Rejoining the Right
Classical liberalism was a philosophy developed over hundreds of years in response to the serfdom experienced in the European continent in which the expressions of this philosophy and the economics it inspired began with the Englightenments of the 14th and 16th centuries and took their purest forms in the form of various political movements such as The Levelers, the Abolitionists, the French Republican movement and the free trade-oriented anti-Corn Law League.The seed of this philosophy was best expressed in it's truest form in the United States of America which based it's government on the Lockean idea of government existing to preserve, protect, and defend the natural rights of man.
After the establishment of the United States, political parties emerged in Congress via factions who favored the Jeffersonian idea of self-government and the Hamiltonian outlook of America emulating England.
For hundreds of years, the political party that best represented Jefferson's ideas were the Democrats (know affectionately as The Democracy) in which, aside from the slavery issue, they were considered by the American electorate as the best reflection of the Jeffersonian ideas of liberty and self-government.
Much of this changed with the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson.
With Wilson came the introduction of socialists beginning to fully migrate into the Democratic Party. Their influence and lock on the party's internal politics and future candidates solidified with the nomination and Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
As a result of Wilson and Roosevelt, classical liberal ideas migrated to the Republican Party in which conservatives and libertarians on the right made common cause with one another in opposition to the socialists on the left.
This is best reflected in the fusionist writings of Frank Meyer, the reasoned liberty tracts of Russell Kirk, and the social bond individualism of Richard M. Weaver.
All three gentlemen wrote their tracts to give a philosophical justification with a religious tinge for conservatives to embrace libertarian ideas, respectfully. Their books were written in reaction to the ideas of liberty beginning to filter into conservative circles.
The work of conservatives embracing libertarian ideas began and is best evidenced with the Presidencies of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. Thanks to their economic adviser Andrew Mellon, the center-right embraced some semblances of economic and personal liberty.
The influence of libertarian ideas on the right continued with the isolationist wing of the Republican Party best represented by William Howard Taft in the U.S. Senate and Howard Buffett in the U.S. House.
It finally came to a head with the Presidential candidacy of Senator Barry Goldwater and the Presidency of Ronald Reagan who is quoted as saying:
If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals–if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.
Thanks to the writings of influential Old Right authors such as John T. Flynn, Rose Wilder Lane, Garet Garrett, and Zora Neal Hurston the ideas of liberty became associated with the right and remained alive and eventually flourished with Ayn Rand's books.
It is in this tradition that I have just shredded my Libertarian Party registration in favor of activism in the Republican Party.
The enactment of the Democrat's health care plan makes it ever more apparent that the only way to reverse President Obama's health care plan and to undo the damage done to the U.S.'s economy with his version of the New Deal is to support Republicans committed to doing so including maintaining and enhancing the defense of the United States from the global threat of radical Islam.
While it is not entirely consistent, at this time and after 12 years of participating in Libertarian Party politics as an party officer and candidate, the Republican Party is as close as the United States will get to having a classical liberal/libertarian political party.
I must also tip my hat to Ayn Rand who philosophy has had an even larger influence on my thinking recently on this and other issues as well.
What is needed is to change the culture to where they will be able to embrace freedom as a consistent way of life. This will then translate into politicians beginning to be more consistent in their approach to issues since the inconsistent stances of those who occupy elected office.
Who is Russell Pearce Really Targeting?
I do not subscribe to the round 'em up, kick 'em out nativist crowd and initially had concerns with Arizona's controversial new immigration law SB 1070.However, I decided to do some research to see if much of what SB 1070's critics charge will occur under Arizona's new state statute.
After careful consideration of the points for and against it and looking into this matter further, I have come to the conclusion that Russell Pearce's new law will not result in many of the things opponents of SB 1070 claim.
Including some Libertarian's bizarre claim that the new law is part of a conspiracy to a clandestinely implement a national I.D. card.
The new law is based soley on documentation, written to apply to everyone equally and, despite opponent's claims, and there is no requirement in SB 1070 that people in Arizona have to carry any identification.
Also, SB 1070 was amended to prohibit racial profiling and race cannot be used as a determining factor when police stop someone.
Though it is clear that race is a factor when it comes to the issue of immigration and drugs since Sheriff Arpaio is targeting his roundups in areas that are predominately Hispanic.
According to the Cato Institute, most of the undocumented immigrant population are Hispanics and it is Latinos that are hit hardest by the U.S.'s bureaucratic immigration process.
The Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution and much of the case law surrounding these two Amendments is very strong in protecting personal privacy and unreasonable searches and seizures.
After this law goes into effect in July Arizona cops will not have a blank check to stop people for any reason as there are numerous legal hurdles still in place and even enhanced protections implemented under this new law to prevent much of what SB 1070 opponents fear.
