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Originally Posted by Mr Mephisto
Huh?
Why should I reread it? You've lost me now. Where did I say anything about combat?
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You said putting your life on the line, which was not a requirement. He said even if you were blind, mute, and deaf they would find a job for you to earn your franchise.
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In the future world of the novel, only those who have volunteered for federal service (which includes military service) are permitted to vote and hold political office. These aspects of the novel make it highly controversial, with numerous detractors interpreting the book as thinly-disguised, expertly-written propaganda for fascism (Heinlein later denied that military service was the only way to earn the franchise and claimed that the novel made this point explicitly, several times. However, this issue is still a matter of controversy among even the book's defenders, and some commentators have declared, based on a careful reading of the text, that Heinlein is simply wrong on this point.)
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The point is that is was written as a satire, showing what can happen when the state tries to control those entitled to vote. And that seems to be what you are supporting.
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Point is you miss the point a bit. Heinlein was a hard core right winger such as myself. Most liberals choke reading his books but if you want to think of it as all satire, be my guest. I think many liberals would like to think its satire as its even more shocking to them then 'A Modest Proposal' by Swift, but alas for them, its pretty much the same sort of idea he espouses in all of his books.
I’ve read essays where left wingers try to explain everything he wrote as a giant satire, they almost beg for it, but after reading most of his works a basic theme emerges with is self reliance, no final authority, and self responsibility.
Plus any author who calls socialism a disease is worth reading.
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Whatever may be read into Heinlein's opinions on these points, his express claim is that the novel is an exploration of the question "why men fight" and that it leaves many unanswered questions. Probably the single most important political subject explicitly explored in the novel (and defended by at least the characters doing the exploring, if not by Heinlein himself) is the idea that authority and responsibility must be equal and coordinated, the alternative being that their imbalance throws a society into disequilibrium and chaos.
Heinlein also expresses his views on communism in the novel. Written during one of the most frigid points in the Cold War, he blasts Marx's views such as the value of labor through speeches by a history teacher. However, he does concede that communism fails only because of flaws in human nature. The Bugs are a purely communist society, and indeed for the insectoid drones, communism is the ideal way of life.
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What if Kerry was elected and said that in future, only those who voted Democrat were entitled to vote and all Republicans had their citizenship rights revoked? Let me guess... you wouldn't support that now, would you?
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You got apples into my oranges.