emacs switch similar to vi's -R, or view equivalent?

[Andrew B. Young]

Hello,

Is there an emacs switch similar to vi's -R, or view equivalent?

I use emacs regularly but find "view this_file" very comforting,
e.g., sudo view /etc/aliases.  This forces me to ! the write as
an extra measure of safety.

My guess is that I need a special init file that gets loaded via an 
alias, i.e., "ev this_file".

Thanks,
Andrew