Under SB 1070 Police Officers don't have any more authority to stop or arrest someone than they had before it was enacted. If they abuse their power, the agencies or officer who acted fraudulently can be held legally and criminally responsible.
For example, in the course of their investigation, under SB 1070, police officers are not required to check someone's immigration status if doing so interferes with their ability to conduct an investigation.
Police will only have to make a reasonable attempt (when practicable) to check someone's immigration status if they stop someone involved in the commission of a crime.
Also, it was recently discovered by one journalist that undocumented immigrants with clean records would be eligible for temporary guest worker cards until they are assigned a hearing before an immigration judge.
Immigration courts that handle deporations are backlogged and detention centers that hold undocumented immigrants are full. As a result, many detainees could be the recipients of guest work papers in which recipients would be able to travel anywhere in the country to find work until their court date which could be up to 5 years or more.
When this fact came to light, Russell Pearce didn't immediately call for this practice to be stopped. According to Fox News his reaction was:
It will save us hundreds of millions of dollars. That's good for the taxpayer. The benefits so outweigh [the work permits].
With all of these points in mind, one has to ask who is really the target of SB 1070?
One explanation comes from a news story out of Atlanta, Georgia.
As it turns out, while many of the undocumented immigrants caught at Arizona's border are from Central and Latin America, hundreds are coming from countries you may not have expected:
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran.
With the threat of terrorism inspired by proponents of radical Islam, many terrorists who subscribe to radical Islamic theology will look for any way to sneak into the United States.
This is not to say that everyone from the four above mentioned countries or all undocumented immigrants are terrorists and it is very possible that the migrants from middle eastern countries attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico are refugees.
However, the vast majority of terrorists do hail from the middle east and all of the countries listed above are known to harbor terrorists. One country (Iran) helps arm and train them.
Therefore, legal measures, like SB 1070 to help counter the ability of terrorists and violent criminals to enter and live in the U.S. while maintaining standards to preserve individual liberties are warranted since terrorists and violent criminals pose a threat to an individual's right to life.
Pearce proposed SB 1070 in reaction to discussions he had with ranchers in southern Arizona expressing their concern to him about the death of Rob Krentz who was murdered by an immigrant or drug smuggler back in March on his ranch located in Cochise County.
Krentz was a decent, honest, hardworking man known to help undocumented immigrants crossing Arizona's desert.
Cochise County is one of many counties in Arizona near the U.S. - Mexico border that has experienced increased violence due to the smuggling of illegal drugs and undocumented immigrants.
Most undocumented immigrants are honest, hardworking people who took a chance to come to the U.S. in search of a better life and should be able to apply for papers to legally work in the U.S.
The result of SB 1070 allows them to do just that.
In addition to undocumented immigrants who have clean records being able to obtain work cards, at the very least, the President Obama should work with Congress to repeal the cap on H1-B visas so employers can hire more people and would simulataneously enable the importation of more skilled labor.
The fact that the U.S. almost experienced another terrorist attack in Times Square earlier this month and with the high likelihood of more domestic terrorist attacks along with the elevated violence in Arizona counties along the U.S.-Mexico border makes it abundantly clear that it is the violence and death resulting from illegal drug and undocumented immigrant trades, and the potential influx of terrorists that Pearce's law is designed to curb.
Short of halting the hiring of undocumented immigrants for working and living here (which I disgree with), Senator Pearce is not looking to overturn appropriate legal protections geared to prevent abuse by police officers directed towards people nor stop the flow of immigrants to the United States.
With these points in mind, one has to wonder whose side opponents of SB 1070 are really on?
New Neighbors at Ground Zero: Two Mosques
As it turns out, Ground Zero will have two Mosques going up near it.
In principle I do not have a problem with the Mosques. However, Author Robert Spencer alleges the peaceful intent behind this is contrary to the stated intent of the man responsible for their coming about, Feisal Abdul Rauf.
Author Robert Spencer was on the Sean Hannity Show on Fox News Channel to discuss the controversy surrounding this issue.
In principle I do not have a problem with the Mosques. However, Author Robert Spencer alleges the peaceful intent behind this is contrary to the stated intent of the man responsible for their coming about, Feisal Abdul Rauf.
Author Robert Spencer was on the Sean Hannity Show on Fox News Channel to discuss the controversy surrounding this issue.
David Horowitz Exposes Anti-Semitism at UCSD
A very telling video about the attitude radical Muslims have toward Jews and the kinds of inroads radical Islamists might be making on university campuses.
David Horowitz flushes out a Muslim Jew hater during a question and answer session after a speech Horowitz recently gave at the University of California San Diego.
David Horowitz flushes out a Muslim Jew hater during a question and answer session after a speech Horowitz recently gave at the University of California San Diego.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Thomas Sowell on Obamanomics
In this interview excerpt, the great economist Dr. Thomas Sowell discusses the economic policies of Presdient Barack Obama and the parallels to The New Deal.
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