge; but there’s no reason the jerk couldn’t assemble bombsites when she would rather be attending dances at school.

[Eeyore]

It is a huge economic loss to force citizens into wasting years of their life. It is simply dumb.

[Briggs Cunningham]

Sure, don’t do it. North Korea invading won’t cost anything at all I am sure.

[The Last American Hero]

If the threat is that real there will be no shortage of volunteers.

[Bubba Jones]

That’s not how people work.

They sign up AFTER the war starts.

[Longtobefree]

When your capital is 30 miles from the enemy border, there is no AFTER the war starts.

[Dillinger]

rebellious music was o.g. blues and maybe some 70s punk … if you were working for mca you were establishment

[Jerry B.]

Hey. If I was conscripted, everyone should be.

[Longtobefree]

So –
A known and planned for event, surprising no one, is somehow world news?
Damn, I’m getting old.

[Mickey Rat]

Celebrities are the new aristocracy, they are too important to follow the rules for commoners.

[Bill Dalasio]

Yeah, the whole notion of K-Pop boy bands as exemplars of rebellion is pretty damned silly. I’m opposed to the draft. But, that’s just embarrassing. If it’s rebellion, it’s highly packaged and neutered rebellion that is safe for marketing to tweens. Even assuming that the line-up would otherwise have remained static, it’s kind of hard for me to imagine butching them up with a little military training would spell the death of their marketability. But, even if they don’t get an exemption, is there any reason to think their major military duties aren’t going to involve pretty much more of the same stuff they’ve been doing as civilians?

[Libertariantranslator]

Yeah! After all, freedmen in plantation States still did the “same stuff” they did before Lord Dunmore’s Abe Lincoln’s proclamation that Rebs’d missed the surrender deadline. Of course they did the “same stuff” for pay, with benefit of ability to travel somewhere ELSE. In that sense southern Blacks had more freedom under 13A than pregnant women do today. They could be conscripted, but were at least free to cross State lines without armed bounty hunters chasing them down for a ree-ward.

[gnome]

I saw some clips of some of their acts during news reports of this. They are a well-regimented bunch, who won’t find military discipline at all onerous. They sound like spice girls and behave like marching girls. (But yes – conscription is slavery.)

[Libertariantranslator]

But Freedom Is Slavery too, remember? That was spelled out in wrought iron at the entrance to Auschwitz just 19 months after German Lawmakers in Reichstag assembled to enact sensible gun control legislation to disarm all Jews.

[JFree]

The Selective Service should be ended, not expanded

I sure ain’t libertarian on this issue. The main purpose of organizing militia service – with strong federal and state separation of powers – was not some nonsense about imposing servitude. It was to prevent tyranny via standing army – and that STILL applies. Even if combat itself is better undertaken by a professional volunteer army (and it is), that does not undermine the case for ‘mandatory’ (and it was never intended to be 100%) militia service.

Militia service that trains to roughly E2 w a bit of specialist or PFC level is exactly the sort of universal check that can prevent us from constantly defaulting to expensive permawar by professionals. An example this century was 9/11. Flight 93 self-organized their resistance to the hijacking based on their experience playing team sports in high school. If the general population had common militia service as an experience, the specific outcome might not have been different. But we would have absolutely included as a option for future service – train to self-organize against potential terrorist attack. That is very different from – you don’t worry your pretty little heads. Just keep shopping so the terrorists don’t win here – and we’ll send professionals to kill terrorists way over there.

Another example where specialist experience via militia service would have changed everything was the covid pandemic. Didn’t need the – don’t worry your pretty little head. Just lock yourselves up so the virus doesn’t win over here – and we’ll spend a ton of money allocated by professionals so the virus doesn’t win over there.

Even the very simple notion of identifying the victory condition – and then stopping when that is achieved. Doesn’t fucking happen when all the highly paid professionals are punching the clock until they can get their pensions. Not to mention that operating government solely through tax money is a huge corruption compared to operating government via your choice of taxes in money or taxes in service.

