A third essay signed by the "anonymous ghost" is posted on the bulletin board. This copy is not hand-written, but printed, like the second copy of the "Sensible Government" essay.
My RhyDinian brethren,
I write to you a third letter intended for those original democrats of RhyDin City, and those of you who have chosen democracy more lately perhaps in hopes of establishing a more legitimate, majority-run democracy. The number who voted in the primary election is still small, a minority, but perhaps more promising than last year's election. This government remains dangerous, but as those have been explained, I write to you concerning another danger.
Military leadership has no place in a democracy, illegitimate or otherwise.
I was once a military officer myself, so my warning comes not through prejudice, but through objective analysis of my training and of the leaders I served under and against, and also the annals of history.
Military leadership has no room for consent, and certainly not "consent to be governed." In fact, entering into a military institution is almost always signing a contract that strips you as a person of certain rights. Questioning authority in a military organization is a punishable offense, and your actions are not your own decisions but the result of orders from those above you, military leaders.
Certain other leaders may expect similar obedience, but such obedience has no place in a democracy, and obedience to military authority is tough love at its toughest. Many offenses in numerous military organizations outside of taking the life of another man may result in your own death.
This is not to question the role of military leadership within military organizations - such practices have proven through time they are well-suited to armies and navies of countless worlds - but to question its role, again, in democracy. An officer may become a proper civilian leader again given time, but as long as they are leading any form of military or paramilitary organization, the mentality will remain.
Whatever your choice, whether to support the problematic existing government or seek out new government, I urge you all to be cautious with military leaders.
Sincerely yours,
An Anonymous Ghost
My RhyDinian brethren,
I write to you a third letter intended for those original democrats of RhyDin City, and those of you who have chosen democracy more lately perhaps in hopes of establishing a more legitimate, majority-run democracy. The number who voted in the primary election is still small, a minority, but perhaps more promising than last year's election. This government remains dangerous, but as those have been explained, I write to you concerning another danger.
Military leadership has no place in a democracy, illegitimate or otherwise.
I was once a military officer myself, so my warning comes not through prejudice, but through objective analysis of my training and of the leaders I served under and against, and also the annals of history.
Military leadership has no room for consent, and certainly not "consent to be governed." In fact, entering into a military institution is almost always signing a contract that strips you as a person of certain rights. Questioning authority in a military organization is a punishable offense, and your actions are not your own decisions but the result of orders from those above you, military leaders.
Certain other leaders may expect similar obedience, but such obedience has no place in a democracy, and obedience to military authority is tough love at its toughest. Many offenses in numerous military organizations outside of taking the life of another man may result in your own death.
This is not to question the role of military leadership within military organizations - such practices have proven through time they are well-suited to armies and navies of countless worlds - but to question its role, again, in democracy. An officer may become a proper civilian leader again given time, but as long as they are leading any form of military or paramilitary organization, the mentality will remain.
Whatever your choice, whether to support the problematic existing government or seek out new government, I urge you all to be cautious with military leaders.
Sincerely yours,
An Anonymous Ghost