Category Archives: Libertarian

Today is Sarah Michelle Gellars birthday. Gellar originated the role ofBuffy, the Vampire Slayer for television 20 years ago in 1997 (Kristi Swansonplayed an earlier Buffy in Joss Whedons 1992 film of the same name). During the series, Buffy dies (and is resurrected) and we see her gravestone, which reads: Best Friend. Beloved Sister. She saved the worlda lot. And Buffy did save the world a lot; but we should stop and ask: from what?

I first sawBuffy the Vampire Slayerin its second season, in 1999. I was working 70 hours a week in residential real estate in downtown Washington, D.C., and could have easily cloned myself and given my triplets lucrative full-time employment. I was an hour late to meet a lesbian couple in Dupont Circle, and as soon I entered their rented co-op I was handed a plate of the pasta they had just prepared and told to join them, because we would have to watch Buffy and then write the offer. It was a season two finale, with Buffy battling the evil alter ego of her boyfriend (to save the world). Sword play, martial arts (Gellar was a black belt in taekwondo), incredible gymnastics: I was hooked.

Buffyalways had a big lesbian and gay following. Female action heroes, anti-authoritarianism, a love that dare not speak its name between a slayer (human) and a vampire, a teen and her friends (the Scoobies) who must keep the secrets of their blossoming identities and their after-school activities from their parents and teachers; in later seasons, a major character (played by Alyson Hannigan, who went on to star in both theAmerican Piemovies and in the hit seriesHow I Met Your Mother) becomes a lesbian.If youcant findit on one cable channel or another inreruns, you can get the series fromAmazon.

ButBuffyhad wider political ramifications. Buffy protected a sunlit world of oblivious humans (in Sunnydale in sunny southern California) from a dark world of predators waiting to eat them. Predators were either the authorities in charge (a Mayor working dark magic to become a pure demon in dragon form, by a ritual that included eating the graduating senior class), or aided and abetted by authorities (Buffysbete noir, Principal Snyder).

And even when the government stepped in to manage and control the demonic threat (a military funded project 314 which captured demons and vampires, with the hope of turning them into weapons), it failed. And Buffy had to save the world, again. (In the case of the military, she was aided by a boyfriend played by actorMarc Blucasas a kind of hunky heterosexual Bradley Manning defector, who slugs his commanding officer and declares Im an anarchist.)

Meanwhile, asBuffywas becoming a cult hit, we were all in our own sunlit worldthe asset bubble created by the federal government and the Federal Reserves currency inflation to buy government debt and fuel government expansion under Clinton, Bush, and then Obama. That inflation lit a boom and bust cycle with one collapsing asset bubble after another, from the tech bubble, to the real estate bubble, to the coming devaluation of the currency and downgrading of government bonds and student loan debt.

The predators in this case also operated in the dark, with the Federal Reserve refusing transparency and both major partiesaside from Ron and Rand Paul, Justin Amash, Thomas Massie, and a few othersdiscussing tax rates and proposing gimmicky miniscule pseudo-spending cuts, but never discussing the effects of currency inflation on investment and employment. Most voters and taxpayers have been oblivious to this, just as Sunnydale residents were oblivious the vampires lurking in the night.

The writers atBuffyactually knocked government and statism often. Social climbing cheerleader and mean girlCordelia Chaseis thrown into poverty in her senior year when the IRS seizes her home and her parents business and assets. Demon-turned-human and Buffy friend Anya is shown in one flashback sparking the Russian revolution, in her role as a vengeance demon, because she wants to see maximum bloodshed.

Later, when Buffys cancer patient mom is facing a hospital that cant cure her, someone in the Buffy entourage says I hate hospitals. Ever-Dadaist Anya replies, Its like communism. And of course there was Principal Snyder, tin pot dictator of Sunnydale High (played byArmin Shimerman, who had a role as a villain in theAtlas Shruggedmovie and a recurring role as an alien in one of theStar Trekfranchises).

