NationStates Jolt Archive


Anthony Gregory on Libertarians and War

Non-violent Adults
23-11-2005, 14:43
I've been a fan of a young man named Anthony Gregory (http://www.anthonygregory.com/) for a couple of years now. He regularly writes articles for a number of libertarian/anti-state websites including lewrockwell.com (http://www.lewrockwell.com). He's younger than I am, whereas most of the contributers to my beloved LRC are older than my dad. I have nothing against these older gentlemen, but it is important to see that their ideas are embraced today while they're still around. Gregory has a particular knack for reaching a wider audience, for putting ideas into words that few would have trouble correctly understanding, for making the ideas of radical libertarianism, as championed by Murray N. Rothbard, sound perfectly sensible to folks who are not predisposed to think that way. He's been largely critical of the American right, convincing me once and for all that the Republican party does not deserve its reputation as the lesser of two evils among fans of freedom.

Recently, he gave a speech at a conference on pro-war libertarians and conservatives and how such folks tolerate a great deal more statism so long as there's a war going on or some greater evil to fight. The essence of what he said is not new, but the way he put it is just brilliant. The speech is available here (http://www.lewrockwell.com/gregory/gregory98.html) on LRC. It is relatively esoteric, but considering the audience, that's to be expected. What almost shocks me is how well written it is. The man has come a long way in the short time I've been reading his work. I only wish I could've been there to see how good of a orator he is.

If you are libertarian, anti-war, or both I recommend you read the rather long speech. If you are neither, you'll probably not get much from it. The views expressed here strongly reflect my own.
Eruantalon
23-11-2005, 22:30
Yes, I've always wondered how such "anti-socialist" people could so embrace the Iraq war because it was helping the people of Iraq.
Non-violent Adults
24-11-2005, 09:39
Yes, I've always wondered how such "anti-socialist" people could so embrace the Iraq war because it was helping the people of Iraq.Yeah, and what really kills me is how pro-military objectivists can be when to actually sign up for the military is to reject objectivism. Check out the Army's LeaDeRSHIP values acronym:

L - Loyalty
D - Duty
R - Respect
S - Selfless Service
H - Honor
I - Integrity
P - Personel Courage

The military also follows the socialist creed, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need". If you are single, you live in the barracks. If you are married, you get a house. If you have children, you get a bigger house. If you have 9 children, you get two houses.

No really, when I was in the Army at Fort Huachuca, there was a soldier who had 8 or 10 kids and they gave him both halves of a duplex and put an opening in the dividing wall.