As a libertarian, I don’t think anyone should be handing over millions of federal dollars

As a libertarian, I don’t think anyone should be handing over millions of federal dollars for

anything. Private citizens could buy the site, finance a memorial with voluntary contributions, and

design it to their own specifications: otherwise, we are to be perpetually subjected to inquisitors of

Ms. Burlingame’s ilk, such as the rightwing radio screamer Michael Smerconish who utilizes his posting

privileges on the Huffington Post blog to support her attempt to “take back” the memorial.

If we must have a state-subsidized memorial — which seems pretty close to inevitable — then the Sport

Party’s efforts to control what it looks like and what ideas it projects must be resisted — and that

’s just what I do in my answering post on the Huff-blog, here.

Check out my latest post on the Huffington Post blog: it’s about “fragging,” a practice much in

evidence during the Vietnam era when hundreds of American military officers were killed by their own

soldiers — and, no, we aren’t talking about “friendly fire” here. Hand-grenades were the favored

mode of execution, a most unfriendly way to die.

I have to say that I’ll be absolutely shocked and, yes, surprised if this does indeed turn out to be a

case of fragging. After all, these soldiers are volunteer, unlike the conscripts forced to fight the

Vietnam Sport. Could it be that they’re discovering that, as in Vietnam, we have no business being

over there — and are now beginning to take out their anger at being bamboozled into volunteering on

their officers?