Ok, So He Isn't Right All TheTime ...

Last evening on the TV show, Stossel, guest Glenn Beck suggested that the United States would perhaps be better off “privatizing” the military. “I’m just saying maybe we should think about it.”. No, I don’t think that's what you meant. Based on your comments I believe it’s already a foregone conclusion for you.

Ok. Glenn let’s get this right – you believe American soldiers will be equally willing to fight and die for the “company” as they would be in defending their country, meaning the rest of us,.

Yeah, sign me up for a tour of that duty! I wanna’ fight for the Board of Directors.

C’mon Beck, you seriously want us to put our faith and trust into some corporate CEO to defend and preserve our values? Get real.

We owe you a huge debt of gratitude for carrying the fight to and about Washington insiders, bureaucrats and politicians who erode and threaten our freedoms but you are wrong to dismiss the value and importance of the US military to this country by re-assigning its role to some private enterprise. And this evening you probably just lost the support of a hell of a lot of Americans who see that value much differently than you and as other libertarians do.

Before there was a Constitution, before there was a Bill of Rights, even before there was a Declaration of Independence there was a continental army fighting, bleeding and dying for Americans and American freedoms.

You spoke about trust and questioned whether American civilians could rely upon the institution to eliminate waste and inefficiency (probably not from within) and questioned whether or not that much military power and force should be in the hands of a CEO but concluded it wasn’t really problematic because it’s already at the disposal of a President after all.

An argument which conveniently disregards the scale of American representation and the potential for abuse by a much smaller body of self interested and vested individuals. A CEO is elected by a corporation’s shareholders generally through their representatives, the Board of Directors and as you’ll perhaps recall a President is determined by a nationwide electorate through their electoral representatives – just slightly more people involved in the process you know than your typical corporate board.

I know, I know it’s such a pesky little detail – who a national military force is accountable through – a corporate CEO or a civilian President –

In the case of Obama I’d acknowledge that the American electorate failed miserably.

Could an insane or rogue or politically desperate President misuse that power again directly against American citizens so broadly to institute a despotic regime – I seriously doubt the military as individuals would ultimately permit it. There are those perennial reports that keeping popping up which frustrate the hell out of Washington politicians because the US military doubts that American soldiers in large numbers would train their weapons and use them against American civilians. There’s obviously a much different mindset throughout the country now since the time of Kent State – that generation of young adults is now in their 50’s and 60’s and I seriously doubt they’d tolerate blood in the streets again.

I think the culture and traditions and honor of the US military stands as the very last safeguard for a Congress and Press which failed and continues to fail to do their respective jobs.

Can you seriously say that a corporation and its CEO would be as stalwart?

Private industry can produce the technology and weapons of war but can not be counted upon to produce the soldiers with the spirit and will and desire to fight for freedom. In America it appears only the shared experiences of legacies, families and communities can do it. That transcends just doing a job and drawing a paycheck.

Wait a minute you’re right, I’m wrong! They will fight for a sufficiently large paycheck – and they’re called mercenaries. And none of us should ever doubt or ever suspect their loyalties for a single minute if they should ever make up the ENTIRE military force of the country, should we?

Ok in fairness to you, you backpedaled and said you wanted a “volunteer” army, not draftees or “grotesque” mercenaries. But employees don’t “volunteer” do they? They’re “assigned” or in essence, drafted. Gee, that would make them the draftees you don’t trust, wouldn’t it? Uh, oh, as paid soldiers of a corporate enterprise they’re also your detested and grotesque mercenaries as well.

Nor can private industry be counted upon to sufficiently align its interests with those of Americans in general – businesses do not operate as democracies (or even your beloved republics!) - and too often, I’m ashamed to say, my brethren have been shown to be more interested in their own agendas for power and the aggrandizement of their egos than they are in good corporate governance for the benefit and interests of their constituencies – shareholders, customers, employees, vendors and community. Here’s a revelation - corporate stewardship often isn’t.

So despite the waste and inefficiency and other regrettable transgressions of our military, I remain, as are many other Americans, vastly more inclined than apparently you are to trust the institution and its culture to reinforce and protect our American values than to put our faith in the agenda of some power tripping corporate CEO.

Corporations do not have the internal traditions and cultural equivalent to a military code of conduct. Employees do not nor have that mechanism to challenge the CEO’s directives, and all too often the shareholders lack effective means to override a board of directors that frequently acquiesces to the CEO – invariably by the time they do act because of misdeeds, the situation is so bad the proverbial crap has inescapably hit the fan and the shareholders.

You want less waste and inefficiency and more bang for your buck and less politics in the military? That’s laudable, but then reform them not replace them. And start by staying focused on the real source of the problem; cleaning up and clearing out the Congress, their insider and vested interests and enabling bureaucrats.

From time to time Beck you lose focus and say some idiotic, half witted and contradictory things, especially when you “wing it” and ad lib – but this time I’m sorry to say your sincerity about privatizing the military was over the top for foolishness.

Even so, it would be a tremendously good thing if this weekend your Washington rally on the restoration of honor throughout the rest of America takes root.