With regaurds to the statement: >>I still seek a libertarian > radical enough to > > subscribe to the entire pledge.
I'm not sure but I might be able to commit to everysingle one but not sure about a couple of them. (listed 1. and 2.) 1. I will refuse to accept any salary financed by coercive taxation. I am a graduate student at a public university. THe public university does accept money from the government, BUT my salary I believe comes from a fund that comes from the tution of the students who are undergraduates. My salary is based on the fact that I am a teaching assistant so thats the only reason I get paid. So I'm not exactly sure which pot my money comes from. THese days with government so huge and economy plumeting it becomes harder everyday to be able to find a good job that is not government related. In order for some people to commit to this pledge they may become impovershed or destitute. Also at public universities where scientific research is done a lot of resources come from government grants. My advisor recieves these grants and uses the money to keep our lab running so as an employee would I be seen as violating this part of the pledge. It just seems like this part of the pledge is impossible for a lot of people who are not wealthy or don't have benevolent employers.....what do you guys think? 2. As an LP member: I will never nominate, endorse, or vote for any candidate for LP office who does not take this pledge. I will never support or vote for any LP Platform that does not advocate immediate repeal of all laws that in any way authorize or tolerate the initiation of force. I will never support or vote for any LP Platform that does not advocate full amnesty and pardons to anyone and everyone ever accused or convicted of tax evasion, any other victimless crime, or self-defense against an agent of the State or any other aggressor. OK, so this one seems tough to committ too just because it is that all or nothing attitude that I think is preventing libertarians from getting anything done. Candidates who are extreemly good but still imperfect should be supported if they can improve our situation, isn't it worth it. In this sense it seems to me that the only way to comitt to all of these is to isolate yourself from society completely and stop using money completely. That is exactly what I plan on doing (sustainable farming in an extreemly small isolated comunity that does not interact with the outside except in cases of bartering). The problem is that it takes some monetary investment to set up a farm and buy a plot of land so till then I'm stuck here. One more thing, was this No 1st Force: A Pledge Against Political Force Initiation put together by Brian Holtz? Isn't Brian Holtz one of the pro war LP'ers on the cal-libs cabal group that I used to argue with (if not my appologies for the confusion) but if so how does the iraq war fit in with the non agression principle? Thanks, Tony > > > > > > -- > "There are some troubles from which mankind can > never escape. . . . [The > anarchists] have never claimed that liberty will > bring perfection; they > simply say that its results are vastly preferable to > those that follow from > authority.... As a choice of blessings, liberty is > the greater; as a choice > of evils, liberty is the smaller. Then liberty > always says the Anarchist. No > use of force except against the invader." Benjamin > Tucker > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
