I met a friend for lunch today, and the restaurant was by a bookstore, so of course I had to go in and browse for a bit. I wasn't planning on buying anything, but if there's one thing I can't resist, it's an interesting book, so I picked up "Radicals For Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement" by Brian Doherty. It seems to be a series of profiles on famous libertarians, and by that I mean people who espoused libertarian thought, not necessarily people in the Libertarian party. Although as I flip through, it seems there may be more a narrative to it than simply a series of biographies.

Anyway, there's a cool little exchange quoted on the back which I have seen before, but absolutely love, so I shall repeat it here. General William Westmoreland (one of the high up Vietnam guys) said that he was not interested in leading an army of mercenaries. Milton Friedman, economist famous for his staunch free market stand and the "Free to Choose" books and PBS series covering the wonders of capitalism, replied, "Would you rather lead an army of slaves?" Westmoreland said he took offense at "patriotic draftees" being referred to as slaves, and Friedman retorted, "I don't like to hear our patriotic volunteers referred to as mercenaries."