"Over grown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, and are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty"
- George Washington
About this Quote
This quote by George Washington speaks to the threats of a big military facility. He is alerting that such an establishment, despite the form of federal government, is hostile to liberty. He is particularly worried about the risk to republican liberty, which is based on the idea of self-governance. He believes that a big military establishment can cause a concentration of power in the hands of a couple of, which can lead to the erosion of specific flexibilities. He is also alerting that a big military facility can cause a culture of militarism, which can cause a neglect for the guideline of law and the rights of residents. In other words, Washington is warning that a big military establishment can be a risk to liberty and need to be prevented.
"Developments in information technology and globalised media mean that the most powerful military in the history of the world can lose a war, not on the battlefield of dust and blood, but on the battlefield of world opinion"
"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded"
"After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. I sure as hell wouldn't want to live in a society where the only people allowed guns are the police and the military"
"We shall listen, not lecture; learn, not threaten. We will enhance our safety by earning the respect of others and showing respect for them. In short, our foreign policy will rest on the traditional American values of restraint and empathy, not on military might"
"The later it gets the more disturbed the city becomes. I go with Albert through the streets. Men are standing in groups at every corner. Rumours are flying. It is said that the military have already fired on a procession of demonstrating workers"
"As costly as it was in the lives of our men and women in uniform, in military assets, and in esteem and pride, Pearl Harbor was a watershed moment for America"
