Steve, as I'm sure you'd even acknowledge, the libertarian movement is much, much broader than just the tiny Libertarian Party.
It includes EVERYONE who scores better than 66/66 on the World's Smallest Political Quiz. The LP is limited to just those who are in the 97/97 and above range. That leaves an awful lot of libertarian territory no occupied by the Libertarian Party. The Pledge is only relevent to the radical Libertarianism of the LP. --- 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 > ForumWebSiteAt http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
