My Application To Be a Conscientious Objector

by Nathan J. Rodriguez

Dear Lew,

My Name is Nathan J Rodriguez. I am currently a Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force who plans on filing for Conscientious objector status this week. I have served four and half years with a deployment to Kabul Afghanistan as a "Combat Advisor", in the communications field. I wish to share portions of my application with you, and possibly others if you chose to publish it, as you and your ventures have been highly influential in my education and conversion to a Free-Market Anarchist. Thank you for your life's work which has changed the lives of so many others.

A2.2.1. A description of the nature of the belief that requires the applicant to seek separation from the military service or assignment to noncombatant training and duty for reasons of conscience:

Through much personal study of Scripture and economic principles, along with a great amount of meditation, I have concluded war is an immoral act, one that never benefits either side of the conflict. It tears down families, destroys livelihoods, and halts progress for all. Worst of all it is a violation of natural rights: that is harmful aggression on individuals, and their right to life.

Beginning simply with the Word of God, The Ten Commandments given to Moses specifically states never to take, or harm, another’s life or property. Further, in the New Testament Jesus instructs his followers to live by one simple rule, "Love one another". Following this Paul echoes Christ’s words in his Letter to the Christians in Rome when he reminds them to "Live peaceably with all men".

My philosophy is merely the golden rule as Christ laid out in the book of Luke: "Do unto others what you have them do unto you." Today the golden rule, which can be found as a central key in numerous religions, has been adopted by the Libertarian philosophy where it is known as the Non-Aggression Axiom, or Non-Aggression Principle (NAP). This principle states that man, all men, have the right to do anything they wish as long as they do not threaten or force harm on another’s life or property. War is in direct violation of this principle as its goal is to not only destroy the property of others, but to terminate lives. Therefore as military service is incompatible with my personally held beliefs I am requesting Conscientious Objector discharge from the United States Air Force.

A2.2.2. An explanation as to how the beliefs changed or developed, to include an explanation of the factors (how, when, from whom, or from what source applicant received training or acquired belief) contributing to conscientious objection beliefs:

While in High School I developed an immense interest of the political arena. My dad was a registered Republican and self-described Conservative who often debated with other family members, who were of the liberal fashion. Listening to these conversations led me to believe the philosophy of conservatism was superior to that of the liberals. This created the foundation for my future intellectual growth.

I enlisted in the USAF in order to not only "serve ‘my’ country", but to forge the beginnings of a political career. The plan was simple: Enlist, achieve a Bachelors degree while enlisted, receive a Commission as an AF Officer, then become active within the Republican Party. However, there were educational detours that eventually derailed the plan.

Serving my time at Wiesbaden Army Airfield, January 2009, I began to study the teachings of the economist Milton Friedman, by way of his book Capitalism and Freedom. The spark for economic learning was set, and I began to devour books similar to Dr. Friedman’s. These included fellow Chicago school professor Friedrich A. Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom and Henry Hazlitt’s Economics in One Lesson. These books opened my eyes to the inefficiencies of governmental central planning, and the disastrous results that the normal citizen endures because of the mistakes made by state intervention.

After reading the highly popular Ayn Rand novel Atlas Shrugged, and embracing many aspects of the Objectivist philosophy it espouses, I promptly switched the Conservative/Republican label for that of the Libertarian. At this time I grew against the many wars the US was involved in.

The latter part of my German tour, early 2010, brought me to the thoughts of the Austrian School of Economics. It was at this stage I discovered the philosophies of Ludwig von Mises and Murray Rothbard. The teachings of the Austrian School stressed the economic horrors of war; how it consumed scarce resources which would have better allocated on the market, where they are voluntary exchanged, for the satisfying of the consumer’s needs. These economic lessons led to the study of all major wars, and the revelation that nearly all wars are fought over the use and ownership of resources. Thus all wars are only for the benefit of the state, and those closely associated to it, and not of the people. They are built upon lies and made to seem necessary through nationalistic propaganda.

Not only embracing the economic arguments against war, I also accepted the Non-Aggression Principle. This was found by digging deeper into the mind of Dr. Rothbard. Through his writings I found the teachings of John Locke and his Natural Law theory. This principle simply states neither I nor any other man has the right to impose on another’s life or property. Seeing how it was completely compatible with the teachings of Jesus Christ, which I was quite familiar with, this principle soon became a pivotal axiom in my philosophy. Subsequently I rejected my earlier held belief in the "Just War Theory".

This marriage of Natural Law, Jesus Christ’s focus on peace, and the Economic teachings of the Austrian School became my own lens of how I view the world. My education continued to grow, as I would spend hours upon hours reading material found on websites hosted by the Mises Institute, Lew Rockwell, and Gary North, to name a few.

At this point I had just deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan in July 2011. While in Afghanistan it was clearly apparent to my closest superiors and colleagues that I was vehemently against war, and nearly all of my free time was spent reading or conversing with others on the history and economics of warfare.

After I returned from my deployment I took my allotted two weeks R&R, followed by a month of leave in order for reflection on my pending separation decision. On my return from leave in February 2012 I settled on applying for voluntary separation, instead of the conscientious objector path, under the assumption it would be less work for all involved (I am not in the habit of creating work for others). However the AF level MPF shot down the initial request.

A2.2.3. An explanation as to when these beliefs became incompatible with military service, and why:

Abiding by the Non-Aggression Principle, and adhering to Scripture, I realized that my service was in direct contradiction to my personal beliefs. This came to fruition before my deployment to Afghanistan in July 2011. The duties I carry out directly leads to the loss of life. This fact has been stated numerous times during official AF classes and formal gatherings, such as CC calls, and official creeds.

The thought of me as a "warrior" for the USAF is a nauseating one. I do not wish to fight any man or group of people I have never interacted with or who have never caused harm to my life or property. It is obvious wars are fought between states and not between the people, though others would have everyone believe otherwise. I am surrounded by this nationalistic aura that I fail to agree with. I am encouraged to be proud of the military heritage, and what is has supposedly accomplished. I am expected to give respect to murderers in the name of the beloved country. All these sentiments weigh heavy in my soul and the toll of my mind has been great.

During my time on the job I am continually exposed to hate. Not hate directly aimed towards myself, but rather hate against any group of people who "oppose" the US. One instance is when Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales killed 16 Afghan civilians, 9 of whom were children. The comments in my office following this event went along the lines of, "I wish he had killed more". This disgusting un-Christian attitude is unhealthy and detrimental to my soul. I grieve for such atrocities, and yet here are people who are cheering children’s deaths. These are the same people I am forced to work with on a daily basis.

It is examples such as this, and my strong held beliefs in peaceful interaction among individuals, that I find myself incompatible with military service. Continued service only creates a deeper depression in my life.

Additionally, I find the various rituals military life insists clashes with my spiritual convictions. The monuments, and ceremonies are directly against the wishes of God where he states "You shall have no other god before me," or when he instructs his followers to never bow down before any graven image, but only recognize Him as the Ruler of their lives.

April 10, 2012

Nathan J Rodriguez [send him mail] is currently a Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force.

Copyright © 2012 by LewRockwell.com. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.