Our Democracies, Not Our Children, Should Go to Boot Camp
Family Is Less a Barrier to Democracy Than Governance Itself
Imagine this heart-breaking scene in the Greek city-state of Sparta in the 6th century BC: a 7-year-old boy from the best of homes, loving and intelligent, was torn from his mother by authorities and transferred to an inhuman government-run institution. He was made to sleep on a thin mat, scarcely protected from the cold, and was forced to steal food to survive. His days were spent on a regimen of athletic-military and academic drills, and he was subjected to frequent beatings.
What crime had the boy committed? None at all! …
