printSpeaking of a hatred of America (see previous post): Let me say this: I’ve observed that the usual libertarian offenders sided with the Reconquista ad campaign of Swedish vodka maker Absolut.
They have my absolute contempt.
Such people are intent on never showing that they stick up for flesh-and-blood human beings—but can love only deracinated abstractions. Ideas and issues before individuals.
The invasion of the Southwest—or “Reconquista” in the parlance of La Raza libertarians’ —is wreaking havoc on a part of the world that was built-up beautifully by Americans, not Mexicans.
To shelter me and protect me, I’d trust a “red state fascist” any time over a libertarian Absolutist.
Speaking of patriots, I’ve just finished Pat Buchanan’s latest book. It goes without saying that I take issue with economic protectionisms. But about Pat there can be no quibble: he is an absolute patriot.
The other good news to emerge from Day of Reckoning is that Pat is rather complimentary about Israel. In fact, it’s as though he read my “Nature of the Jewish State” column about Israeli nationhood. These ideas are reiterated toward the end of Pat’s book. It was indeed a bonus for me to see a sea change in his appreciation of Israel’s existential challenges.
Update (April 16): For an evisceration of the welfare-state “argumentation” La Raza libertarians put forth see “The Work Open Borden Libertarians Won’t Do,” and other essays in the Immigration Archive.
As to our reader’s contention that “self-sufficient people don’t choose socialism”: Really? If people can get back from the taxpayer more than they earn, they do indeed choose socialism. John C. Calhoun, in “A Disquisition on Government,” warned of this eventuality quite some time back too.
If the US should loose the Southwest it will be because of the demographics of that area and because the majority of people desire to leave the Union. How can that be stopped without resorting to violence?
And what is the US doing wrong that a region should desire to leave?
[Americans are migrating in waves into the interior and away from the Southwest. Those who want to secede are the new, invading, demographic majority: Mexicans. Libertarian theory can only be applied to REALITY. Ignoring the facts on the ground won’t wash. You can’t rape reality so it fits with theory.—IM]
Perhaps it will take the loss of a state or region to sober the country up with regard to immigration/welfare policy. And let the interior states learn from California’s mistakes, that is, if they still have the power.
I’ve never understood the appeal of protectionist trade policies as anything other than brazen interest group politics.
Set aside the purely economic arguments of the increased division of labor and comparative advantage that the world enjoys with free trade. To cede one’s right to voluntarily trade with another individual in another country to that of a gaggle of economically ignorant politicians is a stupendously stupid idea. Witness the outcome of “managed trade” in automobiles, steel and lumber. A disaster all around.
As a loyal Absolut drinker and the husband and father of Mexican citizens, I can say that I plan to never buy Absolut again.
If Mexico retained Texas, illegals would be swimming north in the Red River.
From all appearances not only can they secede, but Jorge, Destroyer of Economies, will arm them and put them on welfare forever. The Kosovo Albanians are grateful… if not the Roma and Serbs.
I had basically the same reaction.
Now, LewRockwell.com is one of my favorite websites, but the tendency of some of its columnists (especially in the blog) to be pie-in-the-sky hippies is annoying. Yesterday, it was praise of that terrible Absolut ad. Today, it’s Lew praising commie Jimmy Carter for saying that Israel should take the utterly suicidal and pointless route of negotiations with Hamas. He took care to throw in the token “blessed are the peacemakers” line.
Odd…it seems that LewRockwell.com usually only mentions religion when it has to do with foreign policy (reasonable enough) and, in occasional bursts, opposition to the death penalty (as if there were anything unjust or non-liberal about the death penalty on its correct premises).
Nearly all of the libertarians who recommend an “open border” policy (which is not all of us, by a long shot) predicate this on the elimination of the Welfare State.
In this case, there is neither danger of a flood of parasites, nor danger of any part of the United States (except possibly Communist Vermont) ever being interested in becoming part of Mexico … self-sufficient people don’t choose socialism.