This isnt surprising, since Joss Whedon (who is a liberal, not a libertarian) always has libertarianish heroes in his work. Theres the crew of the shipSerenity, rebels turned smugglers in the space operaFirefly, who outwit a galactic empire that created an aerosolized drug used by the government for mind control of the population.(The source of the libertarianism in Whedons work is co-writer Tim Minear, who now has his own series on the FX channel,The Feud, about the relationship between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford).

Whedonwho produced pro-Hillary videos last year parodied by writers atThe Federalistand elsewheresays he came up with the concept of Buffy by reflecting on all the many horror movies where a monster attacks and kills a young girl, and wondering, What if the girl fought back? The feminism is obvious. But its also libertarian, in that the young girl is the ultimate underdog and individual, battling forces of domination.

Buffy spawned many imitators, most of whom have also been successful. Though based on the occult mystery novels by Charlaine Harris, the HBO seriesTrueBloodis easily a Buffy progeny: a young girl with a special power battling evil and negotiating peace and privacy for herself as well as her community. The ABC seriesOnce Upon a Timelikewise features a young woman with a magical gift who must battle evils, including authority figures like a mayor who isalso a witch.

Itsinterestingthat NBCs copy ofBuffy, the recently concluded seriesGrimm, featured a male character, who was the slayer and a homicide detective. InGrimm,the demons and vampires were replaced with creatures called wesen (Grimmfavored Germanicnomenclature and mythology), two-spirited creatures like were-wolves and were-foxes.

In the world ofGrimm, individuals were evilnot mayors or high school principals, but private people whose secret nature asanimalistic carnivores required a cop who was on occasion willing to violate the 4thAmendment and other pesky aspects of the Bill of Rights. Grimmwas a well-produced andsatisfying series, albeit one that ended slightly abruptly when the writers didnt know what else to do. Butits interesting that it fit so well into the NBC fascist culture, where private individuals are evilfromLaw and Orderin all its permutations toTo Catch a Predatorand only strong government saves us from them.

Sarah Michelle Gellaris reported to be registered as a Republican, as is her reportedly more politically active husband,Freddie Prinze Jr.One assumes that, being young Hollywooders, they are more libertarian than social conservative. But I have never heard them interviewed about it. (Emma Caufield, who played Anya for the last half of the series, publicly endorsed Ron Paul one year, mainly it seems because of his foreign policy views.)

Of Buffy, Gellar has said: I truly believe that it is one of the greatest shows of all time and it will go down in history as that. And I dont feel that that is a cocky statement. We changed the way that people looked at television.

I cant help but agree with that, even aside from the politics of the Scoobies. And the show does seem to have helped encourage an endless array of entertaining occult fantasy shows (Moonlight, Being Human, TrueBlood, Grimm). Happy Birthday, Sarah Michelle Gellar!

Photo Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seth Green, Charisma Carpenter, Alyson Hannigan, and Nicholas Brendon in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)

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'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Was Addicting Television With A Libertarian Streak - The Federalist

The Libertarian Party appears determined to remain relegated tonever reachingfive percent of the popular vote in a presidential election.

In a post on the official Libertarian Party Facebook page, the party shared a macro image about the importance of self-ownership and personal responsibility. And while they couldve cited any number of philosophers on the issue -- including the Founding Fathers -- the Libertarian Party decided to quote the Satanic Temple and the Satanic Seven Tenets, instead:

Ironically, the image included the hashtag #FREETOBELIEVE, even though 2016 Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson called religious liberty a black hole to support his position that bakers should be required to bake cakes for gay weddings (Johnson takes his anti-religious liberty position even further and says Jews should be required to bake cakes for Nazis).

As of 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, the Facebook post was removed, but an archive of the post is available here.

This is far from the first time the Libertarian Party has attempted to be contrarian for the sake of promoting their principles. At the 2016 Libertarian Party presidential debate, candidates were asked whether it should be legal to sell heroin to a five-year-old. The candidate to respond "no," Austin Petersen,faced boos from the crowd.

