IRVINE, CA--Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY), and others, would like to reinstitute slavery in the United States, but he proposes to hide its true nature by calling it a military draft.

The profoundly evil assumption underlying military conscription is that human beings are disposable slaves of the state. As a combat veteran who risked his life to free Koreans from that idea, Rangel should know better. He should also know that the immorality of slavery is not abolished by making it legal, or by hiding it in patriotic-sounding justifications.

In a country that was founded on the sanctity of individual rights, but included the horrific contradiction of black slavery--which Rangel's ancestors suffered--there is nothing patriotic about reviving that inconsistency by enslaving all races equally. If Congressman Rangel wants to show his patriotism, he should work to revive our inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

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Dr. Andrew Bernstein, a senior writer for the Ayn Rand Institute, is available for interviews.

Contact larryb@aynrand.org or (800) 365-6552 ext. 213.