# Senator Trent Lott announces retirement **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 26, 2007, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845 "2007-11-26T22:41:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/141 "2007-11-28T23:03:20Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Until it does, please **stop using the word to refer to yourself or your politics.** You are an American, like it or not, and in America liberal != libertarian. [/QUOTE] Prescriptivists. […p’tooey!..] ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/142 "2007-11-28T23:07:10Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] It’s worse than that. He would spoil your opportunity to snark at me with zippy one-liners, which are rarer than a fried penis in Jeffrey Dahmer’s fridge. It’s something you just never do. [/QUOTE] That’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day. And bear in mind, I’ve been reading [bash.org](http://bash.org) most of the time since 9 or so this morning. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/143 "2007-11-28T23:26:33Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Prescriptivists. […p’tooey!..] [/QUOTE] Even descriptivists would think you are goofy. They look at how words are generally used, not how some crank decides to use them. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/144 "2007-11-28T23:35:24Z")
Oh, let him be, **BG**. He’s not going to get anywhere in the long run with his movement to transfer the American political term “liberal” to the libertarians, and in the meantime he’s further confusing the political terminology of the libertarian movement and deflecting some of the conservative extemists’ reflexive anti-liberal ire towards them. It’s win-win. If you ask me, the European and American definitions of “liberal” seem to be on course to meet in the middle eventually anyway, and have been for a few decades now. We’ll probably wind up with very similar models of market-friendly social-justice welfare states that will resemble each other much more than either of them resembles the proposed models of the hardcore “anti-statist” libertarians. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/145 "2007-11-28T23:46:59Z")
[QUOTE=Kimstu] …the proposed models of the hardcore “anti-statist” libertarians. [/QUOTE] The funny thing about those hard core anti statist libertarians is, if they ever succeed they will get their asses kicked by the statists with an organized military in the country next door. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/146 "2007-11-29T01:48:12Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Until it does, please **stop using the word to refer to yourself or your politics.** You are an American, like it or not, and in America liberal != libertarian. [/QUOTE] Nah, he says he’s an Austrian. They tawk funny over there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/147 "2007-11-29T02:14:16Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] The funny thing about those hard core anti statist libertarians is, if they ever succeed they will get their asses kicked by the statists with an organized military in the country next door. [/QUOTE] Nah. The super-duper technology that Libertaria will produce in its free-market sector will kick the other side’s asses. 😉 > [@RTF](#): > > Nah, he says he’s an Austrian. They tawk funny over there. Ask him to throw another shrimp on the barbie! ---
**Author:** ![ChattyChattyBingBing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@ChattyChattyBingBing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChattyChattyBingBing)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/148 "2007-11-29T02:19:45Z")
Is Trent Lott gay? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/149 "2007-11-29T02:24:26Z")
Trent who? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/150 "2007-11-29T02:25:21Z")
[QUOTE=Captain Carrot] That’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day. And bear in mind, I’ve been reading [bash.org](http://bash.org) most of the time since 9 or so this morning. [/QUOTE] Thanks. It’s a pretty laughable thread. Guy retires. God what a fucktard. How dare he. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/151 "2007-11-29T02:38:40Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Thanks. It’s a pretty laughable thread. Guy retires. God what a fucktard. How dare he. [/QUOTE] Another swing…another miss. The point, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/152 "2007-11-29T02:49:46Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] Another swing…another miss. The point, that is. [/QUOTE] Yeah, I felt the point, but I thought it was constipation. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/153 "2007-11-29T02:52:48Z")
Ooooh, snap! Wilde? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/154 "2007-11-29T03:02:28Z")
[QUOTE=elucidator] Ooooh, snap! Wilde? [/QUOTE] No, [Mentalz](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdEIJnkD4VI&NR=1). ---
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/155 "2007-11-29T04:00:05Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] If my vote indeed means nothing, tell me so. [/QUOTE] Your vote means nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/156 "2007-11-29T04:06:50Z")
[QUOTE=ChattyChattyBingBing] Is Trent Lott gay? [/QUOTE] No, but his wife is a pillar of saltt. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/157 "2007-11-29T04:28:44Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] No, but his wife is a pillar of saltt. [/QUOTE] Reallyy? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/158 "2007-11-29T04:31:37Z")
Hmmm. Wasn’t Lot a Sodomite? Coincidence? I wonder… ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/159 "2007-11-29T05:58:29Z")
[QUOTE=Kimstu] If you ask me, the European and American definitions of “liberal” seem to be on course to meet in the middle eventually anyway, and have been for a few decades now. We’ll probably wind up with very similar models of market-friendly social-justice welfare states that will resemble each other much more than either of them resembles the proposed models of the hardcore “anti-statist” libertarians. [/QUOTE] Yeah; in addition to the aforementioned Liberal Democrats in the UK, there’s apparently something out there called the [Liberal International](http://www.liberal-international.org/). (I’m trying to come up with parody lyrics to the “Internationale” here, but I’m no good at that sort of thing.) It seems to have numerous [member parties](http://www.liberal-international.org/editorialIndex.asp?ia_id=523) in Europe and other non-American parts of the world. (Which is not to say there’s any guarantee all these member organizations are in lockstep agreement with each other.) Their [most recent manifesto](http://www.liberal-international.org/editorial.asp?ia_id=537) professes to be in favor of “open markets” and “lean government”, but also calls for “redirect[ing] public spending from military expenditure towards investment in social capital, sustainability, and the alleviation of poverty” (as opposed to “abolish public spending entirely”) and for “an active policy, creating opportunity for education and employment, assistance for those who cannot help themselves, resting upon a partnership between public and private provision.” In other words, pretty much what you’d expect from American-style liberals of the more DLC-ish or Clintonesque tendency. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845/160 "2007-11-29T09:49:53Z")
Are you going to change the meaning of “liberty” while you’re at it? And will you make it retroactive to the Latin “liber”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-trent-lott-announces-retirement/427845.md?page=9)