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Well,
the results of the Libertarian Party's survey about the "new
war," and the Libertarian
National Committee's press release in favor of limited military
action, certainly put my mind at rest.
Does
that sound cynical?
I
guess that even the Party of Principle is not above taking a public
opinion poll to find out which way the wind is blowing. Well,
the LP is a political party, so why not practice a little of the
art of politics?
I
agree that we Libertarians need to view the action against al-Qaida
the same that we would view a government police action against
a local mafia RICO operation. It's just that in this case, the
whole world is our government's playpen and the opponent is more
insidious -- not being a monetary profit maximizer, but rather
a "psychotic income" maximizer. (I must apologize for
the economist jargon in the prior sentence.)
A
"formal" declaration of war, rather than the "authorization"
adopted by Congress last month? Sure. But it's a distinction without
a difference. We are already living in the police state I have
so long dreaded. It will never go away, even if the illusion of
some future formal end to this "war" were envisioned.
But
as a Libertarian candidate, I sure am going to speak out in defense
of every tidbit in the Bill of Rights. No "war" is worth
compromising any of those protected rights, even if it should
mean the death of us all.
Joe
Michael Cobb teaches economics at three community colleges in
California. Before moving to California in 1998, he worked in
Washington, DC, for the White House, State Department, and the
U.S. Congress. He was chief economist for the U.S. Senate, 1992-93.
He is also the Libertarian Party candidate for Congress, 48th
California district.
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