Being a libertarian (and more specifically, a Ron Paul supporter) can be quite an adventure sometimes. People like myself find ourselves opposing both conservatives and liberals on much of the issues. Libertarians like myself are certainly a minority in this country, and we are not loved by the political class and their well-connected cronies. Then I see something like the video above, and I I become discouraged about the prospects of freedom. The above video was a clip from RussiaToday in which Austin Peterson (also known as the Freedom Ninja) debated the socialist Connor Fitzpatrick, who claims that libertarians are the "ruling elite's puppets".
I watched the video, and found myself astounded by the claims this man was making. To be fair, Fitzpatrick really didn't make any points of substance, at least in my opinion. So I decided to read the article he wrote myself, and much to my surprise, Fitzpatrick proved himself to be a very rude and childish man. Despite being filled with unnecessary and uncalled for expletives, the author fails to actually present any substantial evidence that disproves any of the libertarian posititons that I and many others have taken. Plus, how exactly are libertarians the ruling elite's puppets? Do you see crony capitalists supporting libertarian educational institutions like the Ludwig von Mises Institute or candidates who hold libertarian views? Not a chance.
Starting his article with childish characterizations, Fitzpatrick cites poll statistics that in his mind, prove that Americans like to have more government involvement in their lives. If this is indeed true, than libertarians have a big effort ahead of themselves if they wish to change minds towards liberty. But I digress. The author, for example said "Oh, but the kiddies are cool with gay marriage and tired of bombing brown people overseas? No shit. That just makes them normal people living in the 21st century. I’m for single-payer health care and can’t stand Barney Frank . Does that mean I sip the Kool-Aid at the Lyndon LaRouche compound?" First off, I am not a fan of gay marriage at all, but I am in favor of abolishing marriage laws and allowing the church and the free market to handle marriage. I also oppose the current American foreign policy of war and empire because I see imperialism as a threat to national defense, destructive to a free market economy, and harmful to our civil liberties and our constitutional republic. But how does this make me a normal person? I am pretty sure that most people do not share this viewpoint and are opposed to these views for the most part.
Another claim that he makes is as follows: "But libertarianism? Our ruling class is totally fine with that. Smoke your reefer and sodomize whomever you please, just keep your mouth shut and hand over your Social Security account."
But I am finding that as I read this again just to write up on how hateful and wrong this man is, I am finding myself in a fix of lowering myself to the level of this juvenile attack in libertarians. If you want to see how wrong this man is, read the article for yourself before I puke my guts out.
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