This is also not the first time the Libertarian Party has had to deal with accusations of being associated with Satanism. A 2016 Libertarian Party candidate for the U.S. Senate from Florida, Augustus Sol Invictus, admitted to sacrificing a goat and drinking its blood.

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Libertarian Party Hails Satan In a Facebook Post - MRCTV (blog)

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It has been a fantastic week for public relations nightmares. First, Pepsi tried (and failed) to use social activism to sell a second-rate cola. Then, United Airlines violently removed a passenger from an aircraft to accommodate a non-paying United employee. Next, Sean Spicer did what he did best: shove his foot in his mouth. The White House Press Secretary accidentally omitted the existence of the Holocaust while comparing Assad to Hitler.

Just when we, at The Libertarian Republic,thought this week couldnt hold more boneheaded public relations moves, we were wrong.

Enter: The Libertarian Partys social media team.

As many of you are aware, we are in the midst of Holy Week. This week, Christians celebrate the time immediately before the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It began last Sunday (known as Palm Sunday) and ends on Easter. So, what do the wise sages at the LP social media team decide to do?

Why, they choose to quote the Church of Satan, of course!

Now, the Libertarian Partys social media team has never been accused of being smart. They are well known for reposting content from Free Thought Project and countless Anarcho-Capitalist memes. Once, they even were so foolish as to post an image declaring No Bushes, Clintons, or Pauls. It does not take a PR guru to tell you to not attack Ron Paul or Rand Paul, who are some of the most influential modern libertarians.

The post in question was eventually deleted from the Partys Facebook page, but unfortunately it was already too late.

It goes without saying that libertarians are a fairly thick-skinned bunch. We have to be. Quoting the Satanic Temple on Maundy Thursday, however, is a bridge too far for many. They accept a party that is apathetic to religion. However, they do not support a party that openly mocks their faith.

If the LP is serious about becoming an actual force in politics, it can start with firing whoever runs their Facebook page. Theyre doing more harm than good.

christianityEasterholy weeklibertarian partypublic relationssocial media

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Libertarian Party's Social Media Team Flubs Again - The Libertarian Republic

As Iran gears up for its May 19th election, former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad entered his name as a last-minute candidate.

The bid for the presidency has international and domestic ramifications; his candidacy is a direct challenge to Irans theocracy as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered him not to run.

There is still a vetting process done by the Guardian Council, largely selected by Khamenei, who screens candidates based on political and Islamic criteria. It has been speculated that Ahmadinejad likely wont make it through this approval process.

Ahmadinejad insists he isnt running as a serious contender and his bid is only to support his previous deputy, Hamid Baghaei, who also registered on Wednesday. Ahmadinejad believes it would be politically costly for the council to reject both members of the previous government.

I repeat that I am committed to my moral promise [to not run] and my presence and registration is only to support Mr. Baghaei, asserted Ahmadinejad.

Baghaei spent seven months in prison for undisclosed charges in 2015 for a case that remains open.

Current president Hassan Rouhani is viewed as a political moderate. Rouhani brokered the 2015 nuclear deal, which sought to remove economic sanctions against Iran, and has sincefacedbacklash from conservatives who oppose the deal and moderates as his militaristic actions have led to the sanctions being reimposed. As of February, Iran hit double-digit inflation rates.

The anti-Western sentiments of Ahmadinejad left Iran isolated on an international level, and the sanctions left Iran crippled economically. In spite of this, he remains a popular figure in Irans poorest regions due to his populist approach.

The international implications are even more precarious as the regional cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia has begun to involve NATO and Russia. Iran has been a major supporter of Syrias Assad regime and Lebanons Hezbollah, and is suspected to be a weapons supplier to Yemens Houthi rebels. Ahmadinejads entrance into the election is introducing a volatile element to an already unstable situation.