[Libertariantranslator]

Pick up on the passive voice collectivism! Now compare that with: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist…” So until being born male is as heinous a crime as today being a fertile female, I am sworn to defend 13A and 2A against all enemies foreign or domestic–including masked or robed eugenicist infiltraitors and limp-wristed soi-disant libertarians. (https://bit.ly/3Tm8cu6)

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

“[Elvis Presley] died when he went in the army,” John Lennon once said about his biggest hero. “That’s when they killed him. The rest of it was just a living death.”

John Lennon, the talent-drained commie that married the talentless hag that broke up the Beatles, can fuck off and die. Oh, wait, somebody else took care of that already.

On a related note, how long do you think Welch has held onto that anecdote waiting for the opportunity to present it as a libertarian ‘Gotcha!’?

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

Even if combat itself is better undertaken by a professional volunteer army (and it is), that does not undermine the case for ‘mandatory’ (and it was never intended to be 100%) militia service.

The founders certainly felt that way.

Constitution of the State of New York (bold emphasis mine)

ARTICLE XII
DEFENSE
[Defense; militia]
Section 1. The defense and protection of the state and of the United States is an obligation of all persons within the state. The legislature shall provide for the discharge of this obligation and for the maintenance and regulation of an organized militia.

Many of the other state constitutions have similar language.

Never let it be said that I stopped a jeffy from ranting when he was correct about something. Although the bit about COVID is incoherent. He really should have stopped after the first paragraph.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

But do the band boys have to give up puberty blockers? And makeup?

[ckfred]

This sounds like something that a hippy dippy classmate of mine in middle school and high school would support. Her father was a very liberal Presbyterian minister.

I doubt that anyone who has been drafted into the U.S. military would agree with you. My father was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. He had co-workers who served in Korea and WWII thought that draft dodgers needed to br strung up by their thumbs.

One of my father’s co-workers believed that every American 18-year-old needed to serve. American boys were too soft and needed to be toughened.

[Libertariantranslator]

Christian National Socialism likewise devoutly believed that mystical altruism justified the initiation of coercive and deadly force. So on Saturday, 16MAR1935, Germany’s Most Christian Fuhrer decreed that German youths would again be forcibly impressed into the Wehrmacht. After all, the United States Suprema Corte had ruled it OK for “some” slavery/involuntary servitude to exist, right? Besides, lookit how successful the Kaiser’s frogmarching of youth into Lewisite and mustard gas trenches had been since 1914! Whoopee!

[Apollonius]

1950 showed that it doesn’t matter how motivated someone might be, they are ineffective against invasion — without training.

1950 showed that there isn’t time to train if you wait until the invasion begins.

Mandatory military service is really their only option, if they intend to survive as a nation.

[Libertariantranslator]

How docile of Matt not to mention the 13th Amendment. The Suprema Corte once said slavery was OK–to throttle the Accursed Hun. Then it let stand the 1972 LP plank on birth control as Roe, making the emancipation of women from their former condition of servitude a legal and patriotic thing. Now its Nazi faction reversed that former endorsement of freedom from coercion, so why not also reverse the 1917 decision making chattel and cannon fodder of males? Didn’t we invent nuclear weapons to promote freedom?

[Angry Porcupine]

You know, being a product of the 80’s hair bands that looking back I believe were bad; these fags are way worse so I don’t feel so embarrassed being from Gen X, cause Gen Z is way more lame.

[PatriciaReid]

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[MilikusFlorium]

Well, it’ll have a huge effect on the music industry for sure, but I believe it won’t take long for everything to get back. Anyway, they’ll still release music, it just won’t be exactly the same. But in general, I’m not a fan of them, I’m more into South African Music Download, so I don’t really care about the fact that they won’t perform their concerts in full force, and they’ll get back together eventually.