Posted June 12, 2002

Left/Libertarian Alliance

I am very pleased with what Justin has written about the need for Libertarians to move toward a rapprochement with the left. As a leftist, my approach has been from the opposite direction - a need for the left to drop its statism and form an alliance with Libertarians. Aside from Alex Cockburn, not many leftists have been taking this position.

Nevertheless, there are a number of small groups, newsletters and web sites which have devoted time and energy to this cause and our numbers seem to be on the increase. Anyone interested in seeing some of this material may email me at redlionpress@hotmail.com.

~ Larry Gambone

Contempt for the Left

The "new left" and libertarians have much in common in their stated philosophies. But that may serve to highlight their few differences rather than lead to collaboration. If I may be permitted an observation, libertarians (along with neo conservatives) share a fundamental contempt for the left. By fundamental, I mean that the rejection of socialism may be the very foundation upon which most libertarians build their libertarianism. This is the first Raimondo article in which the left are treated with anything more than derision. And even here, while you recount neo-con Palmer's brainless criticism of the protesters, you make your own point that the left is "stuffed to the gills with idiots", and has weak, "intellectually bankrupt" leaders following a dead ideology. You are willing to concede that they are "asking the right sort of questions", but you discount the answers they've come up with as junk. Even when they agree with you, you condemn them. What is so "disturbing" about characterizing the United States as the "fount of all evil" to a man who has on several occasions alluded to America as Sauron's Mordor? And, after making so graceless a pitch, your tactical advice to libertarians who do look to the left is: do not, "in any way", pander to the left's "nostalgia for socialism" i.e., what defines them as leftists.

As libertarians go, you are one of the more open-minded whose writings I have had the pleasure of reading. Yet you must backpedal even as you make your proposal. How will those many less tolerant libertarians take on such a challenge?

If you do not bother with a "scope" for the project, libertarians who take your advice will do what comes naturally. They will mock the present leaders of the new left movement in hopes of discrediting them and winning recruits for the local libertarian club. To the extent they are successful, libertarians will undermine the only anti-war voice presently yelling with enthusiasm.

Your proposal has a lot of merit. But, to work, it deserves to be fleshed out, either on this website or elsewhere.

Thanks, as always, for an interesting article. Also, thanks for "Unsolved Mysteries of 9/11". Also, thanks to Nebosja Malic for the "Long Shadow of Kosovo", which ties together very well much of his earlier writing. And thanks to Bevin Chu for a very strong article, "Defending Tiawan's 'Democracy'".

~ Doug Barrett, Edmonton, Canada

Logo

"Cato Institute -- 23 Years of Promoting Public Policy Based on Individual Liberty, Limited Government, Free Markets and Peace" -- this was the logo two years ago. Look at their logo now. "Peace" is not anymore mentioned.

I have asked them by Email. They promised to do something about it. Nothing!

~ Gudrun E., France

Drivel about Liberty

I love your articles. However, there is something that most of Anglosaxon people seem to misunderstand. Your problem is that you take this drivel about freedom/liberty seriously. You see, when some rich upper class individuals started fabricating the market religion about 300 years ago, it was completely impossible to think in democratic manner, the way we understand the word now.

The liberal faith, which took the power from a mystical god and put it into the hands of the "market forces" is dividing people into two categories: the majority of them belongs simply to the workforce, whereby it is one the four liberties of the other category; the tiny minority of the rich capitalists, who are the so called "market forces".

Now, with this in your mind you'll quickly realize that the alleged hate of "big government" never referred to anything else but the little support the state ever gave to the workforce majority, i.e. all kinds of welfare measures serving the benefit of others than capitalists.

They would of course never oppose any big government that only supports the interests of the capitalist minority.

Looking at things this way explains also why the market liberals/libertarians share the views of all kinds of conservatives ... and therefore created the actual form of society which reminds most of medieval feudalism as it only serves the interests of the highest upper class and is endeavored to deprive the rest from all kinds of rights.

~ Alice M., Norway

Neocolonialism

I come from a very traditional "conservative" background and admit that for most of my 53 years, I have subscribed too, if not blindly so, to the conservative ideology. I always equated "conservative" ideology with bedrock American patriotism. That began to change long before Sept 11 as I came to oppose the Democratic and Republican Parties' identical policies. The lines of distinction between both these political parties became obviously blurred and now are almost nonexistent. As an anti-globalist and standing in opposition to what I discovered in a personal quest as neocolonialism by federal government and large corporations, and this on our own soil, I have thrown off the naive blinders that were given me by textbook versions of American and international history. I now stand with real sight and what I see disgusts and repels. Before someone mocks my coming to "enlightenment" on these issues which quite obviously go back decades; let me defend myself by stating there are more Americans like me than like you. God! We want/wanted to believe in the goodness of our national leaders. Fools? Yes! But what is done in ignorance is more palpable than that which is done knowingly and willingly. I have not the excuse of ignorance anymore.

Let me conclude by saying that as the mother of sons, I am not inclined to see these boys go willingly, voluntarily and helplessly into a military that is the tool of corrupt government officials who serve and are paid by their Corporate owners. To die for Big Oil and the Industrial/War Industry and -- by extension, support the monied interests in suppressing the Bill of Rights and other American Liberties vis a vis the Patriot Act for some false, trumped-up perpetual war on terror, is absolutely intolerable to me.

I too realize since the last nine months have brought terror to "true" patriotic American citizens who dare to speak out against the real traitors, brings risk; this speaks more to me of the real danger Americans are facing. "They" have us looking at overseas interests and certain ethnic entities within our borders. Transfixed, we stand stupid and helpless as we turn in whatever direction the Government points as the source of our terror, when it is dawning on me who it is we Americans really have to fear and who the real enemies are.

I will not permit my sons to go to war for such a gang of ruthless, money-sucking gangsters. If that is strong language, I do not apologize. We all better speak strongly while we are still permitted to speak at all.

~ Ainsley D.

Measuring Progress

I enjoy reading Antiwar.com and I try to encourage other people do the same. Your site is the only place to see what’s really going on in the World. Unfortunately the president has everyone convinced that he is making so much progress with his war on terror. I wish that someone would write an article pertaining to measuring the presidents so called progress. One way to truly see progress would be to see a drastic reduction of all types of drugs entering the United States. If someone could get drugs in to the US then they could get explosives, biological chemicals, and various types of weapons in. There are more drugs on the street then ever.

I went to the airport recently and I was asked by the police to pop my trunk. The police said that they were on high alert and looking for anything suspicious. When I closed my trunk I said to the police how could you tell if I was carrying anything dangerous in my car when you never looked inside my spare tire or in my door panels where drug smugglers hide their stuff? He said we don’t have that kind of time to search, and not everyone thinks like you do so thank you and move on.

~ Bill D.

Public Issue

I agree with Salem S.'s letter [of June 4] -- the article including orders to kill women and children should be up and highlighted every day, until it is a public issue.

~ Matthew H.