Faced with Failure . . .

Faced with failure, radical libertarians tend to say, "Yell a little louder!" Moderate libertarians tend to say, "Speak a little softer." Moderate libertarians are focused on winning the support of the voters, whereas radical libertarians are focused on "opposing statism" (whatever that means) and opposing the Republicans and Democrats. When it comes to strategy, moderate libertarians take their marching orders from the voters, whereas radical libertarians take their marching orders from abstract concepts.

Underlying Belief of LP Members

Having observed LP members over the years, I have concluded that LP members generally believed that Americans have libertarianism written into their DNA such that the average American is already a libertarian or can easily have the libertarianism deep inside them "awoken". Consequently, they believe conversion efforts are not necessary.

A Question for Radical Libertarians

If gradualism doesn't work then let me ask you this: Do you consider Ron Paul (R-Texas) to be a libertarian?

A Message From Al Franken

Al Franken, during a recent speech, responded to a question from a proponent of having a third party: "I certainly understand the impulse to want third parties, but I'm a Democrat - although I would encourage the very right-wing Republicans to join the Libertarian Party and vote for them."

Why a Moderate Libertarian Organization is Needed

In September, then House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas)said that there was nothing left in the federal budget to cut because "after 11 years of Republican majority, we've pared it down pretty good."

Radical libertarians: Bizarre

The radical libertarian position is so bizarre, it makes one wonder as to what psychology leads to it. Do radical libertarians really believe that, absent an era of great crisis, the average American will vote to instantly abolish Social Security? Do they really believe that the average American hates taxation with the same passion as radical libertarians?

The Terms "Left" and "Right"

I have always favored the abandonment of using the terms "left" and "right" to describe political stances. Such terms are inaccurate to describe political beliefs. After the demise of the Soviet Union, there was a brief shining moment when it appeared my dream might come true. My joy was short-lived. Today, virtually every single political stance and every single politician or commentator must necessarily be labeled as "left-wing" or "right-wing".

Hypocrisy File: Democrats and Conscientious Objection

In Illinois, Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich imposed a rule prohibiting pharmacists from refusing to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception. Some Illinois pharmacists were refusing to do so on the grounds of conscientious objection because they believed the drugs induced an abortion and therefore took the life of an innocent human being. Conscientious objection as an exception to the duty to obey the law was used back in the Viet Nam era and back during the era of the underground railroad which assisted runaway slaves. I guess the idea of having such a legal exception has become outdated. Unless of course, the Democrats plan to defend this idea in the future concerning a different issue, such as protesting the war in Iraq. But that would be hypocrisy.

Private Property Initiates Force

The cornerstone of radical libertarian thinking is the idea that private property does not initiate force. Consequently, the radical libertarian believes that he or she can simultaneously believe in private property while opposing the initiation of force. But since private property does in fact initiate force, radical libertarianism must either be rejected or at least be grounded on some other principle.

What is Fascism?

Recently, some people staged a protest against the Minutemen, a group that patrols the U.S.-Mexican border to catch illegal aliens. The protesters held up signs, some of which said that what the Minutemen represented was "fascism". There have been other times when various people have been called "fascists" by protesters. But in my book, in order to be a fascist, at a minimum, a person must advocate two things: the abolition of democracy (competitive elections, freedom of speech) and the imposition of a military and/or labor draft. If a person does not advocate both of these things, then they cannot be characterized as a fascist. It would appear that for some people, a fascist is simply anyone who espouses a belief they disagree with.

Documentary: The Corporation

I recently saw a documentary on DVD called "The Corporation". Its makers make the allegation that corporations occasionally break the law. Shocking! They could have just as easily made a documentary on "people whose last names start with G" and alleged that these people occasionally break the law. The makers obviously want everyone to believe that corporations always act badly, but I don't think this documentary will achieve that.