The problem with Somalia, Chad, Sudan, and other such lawless nations is that not everyone is armed. An armed society is one where everyone is armed, roughly equivalently, permitting self defense.
In the case of Sudan, Dafur in particular, the black farmers are unarmed and at the mercy of the Arab nomadic militia (the Janjaweed). Since I supported the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the branch monitoring this situation, I can speak from personal experience of the failure of the UN and European nations to intervene significantly or effectively in this genocide. Of course, this is the same UN that wants to pass an international small-arms treaty to make the rest of the world follow the example of England, Canada, and Australia.
Nor do I feel that Somalia, Chad, and Sudan should be considered societies. Society implies rule of law, social contract, central government, not the rule of the strong on the weak or the armed on the unarmed. How can one term a nation beset with internecine conflict among various warlords a society? I'm not certain the quote (An armed society is a polite society) comes from Robert A. Heinlein, but I'll let it stand. Society implies civilization, arms give the society the means to enforce its laws and individuals the means to maintain liberty.

NewYorkjoe

The =exact= quote, maybe not. But certainly the =idea= comes from BEYOND THIS HORIZON. (And I'm confident the Grandmaster would nod sadly in agreement with the rest of your post.)

Aw, Gawd, Biggles--I'm in the wilds of PA tonight, no hope of getting a tortilla, none 'til I get back to NY though my mouth is watering like Niagara Falls just thinking about that good eatin'... Let's ponder something else...you think Pedro Martinez will be a good teammate with the Mets? (I'm trying to ponder =anything= else...excuse me...gotta check out the fridge...)

Sorry, I don't follow baseball. Not a violent enough sport for me.

Sorry, I don't follow baseball. Not a violent enough sport for me.

Well, that's a point and a good one too. As best as I can recall, only one man has died during a game, and that was back in the '20s. Seeing wicked Pedro Martinez hurl the antique Don Zimmer to the ground during the 2003 ALC was pretty bland gruel to those of us with a craving for...heartier fare, shall we say? :eek:

I miss me some hockey!

I miss me some hockey!

What a fiasco that whole deal was.

The =exact= quote, maybe not. But certainly the =idea= comes from BEYOND THIS HORIZON. (And I'm confident the Grandmaster would nod sadly in agreement with the rest of your post.)

I don't know if Heinlein said it first, but he did say it. And as you say it was in BEYOND THIS HORIZON. The full quote goes something like this:

"An armed society is a polite society, as you never know when you may have to pay for your actions with your life."

Ken V.

I miss me some hockey!

Me too, bro'. Just when the Pens were gettin' good with their young players, we miss a whole season. I honestly believe they could've made the playoffs this year, probably as a 7th or 8th seed, but whatever. :mad:

Well, that's a point and a good one too. As best as I can recall, only one man has died during a game, and that was back in the '20s. Seeing wicked Pedro Martinez hurl the antique Don Zimmer to the ground during the 2003 ALC was pretty bland gruel to those of us with a craving for...heartier fare, shall we say? :eek:

Sure doesn't compare to Celebrity Death Matches, does it?

Sure doesn't compare to Celebrity Death Matches, does it?

That's a show I would pay a nice buck to see. First match, maybe Paris Hilton vs Anna Nicole Smith?

I don't know if Heinlein said it first, but he did say it. And as you say it was in BEYOND THIS HORIZON. The full quote goes something like this:

"An armed society is a polite society, as you never know when you may have to pay for your actions with your life."

Ken V.

I think BEYOND THIS HORIZON is the "forgotten" Heinlein novel. And that's a shame--lotsa good stuff in it. Overshadowed, maybe, by his later works which are just spectacular.