Photo Credit: Atta Kenare / AFP Getty Images

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Ahmadinejad Enters Iranian Presidential Race - Being Libertarian

On April 6, Donald Jay Don Rickles passed away from kidney failure, at the age of 90. That same day, to distract mourning Americans and keep us from further succumbing to depression and despair over the loss of the legendary comedian, President Donald John Hockey Puck Trump ordered missile strikes against the Shayrat Airbase, the origin point for fighter jets that carried out the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack ordered by Bashar al-Assad, the dummy President of Syria (Assad has a beautiful wife; to get her in heat, Assad covers himself in camel fur and spits at her. Im kidding, Im kiddingits Alpaca and llama polyester).

To President Trump, I say: On behalf of a grateful nation, in all seriousness, from the bottom of my heartI never liked you.

***

With the passing of Mr. Warmth, I now have two comedy Mt. Rushmores, evenly divided between the dead and the living: Don Rickles, Groucho Marx, Rodney Dangerfield, Richard Pryor, ampersand Woody Allen, Paul F. Tompkins, Louie C.K., Norm MacDonald (though, Norm is a heart attack waiting to happen). One of my favorite Don Rickles moments is his cameo in Norms movie Dirty Work, when he rips Artie Lange for being fat.

OK, sorry for the clip show. Anyway, I cringe every time I hear people describe Don Rickles as an insult comic. That label is such a superficial and precursory analysis of his comedy, it is in itself an insult, and shows that whoever is evaluating Rickles as an insult comic has missed the effect of Rickles act and persona.

There are those whove heard a few jokes told by Rickles and judged him to be a bigot because he would target people based on their ethnicity, religion, and/or sex, but these bent-out-of-shape dummies fail to recognize that the basis of his jokes about a particular person were ridiculous, fabricated stereotypes. By using these absurd stereotypes to mock his audience members, Don Rickles showed how absurd prejudice is. Ill let the great funnyman speak for himself. Below is the closing to his album, Hello, Dummy!:

To all of you, my friends: in the words of a great man from the South, one of the greatest guys I know, I mean that sincerely, and a guy you love, General Robert E. Lee, who said at Gettysburg, I think we blew it! And to you people by the door, may I say publicly: YOURE CHEAP! You bunch of cheapies, what the hell are you staring at?! Didnt you ever see Moses without the tablets? Look at that, the two Gentiles went, I told you that was him! Moses is not here, hes at Mt. Sinai building a hospital. I say to all of you my friends, show business is my life. My humor, ladies and gentlemen, is directed in a way to laugh at ourselves. If you accept it in that spirit, I am deeply grateful. If there be doubt, I hope you will see us another night. Because, whether you be the great talents of a Sammy Davis Jr., Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, whoever, every performer, big or small, needs an audience. I am no Rabbi, Priest, or reverend, you know this. I stand here and speak of all faiths, creeds, and colors, and why not? Really, why not? Because in my experience in the Navy, when things were rough, nobody bothered or cared to ask: color, church, or synagogue? Who cared? Frightened to death together on the bow of the ship and said please, and that is the truth, please, when our time is up we will all be on one team. So why do we need bigotry and nonsense? Lets enjoy while Almighty God gives us time. Will Rogers once said, I never picked on a little guy, only big people. May I say to this entire audience: on a hectic night, you are pretty big, and I do thank each and every one of you.

***

S&D is designed to be a political satire column and not meant to be maudlin, and considering the most overtly political Rickles got were his jabs at Reagan during the latters reelection inauguration ball, I really should be taking shots at what is the bigger news story. But, goddamnit, so much has been written about Trump, Assad, America, Syria, missiles, chemical weapons, and any and all combinations, permutations, and variations thereof, that anything I write about Americas intervention into Syria will be met with snores, collective indifference, and from some of my more lonely ampersand loyal readers, furious masturbation.

