In politics, I loathe Establishment anything.
Establishment Democrats are tyrannical Leftists, fundamentally transforming our once great nation into dust. Establishment Republicans are unprincipled, big government, crony-capitalist squealers (or spineless bed-wetters, take your pick) who only care about winning the next election so they have control of the country’s purse strings.
Libertarians, however, are another matter. Too long we have seen this party siphon votes to ensure Democrat victories, and this is a problem we need to solve now.
The Merriam definition of Libertarian is “a person who upholds the principles of individual liberty especially of thought and action.” Sounds fairly conservative, doesn’t it? It’s too bad they now carry so much extra baggage.
While Libertarians don’t have an Establishment we can readily identify, they too have rapidly morphed into an unrecognizable blob. From a conservative-leaning, constitutionally grounded philosophy to an anarchistic “anything goes as long as you’re not actively and with full knowledge seeking to harm others” hippy mantra.
Legalize all drugs, go full-on for prostitution, and let anyone marry anyone or anything because hey, none of that hurts anyone. Let’s not forget the libertarians who can’t have a conversation without harping on FEMA camps, chem-trails, the Kennedy assassination, and 9/11 truth. Do I have that right?
The biggest issue where we differ, of course, is on foreign policy.
From their isolationist position, Libertarians seem to want what Heath Ledger’s Joker wanted: Watch the world burn. If you think I’m wrong, let’s examine what your leaders have said.
If you had to pick a Libertarian Establishment, it would be the two Paul doctors, Ron and Rand, former Congressman from Texas and current Senator from Kentucky, respectively.
Regarding the horrific attacks that occurred on 9/11/2001 that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people, mostly Americans, Ron Paul said,
We’re supposed to believe that the perpetrators of 9/11 hated us for our freedom and goodness. In fact, that crime was blowback for decades of US intervention in the Middle East. And the last thing we needed was the government’s response: more wars, a stepped-up police and surveillance state, and drones.
Of ISIS, the increasingly powerful, wealthy ($2MM/day from black market oil), and brutal group of Muslims, claiming an increasing share of Iraq and Syria, and of supporting the Kurds who are one of the last group of people we can count as our allies in the area, Rand Paul said, “I have mixed feelings about it.”
I understand Rand Paul’s reluctance to jump head long into another war. Who isn’t? But if you’re running for president, having mixed feelings about wiping out this real threat against the United States will not win you conservative votes. Not even from many Democrats.
What is it Libertarians think is going to happen in the Middle East if ISIS continues its domination? Will we be able to watch the nuclear fireworks from our lawn chairs on the Jersey shore, and not expect the next attack to be delivered to our soil soon after?
Libertarians, understand something: You, as a party, may not call yourselves religious but there are a billion Muslims worldwide who do, hundreds of millions of which will cut off your head because their cult leader told them to. I’m not calling for your conversion to Judaism or Christianity but if you ignore ISIS, conversion is what you’re going to get — either to Islam or the afterlife.
The good news Libertarians and conservatives have small and limited government in common. For starters, we can agree on zero local, state, or federal bailouts, including farm subsidies. We can also agree to eliminate or greatly reduce the scope and scale of all federal departments not addressed in the Constitution (IRS, Education, Energy, Commerce, FCC, FEC, DHS, HUD, CDC, FDA, and so on).
But for the Great Cleaving to happen we have to agree conservatives in the Republicans party have the greatest chance of plugging the holes on the USS Sinking Ship America. Is it possible you Libertarians can put aside your ancillary differences, at least until we can catch our breath? You can ask the same of us, of course, but take Admiral James Stockdale’s adage to bear: “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
Libertarians, your brutal fact is you aren’t going to win a major election, or at least it won’t happen for a few generations. We don’t have time to wait for your prominence. I don’t say this to taunt you, but to plead with you: Work with us, lay aside the drugs, prostitution, and gay marriage issues, and stand with us. Vote with us.
Think of the victories we will rack up if we work together.
Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/6050471677/
