Comments on: Quote of the Day: In Response to Van Jones’ Remarks About “so-called libertarians” http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2012/04/05/quote-of-the-day-in-response-to-van-jones%e2%80%99-remarks-about-%e2%80%9cso-called-libertarians%e2%80%9d/ Life. Liberty. Property. Defending individual freedom and liberty, one post at a time. Fri, 17 May 2013 18:49:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: tkc http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2012/04/05/quote-of-the-day-in-response-to-van-jones%e2%80%99-remarks-about-%e2%80%9cso-called-libertarians%e2%80%9d/#comment-84330 tkc Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:27:09 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/?p=10376#comment-84330 I think a lot of the myth of libertarians not liking blacks comes from the support of states rights. There is a contingent out there on the left that likes to perpetuate the myth that states rights is only about slavery. Libertarians know it is not but there are plenty of times where I’ve brought up states rights in arguments that had nothing to do with slavery or Jim Crow and I’ve been labeled as a racist simply for uttering the term.

]]> By: Stephen Littau http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2012/04/05/quote-of-the-day-in-response-to-van-jones%e2%80%99-remarks-about-%e2%80%9cso-called-libertarians%e2%80%9d/#comment-84329 Stephen Littau Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:33:46 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/?p=10376#comment-84329 True. I suppose you could argue the LP platform is what a majority of LP members who participated in drafting the platform at the last convention believe what it means to be a libertarian. The end product that became the 2008 platform was quite controversial as the ‘radical’ libertarians thought it was too moderate (What do I mean by radical? The previous platform stated that individuals had the right to possess WMD including nuclear weapons as everyone has the right to bear arms). The radicals wanted to write a minority report but was ultimately rejected by the majority of the delegates.

There are certainly areas of disagreement among those who call themselves libertarian, but I think all authentic libertarians would agree with your statement (i.e. what is sometimes referred to as the harm principle). Perhaps a better reference point for Van Jones would be Cato’s new website libertarianism.org where a variety of ideas of the basics of liberty are debated.

All I know is the people Van Jones describe certainly don’t describe libertarianism as I understand it.

]]> By: Chris http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2012/04/05/quote-of-the-day-in-response-to-van-jones%e2%80%99-remarks-about-%e2%80%9cso-called-libertarians%e2%80%9d/#comment-84315 Chris Thu, 05 Apr 2012 23:35:43 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/?p=10376#comment-84315 Not that the Libertarian party in any way defines what it means to be a libertarian; or that it is even representative of a majority of libertarians.

Kinda the whole point of libertarianism, is that there ISN”T any organization that COULD be representative or a majority of us.

Regardless of what organization one might belong to, the rules” of being a libertarian are pretty simple and basic.

It’s like being a christian. The basic rules are pretty clear. If you believe that christ died for the sins of man, that man was redeemed through this death, and that the path to heaven is through acceptance of this, you are a christian. Any other weird, wild, or whacko stuff you pile on top of that doesn’t make you not christian… it just makes you weird christian.

Well, being a libertarian is the same.

There is one simple core belief; that maximizing liberty and minimizing the coercive restraint of it, except where necessary to prevent trespass on the liberty of others, is generally the best way to go about anything political.

If you believe that, you are a libertarian.

Everything else is all about variants.

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