Motion: Support Abolition of Military Draft in the Republic of Georgia

[Miguel Duque]

Dear LNC,

I seek co-sponsors for the following motion: The Libertarian Party USA declares support for our Libertarian allies of the Girchi Party in the Republic of Georgia and their efforts to abolish mandatory military conscription in their country.

This is an inspirational story of freedom-loving peace advocates fighting back against tyranny and the war machine in a very rad and based way. I would love for us to give them a shout out on social media and thank them for their courage.

This is the energy that Libertarians worldwide should strive to embody. When evil, profiteering warmongers try to coerce us into sending more of our young men and women off to be killed and maimed in strange lands only to defend their thievery and lies, we say NO.

Georgia is not currently a member of NATO, but has been promised by NATO to be admitted in the future.

Here are two messages sent to us by a Girchi representative named Ucha:

We've had mandatory military conscription for decades until a Georgian libertarian party created their own church in 2018 to help people avoid slavery to the government, as priests were legally allowed to avoid conscription. [https://eurasianet.org/a-libertarian-georgian-church-aids-young-draft-dodgers]

The church managed to free nearly 50k people from this form of modern slavery since its creation, but recently the government introduced a new law making it illegal to avoid conscription this way. Therefore, the libertarian party is now battling against the government to completely cancel the military draft and make the service fully voluntary. 

As the mentioned libertarian party is practically the only one in opposition to this amendment, we would kindly like to ask for your support so people from Georgia would feel some sort of aid, at least in the online sphere.

Any kind of short post in support of the libertarian party's battle against military conscription would be hugely appreciated. [https://www.facebook.com/GirchiParty]

I am also sending a short introductory video of the libertarian party for your convenience [https://youtu.be/U7MG0y_Dlyc]

Description of their project:

Slavery is not determined by the color of the skin, nor by the difficulty of the work, nor by its location, but by the involuntary nature of this work.

The government uses unwilling Georgian youth as cheap service personnel on a mandatory basis and under a threat of force exploits their freedom for less than $25 per month for a duration of 12 consecutive months.

It should be noted that through Girchi's church - Biblical Freedom, military service has practically been abolished. 

But the government is now aiming to renew the conscription by abolishing priesthood as a legally allowed form of avoiding conscription.

The purpose of the project: De jure abolition of conscription as a historical anachronism.

What should be done: Mandatory conscription should be abolished, the army should be recruited only on a voluntary, contractual basis.

Result: A professional army, staffed by people who are willing and able to defend the country.

Petition: I demand that the mandatory military service be canceled and a complete transition to contractual (professional) military service be made.

Some links to check out:

Info Page and Petition: https://www-girchi-com.translate.goog/projects/savaldebulo-jaris-gauqmeba?_x_tr_sl=ka&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

March 11th Protest Rally in Tbilisi, Georgia - FB Event: https://fb.me/e/FaiX78wE

About the Girchi Party: https://www-girchi-com.translate.goog/ge/media/news/8459-girchis-shesakheb?_x_tr_sl=ka&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

For world peace,

Miguel Duque

Region 1 Rep & International Representative

Libertarian National Committee

[Dustin Blankenship]

I will cosponsor.

[Miguel Duque]

Found this too about the church they registered, the Christian Evangelical Protestant Biblical Freedom Church of Georgia:

The Church's highest rules are the seven commandments of Biblical Freedom:

1. You have one life and it completely belongs to you.
2. To live is to be free and to be free is to live.
3. A deprivation of property is a deprivation of life.
4. The body is your sacred form of property, it fully belongs to you.
5. Homicide deprives you of life, theft of your property, slavery of both; these are immoral.
6. Only the existence of violence entitles governments to interfere; taxation and paternalism are morally the same as robbery and theft, hence a deprivation of life.
7. Freedom is the product of constant struggle; if someone takes it, one must fight to seize it back.

Miguel Duque, R1 Rep, International Rep

[Angela McArdle]

I will co sponsor.

Angela McArdle, Chair

Libertarian National Committee

[Secretary LNC]

I will start this ballot tomorrow - completely full plate today.

___________________________________________________

In Liberty, Caryn Ann Harlos

LNC Secretary and LP Historical Preservation Committee Chair ~ 561.523.2250

[Secretary LNC]

Before I start this ballot, I want to note a technical error that I would like to see supported.  We cannot actually move that the "Libertarian Party" supports anything.  We can declare that the Libertarian National Committee does.  

I am asking if it is acceptable to make this change.

___________________________________________________

In Liberty, Caryn Ann Harlos

LNC Secretary and LP Historical Preservation Committee Chair ~ 561.523.2250

[Miguel Duque]

I wasn't sure about that, but yes, that's fine with me. Thank you!

[Secretary LNC]

Okay I will take care of it, gracias.

___________________________________________________

In Liberty, Caryn Ann Harlos

LNC Secretary and LP Historical Preservation Committee Chair ~ 561.523.2250