<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><div><div style="line-height: normal;"><div style="line-height: normal;">On Monday, March 6, 2017 8:01 AM William Flynn Wallace <<a href="mailto:foozler83@gmail.com">foozler83@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</div></div></div><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>Libertarianism is on the Far Left. I question whether</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>John ever was a libertarian in any meaningful sense. ></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><span></span><br><blockquote type="cite"><span>A better way to think about these things is to visualize</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>two dimensions: one going left to right (conservative -</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>liberal), and one running up and down (authoritarian -</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>libertarian). I like the one at <a href="http://politicalcompass.org">politicalcompass.org</a></span><br></blockquote><span></span><br><span>As should've been obvious, I'm not only aware of the two-dimensional chart, but I disagree with it. The original Left-Right distinction was between freedom and authority. Those on the Left were against authority, particular but not exclusively monarchism. (It simply originated in a time when monarchy was the dominant form of government.)</span><br><br><blockquote type="cite"><span>Another issue: there is no such thing as a one size fits</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>all philosophy. If we have not learned anything from the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>past few years, it's that adhering strictly to one position,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>like the tea party, is destructive of normal compromise</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>and give and take. Radical anything is not going to work.</span><br></blockquote><span></span><br><span>Bullshit. Most so called radicals are not radical at all. Anyone operating inside a major political party in the US isn't much of a radical. (I get it. The term might be relative. Someone who merely wants to lower the prison term for cocaine possession might be seen as a radical in some circles -- rather idiotic circles I hope no one here travels in. That's not what mean here, and you know it.:)</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>And the actual libertarian position is a radical one. It's a radical view that no one should have authority over anyone else -- i.e., that slavery is wrong even when it's watered down and even when the slaves are allowed to petition their masters. I'm not much of a fan of the band, but the problem with mainstream politics is it fits lyrics from the Marilyn Manson:</span><br><span></span><br><span>Slave never dreams to be free</span><br><span>Slave only dreams to be King</span><br><span></span><br><blockquote type="cite"><span>I also agree with John - just say what you believe and leave</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>labels out of it. One of my sons thought he was conservative</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>most of his life, and he found out that he espoused more liberal</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>ideas than conservative - and he resented it in a way. I</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>teased him about being a liberal and he got mad!</span><br></blockquote><span></span><br><span>John was the one who brought up the label. I was responding to his use of it. So if you want to scold people about using labels, please start with him.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Sincerely,</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br><br></span><div style="line-height: normal;"><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 20px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Regards,</span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 20px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 20px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dan</span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> Sample my Kindle books via:</span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://author.to/DanUst" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://author.to/DanUst</font></a></div></div></div></div></body></html>