As for my opinion on laws, rules and orders – I believe that every person has got a head not just to carry it to the hairdresser but to think with the brain that is in it. This is necessary for practicing democracy already. But it helps as well to evaluate the limits of obedience and subordination. They start where lines of morality or humanity are clearly crossed and other human beings are degraded in their dignity. This can of course happen in a democracy as well. But to believe in this political system means as well to show a certain faith in its instruments of control (though I admit that even there mistakes are made, we are living in a world with shades of grey).

But, and that is what I wanted mainly to express in my response to Feiglin (the g in the end was probably something like a Freudian slip), a state will not work when its citizen take rules and laws as suggestion only and when they choose freely what they want to obey or not. If you suggest to disobey decisions because they don’t fit your political agenda, you can be a) sure once you are in power the others will disobey your decisions as well what contradicts your claim to be ‘in power’ b) done with all this schmuh about elections, laws and court rules as these would all be sham fights.

And then it comes to an army – especially one that is deployed inside the borders as well as against enemies – soldiers just have to show special loyalty to the state they are to protect as otherwise the army would become a decisive, dangerous because incalcuable and armed player on the political stage. It has no legitimization for that, it is only a tool to use. For the limits of subordination look above.

So you are saying that if you are a drafted soldier in a democracy you just shut up and follow orders. That’s ludicrous! You are assuming that all orders coming down the chain are perfectly reasonable because at the top is elected leadership. But there are still *people* along this chain! And people are fallible even in a democracy. Think about the soldiers in Abu Graib or what the CIA has been doing in a host of countries over the last 50 years, including the black prisons in Eastern Europe! I don’t even want to know what is going on in Guantanamo…

I maintain that it is *always* the responsibility of people to question authority and, when needed, disobey. If you start limiting this right, no this duty, then you are going down a slippery slope where there is always an excuse not to speak up.

Your non-authoritarian brother,
Sven

PS: And yes, as much as I would like to believe in the ideal of direct democracy, I concede that “the masses” are stupid and Switzerland is just the latest example – we have California here – not as extreme but often just as stupid.

Anat, mentioning your blog was the least thing I could do for all the help I get from you!

My biggest regret is that I didn’t right down my thoughts/feelings when I made alilyah! Try to write as much as possible!!!

@wchingya
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