This is the second post I've counted where you try to plug that idiotic book. And what's this "secret history" crap? Care to explain how liberals are even ABLE to keep their history "secret?" Unless you're talking about actual spybiz, use off the phrase "secret history" normally indicates paranoid delusions.

Oh, and the book is written by that stupid hack Jonah Goldberg, who tried to equate a national-service scheme to antebellum chattel slavery. Not exactly a reliable source on any subject.

Rage,

Well the popular theory is that National Socialism is right wing.

Uh. It is a variant of socialism where state control replaces state ownership.

BTW I have helped sell a few of those books. You might want to read it yourself in order to come up with more cogent criticisms.

Ok. National Service is not like slavery where the state (or some private owner) commands your whole life. They will only be stealing two years of it or so.

But hey - do you also propose bringing back the draft? If National Service comes in don't you think it will set a bad precedent?

You might want to read it yourself in order to come up with more cogent criticisms.

YOU might want to try summing up the book's content in such a way as to: a) demonstrate you know what you're taking about, and what the book is about; and b) justify my spending money and time on this book.

Ok. National Service is not like slavery where the state (or some private owner) commands your whole life. They will only be stealing two years of it or so.

"They" also won't be routinely raping you or your spouse, or selling your kids on an auction block to the highest bidder, or totally depriving you, not only of legal rights, but of your very legal personhood as well.

"They" also won't be routinely raping you or your spouse, or selling your kids on an auction block to the highest bidder, or totally depriving you, not only of legal rights, but of your very legal personhood as well.

Jewish slavery was much nicer than that. Read up on it some time. The Talmud explains the rules.

It was still slavery.

Jewish slavery was better than American slavery, therefore that makes it okay to compare community service to the ownership of humans by other humans? Bitch, please. You sound like a spoiled child calling his parents "slave drivers" evry time they tell him to clean up his room. Been there, done that, grew up, waiting for you to do the same.

Besides, just because there were laws protecting slaves, doesn't mean they had any meaning when the relationship between owners and owned was so unequivocally unequal.

Dude,

You are unclear on the concept. If it ain't voluntary it is slavery. I don't care if you have your own room, Saturday night socials and the right to visit home twice a year.

Kapish?

Dude, YOU are unclear on the rather significant differences between slavery and other forms of compulsory service (such as jury duty), which I've already explained in plain English. Only an ignorant, spoiled child with the attention span of a gnat could possibly fail to understand these differences.

Kapish?

I believe even jury duty gets paid at below market rates. But to the extent that you are not fully compensated for your loss it is slavery.

I'm one of those "Taxation is Theft" sort of guys. Now I understand to some extent the necessity. I'd prefer it be kept to an absolute minimum. And we are rather far from that. And stealing your money is one thing. Stealing your time is rather another.

You are stretching the word "slavery" far beyond its universally understood meaning. That is both dishonest and babyish.

I believe the universal definition is involuntary servitude.

If the government has men with guns willing to force you to do their will wouldn't you call that involuntary?

Or have words lost all their meaning?

And now you're you're stretching another phrase -- "involuntary servitude" -- far beyond what the overwhelming majority of English-speaking people understand it to mean, and far beyond what it was ever intended to mean. Your knowing misuse of words is a form of lying, and serves only to poison debate and cause confusion.

Thei differences between slavery, as mature adults understand it, and other actions required of individuals, are both obvious and important. Using one word to describe all of them does not make them the same; just as callng the sky "yellow" does not make blue and yellow the same color.

Well thank you Rage.

We do agree that it is involuntary servitude. That is progress.

BTW theft of your labor and time required of adults by government fiat at the point of a gun? Maybe slavery is too harsh of a word. How about Communism.

Always nice to have a Communist commenting. I don't get around those circles much these days. So are you a Trot? Or some other faction?

Maybe slavery is too harsh of a word. How about Communism.

Different stupid label, same stupid cowardly inability to face reality without hiding behind labels. (Is jury duty "Communist?" Do they even have jury trials?)

Oh, and I think I should remind you that "Communism" isn't a bad word anymore. Communism is now GOOD because it helps us keep our labor costs down. Don't you people read your memos? Do I have to do EVERYTHING here?