Re: OT: Politics

On May 16, 6:02 pm, "Harlett O'Dowd"

but so long as no libertarians actually get *elected* they do not (or,
at least, rarely) get on the TV machine, so, for all intents and
purposes, the party does not exist.

I agree that there's not much hope at present for a viable Libertarian
Party, but as I've said many times before, I'm not a member of the
Libertarian *Party* and without a great intellectual/cultural shift
first, it's dead in the water.

whatever happened to the idea of all the libertarians moving to New
Hampshire to create their own voting block?

An ass-backwards move that was doomed to fail.

So, as long as you type away and read Ayn Rand and don't actually, you
know, DO anything about your cause,

First, please bear in mind that Ayn Rand did not approve of
"libertarians," and that a huge rift in the Objectivist movement
occurred years ago because David Kelley (not the TV writer/producer)
committed the unpardonable sin -- according to some -- of speaking at
a libertarian supper club. Oh, the horror. Unless you really
understand what Rand was about and the importance she placed on
*fundamentals*, you won't be able to comprehend why she disliked
libertarians so much (though when she criticized libertarians, I think
she was painting with too broad a brush).

Second, you have a very narrow concept of what one can *do* for a
cause. I agree with Rand that politics is shaped by the intellectual/
cultural climate, not the other way around, and that trying to bring
about *change* through direct political means divorced from
philosophical underpinnings is to put the cart before the horse, and
is a futile endeavor. Change comes slowly, from millions of
interactions between individuals, discussing issues with others one on
one or in groups, sharing information, and speaking up in letters to
the editor and anywhere else appropriate (which I have done repeatedly
in my life, and which I'm sure did my acting and writing career no
favors, since I let industry people know about my beliefs, knowing
that some would most assuredly hold it against me).

yes, you are and remain a
theorist, so Newport's question remains valid.

Am I to understand that you're against any kind of political/ethical
theories, and your politics is only dependent on whatever wishes you
happen to have at the moment about what you want the government to do
for its citizens?

But then, that's all libertarianism is - an interesting political
theory.

And what about liberalism and what some believe are its quaint,
outmoded notions like freedom of speech and religion and equality
before the law, etc.? Isn't it all just an interesting political
theory too? The way things are going nowadays, it's much more
important to protect someone's alleged right not to be offended, than
to uphold the tired old theory of the right to freedom of speech. I
mean, that quaint old theory was conjured up by some old dead white
slave-holding men out to protect their own interests, so how valid
could it be anyway, right?

But then communism was an interesting political theory too (and, at
its core very christ-like) - but we all know how well THAT worked out
when it was put into practice.- Hide quoted text -

So, are you against political theories or not? Is it that no
political theories are useful, or that yours is the only valid
political theory -- because...well...you hold it?

.

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