Ali died late on June 3, 2016
As a kid, back in the 70’s, I loved watching Muhammad Ali. Regardless of what you think about him, he was very entertaining and a tactician in the ring. Back then I didn’t know anything about the politics, Vietnam, the Nation of Islam or any of that stuff. I just knew I liked watching him box. He was quite a character and his banter with Howard Cosell was a hoot.
As an adult with conservative – right wing tendencies, when I learned about Ali refusing to be inducted into the army, I thought less of Ali as a person but now, as a libertarian, I have to reassess my opinion of Ali.
When Ali said “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong,” and refused to be drafted into the army he took a lot of flak for it and I’m certain he knew what the consequences would be when he took that stand. You may think it cowardice but standing up for one’s beliefs and being willing to take a felony wrap and go to prison can hardly be defined as cowardice.
Many today still think the draft to be a legitimate action of the government during wartime but in a country that claims to value liberty and freedom, that’s a pretty hypocritical position to take. Forcing people to kill other people against their will just because the ruling caste demands it and claims it’s their duty is certainly anything but just. It’s sad that so many people are just reactionaries who don’t stop and really think about the ramifications of their position. Do any of these people think that they own their own bodies? If so then they should stand against the Draft unhesitatingly.
Conscription is tantamount to slavery. There’s no other way to look at it. What is it when one group of human beings takes away the freedom of another and conscripts them into service against their will? I think it’s called slavery plain and simple. There is no justification for such a position for those who say they love liberty. All the cries from politicians and the, so called, patriotic citizen that everyone should do their duty and serve their country when called upon, cannot diminish the facts of what the nature of the draft is… let’s just call it what it is — SLAVERY.
Our Rights, our Liberties, our Freedoms do not come from the government and we therefore, do not owe the government anything and certainly not to kill or die for it. Defending your property, freedom and liberty is one thing but going to war for the State and what will surely, at a future time, be shown to be for causes that have nothing to do with those things is surely misguided.