Barticles: Who Can Speak

Yet another excellent post from Bart Hinkle at the RTD, this time effortlessly destroying the “chickenhawk” argument:

Those who have served in the military have a valuable perspective and should be listened to. But it is nonsense to say that only they should be listened to. For one thing, the Founders went to some lengths to ensure that in the United States the final authority over the military would be civilian. For another, to suggest that only veterans can weigh in on military matters is akin to saying only policemen can weigh in on questions of law enforcement. Just as everyone in a community has a stake in the maintenance of law enforcement, everyone in a nation has a stake in the maintenance of national security.

(What’s more, those flinging the Chickenhawk ad hominem usually are trying to undercut the moral authority of advocates of military force, and thereby implicitly undercut the case for using military power. But they overlook the fact that veterans tend to be more hawkish than average, not less—so the Chickenhawk argument, to the extent that it works, only reinforces the case for military aggression.)

Outstanding. Go read it all.

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