From: "Onno Meyer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Rupert replied to me:
If it is dogs, fine. If it is allied ETs, I find it extremely telling
that
the oath covers being placed in command of allies, but not being
placed under the command of allies ... no equal partnership.
Or no requirement that you accept being so placed. It doesn't preclude
this happening if you volunteer, so what it does is guarantee that you
won't be ordered to work for a foreign power, essentially.
So if aTerran general wants to task-organize a MI battalion with a
skinny regiment, he needs the OK from each individual trooper?
The general could presume assent unless the trooper objects; there a
similar right for troopers to resign service any time up until they
strap in the jump capsule.
Under that interpretation, the Terrans cannot have allies. They
can only have poodles.
Remember, we don't get the entire Oath, it may have the dreaded "and
other duties as assigned" clause. Heinlein wrote the book IIRC in 8
weeks spread over about 3 months' time in 1958-1959, and it wasn't the
only thing he was working on at the time, so it may be less than
perfectly airtight.
--
Jeff Wilson - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
< http://www.io.com/~jwilson >
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