Then there is the presidential candidate lineup I was eyeballing in Indy. Actually, I was somewhat partway impressed with latecomer member Senator Mike Gravel. I suspect that if you grilled him good, he's got some substantial libertarian deviationism in the direction of believing in government social programs. I suppose I could live with that. But even he has apparently signed on to the Duensing group.
Former Republican Bob Barr (who was not at our Indy convention) is the most likely candidate, thankfully having re-thought his former fierce commitment to the drug war nonsense. But he's also recanted his vote authorizing the Iraq war. That might be a change of heart, but unfortunately apparently at this point you can't be any kind of hawk and seek the Libertarian presidential nomination.
But his top competition for the nomination and favorite of many long time activists is Mary Ruwart. She's been in the party forever, and is known for a 1992 book Healing Our World: The Other Piece of the Puzzle. Watching her and talking to her at the Indianapolis convention, she seemed like a very nice well-preserved 50-something grandmother.
But she's definitely out on the ideological debate society tip, leading her into seriously bad juju, most obviously some faux-philosophical foolishness that somehow leads her to defending the right of children to engage in prostitution and child pornography. In her book Short Answers to the Tough Questions, Mary Ruwart says
Children who willingly participate in sexual acts have the right to make that decision as well, even if it's distasteful to us personally. Some children will make poor choices just as some adults do in smoking and drinking to excess. When we outlaw child pornography, the prices paid for child performers rise, increasing the incentives for parents to use children against their will.To even start to think that a six year old would have the capacity to understand such choices, or that this wouldn't simply be license for adult abuse, is just ridiculous, ideologically blinkered stupidity. But in Indianapolis, she didn't back off from this an inch. I tried nicely to get a preferred term for her position. Would you say you favor "legalisation" of child pornography, or "decriminalization"? The only thing I could get out of her with repeated friendly questions was "not banning." She said that to me at least six times.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Simon9
I thought personal attacks are NOT allowed. This entire piece by Barger IS a personal attack. And a poor one at that.
Barger really doesn't get the concept of "blowback"? He really doesn't understand WHY so many people resent the US at this point in history? Does he think things happen in a vacuum?
Only Ron Paul is addressing the issues. If Barger hasn't the wit to get it, he ought to just be honest and admit that. He needn't try to spread these ridiculous personal attacks on a man whose policies he can't factually disagree with.
And in that he's no different from the other angry little Ron Paul haters out there.
2 - JJ
Bipolar episode?
3 - markh
Nah. Didn't even bother finishing reading your lame essay.
4 - jaynh
Not convinced, sounds like a Hillery Lacky, What a waste of time!! Barger doesnt understand "blowback" and thinks america is in a great position,
Wake UP and look around, were headed for crisis!!
5 - Frank N Stein
This is why we need to institute IQ testing in order to vote.
6 - Kurtis
Hey Barger we've all sinned, it's forgiveness that's divine. I'm not going to hold something that happened years ago against somebody I agree with on everything else. Ron Paul is the ONLY politician that knows why this country is slipping to banana republic status and has the COURAGE to say so. As far as "blowback", I was saying myself twenty years ago if we kept messing around in the Middle East we would have terrorism in this country. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. You've got some wacky ideas if you think otherwise.
7 - DJ
Are you serious? Do you know how many scandals the Clintons have been in? Do you like how Hillery just laughs about her "baggage"? You know how antithema Socialism is to Liberty? Guess what? Obama and Hillery are both Socialists, so it's obvious you never were a Libertarian. McCain... well he'll be the fascist liberal the neo-cons can't wait to get, although will never have cause the Dems will beat him without a doubt.
It's ironic people can't forgive Ron Paul for failing to put enough supervision towards his multiple news articles, which he also publicly took personal resposibility for. This is the same guy who is friends of 20 years with Nelson Linder, NAACP Director in Texas. Yet when McCain publicly calls Asians gooks, nobody makes an uproar or demands an apology.
FYI - Yeah, vote for Hillery then. I just can't wait to pay for your medicals bills since you're obviously too inept to take care of your own self. Use my tax money to get an education while you're at it too.
8 - Carol
Curious. He's willing to blame every weirdo in the libertarian movement on Ron Paul and overlook every atrocity committed by Hillary Clinton....
9 - Dave
Al Barger's article is a disgrace. It's always funny when narrow-mindedness is on display like Barger's. What a hoot! Dr. Paul will be proven to be right when it's too late. The fake dollar will crash and the son of Cain or two other socialists like Obama and Clinton get in office.
10 - jj
Too much of that Mecical industrial complex? Get yourself some more of the Hillary stuff..When you finally wake up from that, you'll come back to free thinking and screaming, "I'm free!"
The Ron Paul republican message has open arms.
11 - Dave
What a Dumbass! Stick your head back into the sand... don't worry, us REAL Americans will make sure this country rights itself.
12 - Dr Dreadful
Oh, Al, look what you've started now. It's like you revel in the attention.
Priceless responses so far though.
Admit it - they've got you nailed. Yes siree. You're a shill for Hillary. Must have been calling her a 'giant douche' that gave the game away...
13 - NH
How many times do we have to tell bloggers on this site to STFU?
Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate who is NOT a disgrace to this country.
Learn, love it, live it.
Moron!
