Memorial Day and the Meaning of Patriotism

I’m fairly sure this is the first mention of Libertarian Ron Paul, whose very worthwhile comment on our war-like nature is featured here.

Even though Libertarianism is essentially a rubber stamp of greed and a grand statement of our vast indifference to the suffering of others, it’s not entirely without merit.  By virtue of its abhorrence of government, it is very tough on corruption and all the other aspects of repression and state-sponsored stupidity, e.g., the notion that war is beneficial.

The most omnipresent aspect of daily life at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, the Quaker school I attended K-12, was that it never once glorified war.  Most of our teachers and other faculty members who had lived through wartime had participated as ambulance drivers; others were conscientious objectors.  Knowing that not one had killed another human being and was committed to peace-making was awe-inspiring.