I can't fiqure why people think we all need to be on the same track, belong to the same party to advance liberty either. It really puzzles me that independent minded free market orienated people would fall for that. For example we have more than one libertarian or promarket think tank, at least three of these have their own ideas on how to do things and have their own outlook on government and policy. We have the Mises Institute, The Independent Institute and the CATO Institute, I really think these three are more sucessful in total and their budgets are much bigger and they have more donors that if they were combined into just one group. I perfer Mises more than the other two and the Indepedent more than CATO, others my reverse the order of their preference and others may not wish to have anything to do with Mises except working together on some issues--- In [email protected], "steven linnabary" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > From: "Jim Syler" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > Which is the point, and the problem. If we could all work together > > toward liberty, using the "libertarian train" metaphor, that would be > > great. But that's not how it works. The purists (admittedly, not all of > > them, but I don't hear the ones that don't chastising the ones who do) > > do everything within their power to move all others out of the Party, > > by ridicule, by condemnation, by calling them "not libertarians," by > > loudly trying to exclude them from leadership positions, from trying to > > stymie every move in any direction if they are in leadership positions, > > ad nauseam. > > > > To expand on your train metaphor, the engine, or locomotive, that powers the > LP is its ideology. And that ideology is best explained (in its > consolidated form) with the pledge. The pledge is expanded with the > "Statement of Principles" and that is expanded with the LP Platform. > Now, while anyone is welcome to ride aboard this freedom train, it wouldn't > be prudent to allow just anyone to be the engineer. In fact, it would be > counterproductive. > You see, there have been several "trains" since the birth of the LP in '71. > There was the "Wallace" train in '68 & '72, the "Anderson" train in '80, and > the "Perot" train in '92 & '96. Each of these trains could (with some > pretzel logic) be considered "libertarian" by one stretch or another. But > in each case, the train locomotive was not principle but personality. And > each of these trains is now dead, while the LP train driven by ideology is > still chugging along. > So it seems pretty clear to me that any attempt to sell out our principles > for a personality driven cult would be idiotic. In fact, while the > republican party took up some of Perots' ideas in '94, all those cars were > abandoned at the siding many years ago. > At the same time, not one single train car or plank of the LP Platform has > been abolished or repudiated, except when it has become necessary by > beaureaucratic shuffling (the LP no longer calls for the abolition or Dept > Health, Education and Welfare or of Immigration and Naturalization Service). > The LP is several time bigger than when I got on board in the early 80's and > is still chugging along just fine (in spite of the uphill grade since 9/11). > It is pretty clear to me that the LP would have run out of steam long ago > had we put an engineer of personality (as opposed to principle) in the > locomotive. > And when this train gets to the crest of the hill, I want an engineer in > charge that knows what he is talking about when we speed up on the other > side! > > PEACE > Steven R. Linnabary, Treasurer > Franklin County Libertarian Party > (614) 891-8841 > P.O.Box#115; Blacklick, OH 43004-0115 > > "When you make peaceful revolution impossible, you make violent revolution > inevitable" John F. Kennedy >
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