14 - Al Barger
But Frank N Stein- If we had IQ testing for voting, we'd have a LOT less votes for Ron Paul. I mean, how dumb do you got to be to think that Paul-bots descending like a toothless version of brown-shirts to harass and villify anyone who disagrees with them is going to get you votes?
Particularly, how you think being crappy like this with staunch libertarians such as me is going to get you votes. Perhaps you might put down the kool-aid for a minute and consider that there might actually be something wrong when the supposed "libertarian" candidate so thoroughly alienates someone like me.
And y'all can shut up your pussy whining about my "personal attacks" on Ron Paul. I'm not criticizing him for irrelevant personal behavior. He's publishing really crazy, stupid, bad things and trying to legitimize the Birchers. Those are totally legitimate public actions for which to criticize an elected public official. As my hero Michael Corleone would say, it's nothing personal. It's just business.
Jaynh- No, I'm not saying the country is in GREAT shape, but I'm an optimist by nature. But the point here is that if that we'd REALLY be screwed if somehow the Birchers and various NAMBLA lobbyists and 9/11 conspiracy schmucks took the wheel. That'd be far worse than EVEN HILLARY FRICKIN' CLINTON. Also, the wake-up-sheeple theme ain't impressing any mentally healthy adults - though obviously any rational person would realize that the Jews and the Trilateral Commision are conspiring with the communists to crash the dollar while the Negroes take over. Whatever.
Also, Simon9 back at comment #1 is re-inforcing my original point about blowback. In truth, despite claims to the contrary as I carefully explained in the original piece, Paul and his supporters like Simon are saying that we brought it on ourselves. If you want to have THAT debate, then address it straight up rather than pretending that these words and arguments don't mean what they clearly do. Paul says we brought it on ourselves. I say HELL NO.
By the way, readers interested in my idea of a pro-constitution libertarian message for contrast can consult my 2004 campaign archive.
15 - zingzing
al: "Paul says we brought it on ourselves. I say HELL NO."
now, you know i'm no paul supporter. and he has said and done some stupid things. some of his principals are okay. his supporters are little rabid dogs in need of a good swatting/euthanasia. that's neither here nor there.
but... he's right about blowback. it is, without a doubt, our policy and actions in the middle east that got the terrorists all riled-up. you think they did it just for fun? you think they didn't have a reason (no matter how fucked up it was)?
why do you think the terrorists did it then, if not because of our interventionist and money(oil)-grubbing ways?
saying that it was our actions that lead to the terrorists decision to take action of their own, of course, isn't saying that we deserved it, it's just recognizing the cause and effect nature of the issue.
16 - Dr Dreadful
"What a Dumbass..."
"please do us all a favor and quit writing blogs..."
"How many times do we have to tell bloggers on this site to STFU?"
Ah, insults and attempts to silence dissent. The sure signs of an argument lost.
Such grace. Yep - behavior like this sure makes me want to support Ron Paul...
17 - TAO
And you are in the Libertarian Party why Al? So because Mary Ruwart actually defends freedom and liberty for all, she is somehow not a libertarian? You're rant and people like you, are the people who put the LP to shame, not Dr. Ruwart.
18 - Raddlog
You sir, are an idiot.
You are also nowhere near being a Libertarian.
Don't worry about the Government, they're here to help, right?
Dumbass.
19 - Scott
Oh my gosh, this is insane. And three pages of it! All easily refutable! Wow!
All I'm going to say is Libertarians and Hillary Clinton are complete opposite. How you can go from one to the other without having some sort of mental problem is mind-boggling.
It's actually saddening to see how the minds of so many people work. I don't understand how it's so rare for people to actually execute a rational thought process.
20 - devildogmre
Ineffective arguements. Ineffective post.
21 - Dave Nalle
You people are NOT getting it here. It's not Al Barger's libertarianism which puts him at odds with Ron Paul, it's his sound grounding in reality and common sense. It is possible to agree with Paul on every major political issue and still find his positions on fringe ideas horrific. I know I do.
That said and although I agree wholeheartedly with the concerns about Paul, I'm not buying the support for Hillary, sounds like a poor excuse to join Limbaugh's 'Operation Chaos' to me.
Dave
22 - Lee Richards
Al, I see none of your critics who are willing or able to address your specific statements about Paul's slide into the mud, or the strange drift of the LP you document.
Until they do, I commend you on your analysis and interesting read. This year, even more than most, it's the lesser of 2 or 3 evils.
23 - Clavos
zing #15,
but... he's right about blowback. it is, without a doubt, our policy and actions in the middle east that got the terrorists all riled-up. you think they did it just for fun? you think they didn't have a reason (no matter how fucked up it was)?
Perhaps, to some degree. But radical Islamists have had it in for Westerners for centuries now.
Remember the Barbary Pirates?
24 - Dr Dreadful
True, Clav. But it's not the radical Islamists who are strapping bombs to themselves and flying airliners into things. It's their footsoldiers: young men who are far easier to recruit and brainwash in an atmosphere of poverty, Western intervention and Israeli regional hegemony, all of which they perceive to be keeping them down.
25 - Baronius
Al - This article is well-written, well-argued, and informative. Nice work.
DJ - As near as I can tell, there is no such word as "antithema", at least as you used it. You've combined "anathema" and "antithetical". The actual word antithema is architectural jargon.