July 15, 2012

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Lootery:
a Followup to Korso's Joss the Political Slayer

Bouncing off Korso's previous post, I believe he has run head-on into the vile phenomenon of coöption, where the Left jacks up a perfectly good term, such as libertarianism, and runs a brand new (and completely opposing) definition underneath.

It's a funny thing about "libertarians." Actual libertarianism is the closest approach I make to a recognized political ideology; it is based upon the philosophy of individual liberty coupled with specific accountability for one's own actions; "your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins." Libertarianism contemplates a minimalist State ("minarchy") that protects only natural rights, adjudicates disputes, organizes those few operations that must be handled collectively but are too big to be handled by voluntary association (i.e., national defense, building vital infrastructure that nearly all souls require, and enforcing free trade among the several states); otherwise, it gets out of the dang way, and lets individualism, Capitalism, and minding one's own business work its magic. (Those who reject even a minarchy are more properly called anarchists than libertarians.)

There is of course vigorous argument over what cannot be handled by voluntary association but requires collectivism instead, how specific disputes should be decided, and indeed, what constitutes "natural rights" in the first place. True libertarians are hotly divided on the subject of abortion, for example, which hinges on the question of when a developing zygote/embryo/foetus becomes a "person." But a true libertarian at the least recognizes the axioms of liberty and the rules of inference of logical argument: All libertarians should acknowledge not only their own liberty but everybody else's, including the liberty of their bitter enemies; and all libertarians should argue from consistent premises and arrive at valid (and recognizably liberty-based) conclusions.

Real libertarians are Capitalists, individualists (and familialists), self-reliant, with a strong sense of voluntary association to stave off State collectivism: If you can organize your armed neighbors to help you run off the muggers in your neighborhood, you don't need to call the police to handle the problem.

Yet these days, I can barely recognize most folks who call themselves libertarians. A staggering percentage of so-called libertarians are in fact leftist shills who occasionally deviate from the party line... but only when rules of political correctness conflict with their somatic, sybaritic self-pleasure.

Long ago (pre-Big Lizards), I coined the term "libertinarians" to describe these false-flag phonies: They support high taxes (!) to pay for free dope, limitless welfare (!!) so they needn't work, and an ever-expanding government whose function is to prohibit whatever they dislike and mandate free availability of whatever goods or services they enjoy. And libertinarians invariably vote Democratic -- demanding all the while that the jackbooted fascists in the GOP be silenced by the government.

Hugh Hefner and Bill Maher are disgustingly perfect examples, festooning themselves with hedonistic "political incorrectness," while simultaneously drinking the socialist Flavor-Aid about everything that matters beyond their own creature comforts. They are emblematic of (rough guess) two-thirds of those who label themselves libertarian. Sadly, it appears that Joss Whedon, of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, joins them.

They've never read a single book of libertarian theory, have never heard of Mises, Hayek, or Friedman, and do not believe in extending their own license to their neighbors (unless their neighbors are their sychophantic toadies). Libertinarians are perpetual posturing adolescents, pretending to an independence that includes the "freedom" to run riot, but in reality clinging to the teen-fantasy of an over-indulgent Mommy-State that will indemnify them from the natural consequences of their libertine excess.

Libertinarians despise voluntary associations -- churches and synogogues, service organizations, neighborhood watches, free and voluntary coöps, private charity, commercial insurance companies, and business councils; but they adore all involuntary collectives -- forced unionization, government-run medical care, welfare, GSEs, State-enforced monopolies -- so long as they themselves aren't compelled to join or contribute. (Libertinarians do, however, demand that they receive all benefits of such forced collectivism anyway. They clearly have never perused the Little Red Hen.)

They march in liberal lockstep, only breaking ideological ranks when discussion turns to drowning their individual identity in drug-induced mob manias, cold-heartedly exploiting vulnerable females (libertinarians are almost exclusively male), and of course, keeping their own money -- while looting yours.

On those "rights," they are adamant; but only for themselves. The rest of us, whatever we may call ourselves, may go hang.

Hatched by Dafydd on this day, July 15, 2012, at the time of 1:52 PM

Comments

The following hissed in response by: Mr. Michael

The above hissed in response by: Mr. Michael at July 15, 2012 8:01 PM

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