There is another article in The American Conservative that does a much better job of describing libertarianism and its principles: In Defense of Freedom, by Daniel McCarthy.
I am about halfway through the QandO document, and I very much like what I am reading.
Tim West was a participant in a heated thread at Michael Badnarik's blog and started the New Libertarian team blog much along the same lines, which is unfortunately down at the moment due to an upgrade gone awry.
Jesse "Insanehippie" Dolan, another participant in that thread, explained why he left the LP for the Republican party:
"The only way to be a 'true' Libertarian (to some) is to follow every little LP fatwah to the letter, no deviation allowed. If this is how the LP treats people who disagree by 2% the party is doomed to utter failure. It will sure be a beautiful fireworks show though."
Tim would, I think, agree with the spirit of that statement, but unlike Jesse, believes the LP can be saved from its more dogmatic elements. Having found Tim's blog, his confidence that the LP was reformable convinced me to vote for Badnarik last November, though I had to grit my teeth over foreign policy.
This month, I happened to find that Jesse Dolan started his own blog.
I agree with you Martin. The Neo-Libertarian movement, of which I am apart is trying to do what we in the UK are attempting with Liberty Cadre. The libertarian movement in the UK is alas, like the US, filled with some rather vicious &nasty lunatics. As you can imagine a rather out-spoken person like myself has been on the recieving end of vicious abuse after admitting that I was, for instance, pro-getting rid of Saddam.
Too bad the thinking is so fuzzy. "Level playing field" and "equal access" are fighting words to me. The political position reminds me of an objectivism that cares about getting some of its principles enacted into political practice. And I do get the feeling the ideal state towards which the ideas tend resembles pure objectivism. But if one is ready to compromise one's ideals for power, how is anyone to know which principles are to be sold out and when?
The usual reward for a political whore is the political equivalent of a twenty-dollar bill and a "Thank you!"
Found Tim West's new site: Liberty for Sale. He notes there in comments that he will not be joining QandO's Neolibertarian Network because he doesn't support the war in Iraq.
So there is still the issue of two competing big tents within the new libertarian movement.
Glad to see the "NL network" is taking hold.
I am about halfway through the QandO document, and I very much like what I am reading.
Tim West was a participant in a heated thread at Michael Badnarik's blog and started the New Libertarian team blog much along the same lines, which is unfortunately down at the moment due to an upgrade gone awry.
Jesse "Insanehippie" Dolan, another participant in that thread, explained why he left the LP for the Republican party:
"The only way to be a 'true' Libertarian (to some) is to follow every little LP fatwah to the letter, no deviation allowed. If this is how the LP treats people who disagree by 2% the party is doomed to utter failure. It will sure be a beautiful fireworks show though."
Tim would, I think, agree with the spirit of that statement, but unlike Jesse, believes the LP can be saved from its more dogmatic elements. Having found Tim's blog, his confidence that the LP was reformable convinced me to vote for Badnarik last November, though I had to grit my teeth over foreign policy.
This month, I happened to find that Jesse Dolan started his own blog.
-- Peter Robinson, National Review Online
That oh-so-true statement justifies a Neo-Libertarian movement to me.
The usual reward for a political whore is the political equivalent of a twenty-dollar bill and a "Thank you!"
So there is still the issue of two competing big tents within the new libertarian movement.