<HTML>In a message dated 2/11/2003 11:37:24 AM Pacific Standard Time, philion@hawaii.edu writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> --actually, Noam Chomsky made a speech in Pakistan this year in which he defended the use of children as soldiers in a socialist state, said it is actually one of the central goals of a liberated state. He said that children should be used by adults for the state's military ends.  I understand that Aijaz Ahmad was by his side nodding his head in approval. Steve </BLOCKQUOTE> Ah geeeees! How about a url or two reporting on this speech at least? This sounds so patently inflammatory and, speaking plainly, stupid that I at least want to double and triple check that it was actually said before I run amuck all over Chomsky. If he actually said it, I would find it humorous that he at least agrees with the US government in one respect.  The US Government is unwilling to sign onto conventions outlawing child soldiers because they want to continue their practice of recruiting 17-year-olds into the supposedly "volunteer" military. So both Chomksy and the USG support the right of some state forms, theirs, to involve child soldiers. That would be one reason I love to listen to Chomsky describe what's wrong with the world, but I find him much less that either sensible or inspiring about what to do about the the problems he enumerates. DoreneC</HTML>