A New Libertarian Hero?

MOAR

Don't want to vote for McCain? VOTE BOB BARR '08: RON PAUL LITE

I approve.

I approve as well, I like hearing that there will be other choices incase my fears of having to choose between McCain and Clinton come true.

I like how a man called Bob wants to change a third party option from being a sideshow.

I look forward to vicious sniping matches between Barr and, um, some Texan guy whose name I can't quite remember...

Small bone to pick with your choice of headline, though I appreciate your post all the same.

Heroes are what Democrats, and most Republicans these days, crave. I do not believe in heroes when it comes to politics. I want representation. Libertarians generally are opposed to the typical treatment of politicians; naming airports and streets after them, carving statues, all these reminders of Dear Leader. It's distasteful and distinctly un-American as far as I'm concerned.

As much as I like Ron Paul, he's not my hero. He's just a guy who believes in what's fair for all of us, and won't sell out his principles. That's enough for me.

Fair enough. Although you have to admit, RP did have a bit of a hero status for a lot of Libertarians. Obviously not you, but I did get that feeling. It also wasn't meant to be that literal.

True. There are Libs who worship the guy. Plus a lot of college students this past year, they always get pretty excited.

The Libertarian Party is a funny thing. The Anti-Party Party. There are plenty of Lib types I am certain I would disagree with on everything except "less government".

So you think that honoring people of distinctive service to their country and fellow men and women with monuments or plaques is "distasteful and un-American" ?

I wouldn't argue that every politician with an airport or highway named after them really deserved it, but you say that carving a statue of say, Benjamin Franklin is distasteful ? and un-American ?? What if JFK ?
Someone not so popular ? ,, lets say NIxon. I carved a statue of NIxon. ok, that might be distasteful, to me at least, but un-American ?
Which part, the honoring of the person ? the political implications that you project on to it ?
please, clarify.

Taste is purely subjective. But un-American, totally. JFK is deserving of attention, but statues and airports convey an unquestioning sense of reverence, where I believe scrutiny is more appropriate for a Republic. JFK had plenty of baggage, and made some questionable decisions, as much as any other guy who's served the top post. If it were a non-representational form of government, fine, let's worship Dear Leader and dream of past glory. But we live in a Republic, and our leaders should be humble. One of us. I understand that is not how it currently works, or likely ever will work, but the deification of these figures is a pointed reminder to me that we shouldn't forget to TRY. Their stony faces seem to mock the very idea of the People guiding their own ships. Again, I realize people actually like icons and crave them. I am just doing my job here.

Damn, it's late and I am practically foaming at the mouth! I hope this answer suffices. Have a good night, sir.

Chainlink:

Statuary and memorials are simply a way of perpetuating the American myth and promoting unadulterated nationalism. I'm going to have to go ahead and agree (for probably the first time) with Livertarian. Name an American President without a questionable history and I'll be totally amazed. You can go ahead and add heads of states and the like to that equation. Point being, with each "hero" there is a shady past that most Americans are unaware of, sad as it may be. This reality is part of the reason Americans have a difficult time honestly analyzing and appreciating our place in international affairs.

statues and the like promote national pride, which is very important for a nation to have (since without it, there very soon will be no nation--just ask a Yugoslavian). there can be too much of a good thing, of course, but i'm not sure that statues and airport names are really the root of the problem, here. or even a significant symptom.

Jebidiah Springfield is really the murderous pirate, Hans Sprungfeld.

¿QUE?

Simpsons Episode 3F13: Lisa The Iconoclast (Season 7)

There is an episode of the Simpsons relevant to nearly every discussion one could possibly engage in.

there is very nearly an episode of the Simpons for every man, woman, and child on the planet!

What? It's a perfectly cromulent reference.

I've embiggened this thread with its use.

Right, the myth. Hehe, and great reference. To be fair to Chainlink though, there is just as much reason to admire some of these guys as denounce them. I suppose my point, which in fairness to Chainlink I didn't make clear, is that while we may honor them we also need to be aware of their deficits. Whether or not that balanced approach makes them heroes is another story. Personally, I'd say no. We're just human. Some of us have had made great achievements and yes, they should be honored, but not while denying the truth. Love and honor them for both their qualities and defects I suppose. There's nothing wrong with being proud to be American, but not unconditionally. Fuck it. I need to sleep. Just figured I'd try to clarify.

Yeah I was that guy as well

It's a combination of Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad for me, now.

I'm not a huge fan of Barr. As you may or may not know, he is a fairly recent convert, being a prior drug warrior. He claims that he changed his opinion after he saw how large the federal government is getting. I don't completely buy it. For example, on antiwar.com, Justin Raimondo recently pointed out that Barr was arguing for a more aggressive forieign policy in Colombia with regards to Venezuela. It seems he believes that the iraq war is a mistake not so much because of non-interventionism as a philosophy, but because we should be intervening in our own hemisphere (ok, I admit, hyperbole) Also, he's much more of a "social conservative" then Paul, I don;t care for his hardline immigration stance, and there are other things as well.
I don't like how he's run his campaign. He was running ads like "Sorry Ron Paul dropped out? Vote for Barr!" when paul was still running. He's also run material heavily implying that Paul endorsed him. In fact, Paul specificially did NOT endorse him. He also at the LP convention drafted a resolution to give Paul the LP nomination. How transparent can you be? He knew Paul had no intention of runing, and did it simply to gather favor for his candidacy with paul's suporters. Of course, he is a politician, and that's how the game is played, but when your record consists of writing tough anti-drug legislation and voting for the patriot act, libertarians have a reason to be worried about sincerity.

Yeah, do not buy Bob Barr's shit. He is a douche. I'm from Georgia and I've heard him speak quite a number of times- Bleh.

I don't buy this dribble at all.

I'm old, I still throw in Beavis and Butthead on occasion.