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From: mms1646@acf4.UUCP (Michael M. Sykora)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Blasting libertarians (from alice!jj)
Message-ID: <1340130@acf4.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 1-Jun-85 03:58:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: acf4.1340130
Posted: Sat Jun  1 03:58:00 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Jun-85 07:08:05 EDT
References: <375@h-sc1.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
Lines: 44

>/* rwsh@hound.UUCP (R.STUBBLEFIELD) / 11:47 pm  May 28, 1985 */

> . . .  The thesis of Peter Schwartz's
>article is that libertarianism is dangerous to liberty.  He makes his
>case in theory and illustrates how its becoming true in practice.  The
>theoretical point is that a defense of liberty requires a defense of the
>ideas of reality, reason, and self-interest but that libertarianism holds
>liberty compatible with these and with their opposites.  When rational
>ideas are compromised with irrational ones the result is irrational.

I don't see libertarianism as saying anything other than  --  the
initiation of force and fraud is wrong.  That's basically it.
I don't see any irrationality there.

> The
>practical point is that the libertarian movement will be co-opted by
>by enemies of liberty.

I don't see how.  In any event, I don't see why one should stop pursuing
liberty simply because of this possibility.

>  There are already examples in the 1984 platform.

First of all, I think we'd better clear up who we're talking about.
I understood you to be referring to libertarians, who are not 
necessarily Libertarians.  Furthermore, while I don't agree with
everything the party says, it is so much better than anything else
in the political arena it seems foolish to me not to support it.

>The libertarian intellectuals who hold that the US is a bigger enemy of
>liberty than is the USSR show where the movement is going.

I don't know of any libertarians who hold those views and I read
a good deal of libertarian literature.  Whom are you referring to?

>The following are not officially sanctioned by Leonard Peikoff
>but are, in my opinion, of interest to objectivists:

Are you sure it's ok to read them without His approval?

Anyway, thanks for the info.  I7ll be sure to pich up a copy when
I get the chance.

						Mike Sykora