QOTD
First, to all of you respectable libertarians who try so hard to impress the James Tarantos of the world, this is what they think of you. You’re harmless little dorks whose “extremist” views make no difference whatsoever. Congratulations.
The point isn’t, ahem, that Taranto is necessarily wrong; the point is that trying to stay on Taranto’s good side is unseemly. Of all the pitiable things about “neolibertarianism,” the saddest is that they jumped on a bubble stock (the G. W. Bush Republican Party) just in time to ride the crash. But the second saddest is their ache to be approved by people who despise them. Those neolibs who signed on to Invade the World Free because they really believe that the massive government program we call war is a reliable agent of constructive global change are at least sincere. But too many of them are poodle-anxious to go along with beating the middle east until morale improves so that orthodox, nationalist conservatives will “take them seriously.” Here’s a clue: they’re never going to take you seriously.
Comment by washerdreyer —
April 13, 2006 @ 1:38 am
Reading Taranto’s original, he appears to be wholly unaware that Bernstein is a liberterian.
Comment by Visitor —
April 13, 2006 @ 7:41 am
Never take too seriously the critiques of someone who once took the Rajneesh sect even briefly or partially seriously, as it appears:
”Author: James Taranto; Date: 06/04/88 Time: 21:07:55
I visited the commune in 1985 and was rather taken with it myself, so I have some personal insight into the psychology that was at play. I was rather dissatisfied with my life at the time, and my interest in Rajneesheeism was a way of rebelling against a society that I blamed for my own dissatisfaction. The members of the cult, I think, had the same problem I did, only it was much more severe. (I was wise enough not to actually get involved with it, though I did for a while credulously believe patently false rationalizations, such as the claim that Rajneeshees all dressed the same because they all just wanted to dress that way.)”
Rajneeshism to neoconservatism is only a small leap.
Apollo BBS Archive – June 4-5, 1998 (link won’t print but can be googled)
Comment by Visitor —
April 13, 2006 @ 8:56 am
oops should be 1988.
Trackback by The Agitator —
April 14, 2006 @ 12:00 pm
Taranto’s Silly Taunts
The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto on libertarians:It seems to us Bernstein has an incomplete picture of libertarians. He probably…