Libertarian screwballs run amok!

The BBQ Pit
41

The Natural Law types that show up out here in the heartland seem to come from the motherload of the outfit at Marharichi (sp?) University at Fairfield, Iowa. As far as I can tell their principal theory involve having the front door on the east side of the house. The outfit from MU has started a new town in which all the houses face toward the rising sun. It may be a provision in the town’s zoning and subdivision ordinance.

There may well be some imposters foisting them selves off as Natural Law types based on the idea that anything they want to do they are allowed to do by virtue of some “natural” right that supplants silly things like statutes, regulations and court decisions. They are not the real thing. Accept no substitutes.

42

{long and semi-hijacky)

As an anarcho-capitalist, I am, by default, a libertarian. For a number of years, I was also a Libertarian, since I subscribe to the credo that the enemy of my enemy may well be my friend.

Unfortunately, I live in Arizona. The only thing really unfortunate about that is that the LP split here between the old-school “Thou shalt not compromise thy principles” faction and the “We have to compromise out principles in order to win elections and we’ll undertake the same philosophy of Fabianist incremental victory that the statists use in order to use it against them” faction.

That all came down to the national party suspending the state party charter and calling on a vote by state party members as to which of the two entities calling itself the Arizona LP they wanted to represent them. The old coots sent out a handwritten position statement (with damn POOR handwriting at that), and the slick newbies sent out an honest-to-god marketing campaign. Not surprisingly, the old coots lost the vote.

Okay, this kind of crap happens more often than anyone would like to admit in ANY political party. However, the fact that the LP refers to, and considers, itself the Party of Principle, left a bad taste in my mouth. The old coots (who were much closer to my own political and ethical views) came as close as possible to slandering their opponents rather than standing on and re-stating the principles to which they subscribed. The newbies put out a slick campaign full of disinformation and bald-faced lies about how much more effective they would be if the old coots were thrown out, and how the old coots were threatening the very survival of the party. I voted for the old coots and then didn’t renew my membership.

The problem with Libertarianism (note the capital L) is that it is a clearing house for anti-governmentalists. That includes, but is not limited to: anarcho-capitalists, governmental minimalists, states’ rights advocates, tax reformists, racial supremicists, religious fundamentalists, Illuminati conspiracists, misc. other conspricists, and anyone else (good OR evil) who has an agenda that is not furthered by governmental intervention.

This mix makes sure that the very ineffectiveness with which the restrictions placed within the Constitution were supposed to sidle the government and therefore ensure freedom to the People actually sidles the only party with any interest in individual freedoms, while ensuring that the voices of reason within the party never reach the ears of those outside it.

The mainstream press and other media only want to hear from the loonies, because they’re much more entertaining and engrossing than the eggheads, researchers and economists who share our central point of view: That no individual or entity has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force.

You’re right that this is not a difficult concept, but it is one rarely voiced by the party or candidates outside of the party literature and meetings, and even more seldom picked up by the media, who prefer - for economic reasons (ratings and sales) - to stay away from the informed and DULL intelligencia of the movement and broadcast things like conspiracy theories, cries of treason and ridiculously convoluted interpretations of history and law.

It’s a sad thing, and I’m sorry to hear that Colorado is apparently following in Arizona’s footsteps. I truly think the LP is doomed and that we will not see any movement toward minimalism in our lifetimes.

It makes me sad beyond words, since freedom is the birthright of all human beings, that the continuing encroachment upon individual liberties by the government in the name of security, profitability and order, will continue until long after I’m dead and that America will finish becoming the very kind fo controlling, restrctive society it was created to prevent because people are too scared or too unmotivated or too comfortable to pursue their freedom with the same enthusiam with which they pursue Attack of the Clones tickets.