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  • From: Lee Haslup <biglee AT haslups.com>
  • To: "Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/" <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] Fwd: Kerry/Edwards in Raleigh Sat.
  • Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 18:08:22 -0400

My comments inline...

Phillip Rhodes wrote:

Ian Meyer wrote:

you say first that you are libertarian, but then say that as long as
votes are pulled from kerry, all the better.

so as a lp member, you'd rather have bush than kerry?


Not to speak for Lee, but there really isn't anything
unusual about that at all. For whatever reason, Libertarians
are typically seen as having more in common with the Republicans
than the Democrats, ideologically. I'd venture that more
Republicans who "break rank" vote Libertarian, than Democrats
that "break rank."

Phil is quite right here that, when LP types break ranks they usually do so to vote Republican (or more accurately to vote against the Democrats.) I think that Jim Allman was close to the reason in his posting about the visions of the left and the right on July 7th. Jim Said: "The mythology of the left is that our fate is driven by circumstances, the mythology of the right is that our fate is determined by character." I might have said "attitude" instead of "character" but it would not change my observation that "character" (or "attitude") are attributes of an individual and tends to resonate more with the individualistic Libertarians who seek to empower individuals to deal with their own problems.
The other issue that Ian and Phil missed was the fact that I do not capitalize the word "libertarian" when referring to myself. With the capital letter it becomes a proper noun and is the name of the political party. With a lower case letter it is a philisophy. Similar distinctions can be made with "democrat/Democrat" and "republican/Republican". Party affiliation is usually serially-exclusive but it is quite possible to be a libertarian, a democrat and a republican at the same time (and I am.) I have been a big-L Libertarian Party member in the past (and I may be again some day) but I am not one now. There are a number of issues on which libertarian theory does not give clear answers but for which a political party must have a position. They lost me on a few of the planks in their platform. I don't begrudge them their choices. I wish them well and I gave back their capital letter on my way out.

Phillip Rhodes wrote:

[Me personally, I don't care a whit about the candidate of
*either* major party. Kerry / Edwards is in no way, shape,
form or fashion preferable to Bush / Cheney, IMHO.]

Remember the lesser of two evils is still evil.

If you think about it, given the fallen nature of man this is rather a better reason not to vote at all. I don't think it can be argued that the LP platform is without flaw or blemish, even by its most ardent promoters. If one is not allowed to hold ones nose while voting I don't see how anyone could ever enter the booth.

BigLee






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