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43 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 15h \ parent \ on: The Robber Baron Myth - Milton Friedman econ
one of Milton Friedman’s most memorable rhetorical moments...
During the Vietnam War era, Friedman served on President Nixon’s Commission on an All-Volunteer Force, which was tasked with evaluating the feasibility of ending the military draft.
In a public hearing, General William Westmoreland, then commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, expressed opposition to a volunteer military. He said he didn’t want to command “an army of mercenaries.” Friedman, never one to let a loaded term go unchallenged, replied:
“General, would you rather command an army of slaves?”
Westmoreland objected, saying he didn’t like hearing patriotic draftees referred to as slaves. Friedman shot back:
“I don’t like to hear patriotic volunteers referred to as mercenaries. If they are mercenaries, then I, sir, am a mercenary professor, and you, sir, are a mercenary general. We are served by mercenary physicians, we use a mercenary lawyer, and we get our meat from a mercenary butcher.”
Brilliant reply!
Let's just say General Westmoreland had no comeback, his clip was empty
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