Posted at http://thirdpartywatch.com/2008/01/12/libertarian-radicals-and-reformers-deb ate/: Thanks, Tom.
Morey, the full and unrebutted story of me being banned from four radical-controlled lists is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marketliberal/message/2545. For the most recent three of them, my sin was that I dared to 1) rebut Marc Montoni's public accusation of "hypocrisy", and 2) document demonstrable repeated falsehoods about me by Outright Libertarian leaders Brian Miller and Rob Power. I challenge you to read my unrebutted explanation and then re-ring your "bad behavior" bell. For the first one, Susan expelled me because she apparently doesn't want her fellow radicals to hear things like 1) the Bill of Rights is not ZAP-compliant, or 2) radical federalism should unite LP minarchists and anarchists. She was, however, happy to approve my posting documenting Ron Paul's heresies from Rothbardian absolutism, because she doesn't like Ron Paul. Her policy makes it easier for her to say unchallenged things like this on Wednesday: "[reformers'] offering will be a true abomination. The platform committee is so stacked with people who embrace taxation and other uses of coercion that it can't possibly produce anything that would be acceptable in toto to a roomful of libertarians. They will find out with this offering just exactly how far they have over-reached." Ironically, she went on to write that "Radical delegates need to be extremely well-informed", which apparently is a state they achieve through the right level of censorship. :-) <http://thirdpartywatch.com/wp-images/smilies/icon_smile.gif> I guess I shouldn't complain, since her keeping radicals in the dark only helps the chances for reform in Denver. As I wrote to Starchild after the expulsion: I thought that radical federalism, and the force initiation buried in the Sixth Amendment, were appropriate topics that LP radicals might want to hear about, but Susan apparently disagreed. You and I probably would have decided the other way, but moderating those individual messages at least wasn't grossly unfair (even if obviously self-serving). Summarily expelling somebody is another matter altogether-at least for a list whose traffic and archives remain public. There's of course no reason to let reformers onto a radical strategy list when there is (belatedly) a "wide open, unmoderated" forum for discussion relevant to radicalism, but it's simply embarrassing to create such a discussion forum and then immediately censor the topic of whether a radical leader is embarrassing the radical cause with intemperate personal attacks on reformers.
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