Prescriptivists. […p’tooey!..]
That’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day. And bear in mind, I’ve been reading bash.org most of the time since 9 or so this morning.
Even descriptivists would think you are goofy. They look at how words are generally used, not how some crank decides to use them.
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.
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.
Nah, he says he’s an Austrian. They tawk funny over there. 
Nah. The super-duper technology that Libertaria will produce in its free-market sector will kick the other side’s asses. 
Ask him to throw another shrimp on the barbie!
Is Trent Lott gay?
Trent who?
Thanks. It’s a pretty laughable thread. Guy retires. God what a fucktard. How dare he.
Another swing…another miss. The point, that is.
Yeah, I felt the point, but I thought it was constipation.
Ooooh, snap! Wilde?
No, Mentalz.
Your vote means nothing.
No, but his wife is a pillar of saltt.
Reallyy?
Hmmm. Wasn’t Lot a Sodomite? Coincidence? I wonder…
Yeah; in addition to the aforementioned Liberal Democrats in the UK, there’s apparently something out there called the Liberal International. (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 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 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.
Are you going to change the meaning of “liberty” while you’re at it? And will you make it retroactive to the Latin “liber”?