printShall I play the litmus-test game of, “Are you a libertarian”? OK. I don’t believe you can call yourself a libertarian and disagree with these two statements I tweeted out:
1) The obscenity of the Gold Star designation, given for the “privilege” of dying for Uncle Sam. You are not awarded for bravery, where your obligation is toward your brothers-in-arms, for whom most men in the military are prepared to die; your family is awarded with a special status for simply dying, for getting killed.
#GoldStar Family designation sounds obscene, like a special credit card The government gives to those who die in State-launched wars.
— Ilana Mercer (@IlanaMercer) August 2, 2016
2) Donald Trump has created more value for many more fellow Americans than any one man dying in the service of The State. (He just doesn’t know how to express himself. Neither do his “surrogates.”) Are we back to conflating The State’s wars with the Common Good? Wars destroy wealth and life; they don’t enhance them. America hasn’t fought a Just War for a long long time. (Read “Just War for Dummies.”)
Has #GStephanopoulos heard of #AdamSmith's Invisible Hand? #Trump's done more good than pols & their footsoldiers. https://t.co/JUp9X9N6ms
— Ilana Mercer (@IlanaMercer) July 30, 2016
#DonaldTrump has created more value for many more fellow Americans than any 1 man dying in the service of The State. https://t.co/JUp9X9N6ms
— Ilana Mercer (@IlanaMercer) July 30, 2016