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Insight into Libertarianism
Last night, I had
a discussion with a fellow who called himself a libertarian.
It is a title you hear now and then, when people feel sufficiently disgusted
by both liberalism and conservatism, but still need an ideology related
to freedom to cling to for identity.
He stated quite firmly that one of his greatest disappointments
in the last few years came from the refusal of most American news media
to publish the Norwegian cartoons satirizing the prophet Mohammed.
According to Islam, it is a serious religious offense to depict the prophet
in any sort of art form, no matter how respectful the intent. When the
cartoons were originally published, they provoked rioting in the streets
and even murder. It attracted worldwide attention. Muslims were calling
out for blood, while those of Western sensibilities wondered what the
fuss was all about. They were, after all, only cartoons.
News-people in the United States had the choice of
printing these offensive cartoons or not. Out of respect for religious
sensitivities, and maybe to avoid the violence it would cause in the midst
of a war on terror, most of them chose not to.
Now, listening to this libertarian speaker, his idea
of freedom would take away that choice of conscience. He seemed to espouse
overt freedom at any cost, but at the same time disregarding the personal
choices that freedom is all about. Morality and courtesy came second,
if at all. Humanity took a back seat. From his perspective, if you have
the right to offend someone, you were obligated to do so.
From what I heard, freedom is considered a hardcore
end unto itself in libertarianism.
In contrast, I see freedom as a means. I think that
freedom has a purpose. Used correctly, it enhances life, and leads to
personal authenticity. We must not allow an ideology which says that it
is supposedly defending freedom to take that away - or what's the point?
Perhaps this sheds insight on the Tea Party
phenomenon. When I hear them, I tend to scratch my head and wonder what
they are really complaining about. The world has not changed since Obama
became president. Their rights to free speech have not been curtailed.
He has not raised our taxes, but has lowered them instead. His healthcare
reform is nothing near socialized medicine. His attempts at bipartisanship
and respect for the separations of power are nothing less than exemplary,
despite the intense efforts by conservatives to hamstring his every effort.
So, where is the anger coming from? We know where the lies are coming
from, but the lies are so transparent, one has to wonder why people don't
see through them.
From what I have seen of libertarianism, however, leads
me to believe that a number of people have strange ideas of what freedom
is all about. They seem to be professing that freedom has to be their
way, or not at all. It has to be limited to their regional prejudices,
their way of doing things. Is that freedom? They never question their
own motives or rhetoric, and that does not connote freedom so much as
running on automatic pilot with jingoism in control. You would expect
freedom to generate free thought, an open mind. But no. Not among these
people. They use anger and fear as their excuse for imposing their restrictive
idea of freedom on everyone else.
This frightens me. When I see those people with their
caustic rhetoric, twisted ideas, and ugly, uncivilized placards, I see
people who want to impose their will upon the rest of us, people who would
deny us the right to healthcare reform. Who would deny an education based
on science, and force their religious convictions, which I personally
find heretical, on us all. In the name of patriotism and the Constitution,
they would make us turn against our own citizens, our national ideals,
and tear down the very government that the Constitution created. These
people do not speak for me or for anyone other than themselves. That they
try to make patriotic claims to their actions is absurd.
American freedom must never be based on ignorance,
or greed, or paranoia, or inequality, or contrived, conservative restrictions
spawned in the mind of Rush Limbaugh and his ilk. It has to be
based on laws that protect our rights and personal conscience. That is
the social contract that our founders gave us.
I buy into America's social contract for the sake,
benefit and security of a stable society. It may be the finest in the
world. Nevertheless, I do not define myself by it. It is a vehicle that
allows for freedom, not freedom itself.
If
the government isn't working, we have only ourselves to blame. A democratic/republican
government reflects the will and mores of the people. When the people
think more of ideology than the welfare of its citizenry, of course government
breaks down. We see this in no uncertain terms today. The Republican
Party is purposely breaking our government in order to get back in
power, thinking that they can fool the people into forgetting who was
really responsible for the deficits, deregulation and counterproductive
wars that have brought us such disastrous results. To a certain extent,
their sabotage and propaganda is working among citizens who refuse to
see behind the rhetoric. Dead minds, dead freedom. Pocket book patriots.
Where
are the real patriots? When will they speak up and shame those who are
daily pulling this nation away from its liberal roots?