But I have to say something about the Trump/Syria horseshit; I would be remiss if I didnt mention Im mostly irritated with my own Chosen People, my fellow libertarians. Look, I get it, youre anti-war. So am I, but is this something that needs to be said? To paraphrase another comedian, Eugene Mirman, I never once thought any of you were pro-war until you all insisted you were anti-war. The vast majority of people on the planet are anti-war. Even hawks like John McCain are anti-war, its just that he, for all his faults, does not always automatically take that option off the table whenever there is a world event in which a militaristic response could be justified, unlike almost every libertarian Ive ever come into contact with. I know libertarians who say we shouldnt have gotten involved in World War 2; Id need to dedicate another column to show how ridiculous this assertion is. It causes me to wonder when, if ever, there is a justifiable reason for war, according to libertarians. Im not saying war is something that should be rushed into; all Im saying is give war a chance. There are times when its necessary.

Libertarians who immediately rush into their abstract safe space and press their laminated copy of the NAP to their face for comfort whenever war is discussed and denounce the concept of war are doing little more than virtue signaling. Want to know why many people dont like libertarians? Because when theres a serious discussion going on, most libertarians go looking for their high horse and get into theory mode when theres a real world issue that requires practical discussions that involve functionality and process. Like whenever a state votes on if it will allow gay marriage, libertarians will talk about how the state shouldnt be involved in marriage at all. OK, but guess what, dummies? It is involved in marriage, and is not about to divorce itself from making decisions regarding the commitments two adults make to each other. IOW, stop ignoring reality and dont rhetorically flee from the current issue being discussed.

I dont think, logically, that it makes sense for the US to respond either now, or in this fashion. Why is the use of chemical weapons such a taboo? Why is dying from a chemical weapon so much worse, conceptually, than dying from a bullet, mortar or any other more acceptable weapon more commonly used? Does a soldier or civilian taking his last agonizing gasps of air while he hemorrhages blood from bullet holes think, Well, at least Im not dying from Sarin gas?

If American/U.N./NATO policy is to deter Assad or any other bastard from ordering chemical weapons attacks, then missile strikes is a complete waste of time. If you truly want to send a message that using chemical weapons is a no-no, then its time for [TRIGGER WARNING] boots on the ground and regime change. My criticism of Trumps response to the chemical weapons isnt that hes a hypocrite for ordering a missile attack, but that he didnt do enough.

***

And thats the way it is, as far as you know.

This post was written by Dillon Eliassen.

The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.

Dillon Eliassen is the Managing Editor of Being Libertarian. Dillon works in the sales department of a privately owned small company. He holds a BA in Journalism & Creative Writing from Lyndon State College, and needs only to complete his thesis for his Masters of English from Montclair State University (something which his accomplished and beautiful wife, Alice, is continually pestering him about). He is the author of The Apathetic, available at Amazon.com. He is a self-described Thoreauvian Minarchist.

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Shortcuts Ampersand Delusions: Don, Donald & Dummy Anti-War Virtue Signaling Libertarians - Being Libertarian

Many more identify with the philosophy, but that hasn't translated into successful candidates at the national, statewide, or local level.

Next with Kyle Clark , KUSA 9:37 PM. MDT April 12, 2017

KUSA - One in one hundred voters in Colorado is registered Libertarian. Many more identify with the philosophy, but that hasn't translated into successful candidates at the national, statewide, or local level.

"The ideas are popular," says the newly-elected chairman of Colorado's Libertarian Party, Castle Rock realtor WayneHarlos.. "But there's the wasted third-vote syndrome that is really raising its head within the Libertarian Party."

Harlos acknowledges a similar issue within the Green Party, especially nowadays he says, when constituents wants to want to vote "against" somebody instead of "for" somebody in a what continually feels like a two-party system.

If you're wondering if you fall on the Libertarian spectrum,Harlosdescribes classifies the members of his party as being fiscally conservative and socially tolerant.

"The progressives would have you believe that we have to fund a lot of government social programs through tax pay forfeiture, if you will," he says. "The Libertarians believe in the social rights and social opportunities for people, but they don't believe in the government funding of those programs."

The chairman defines success over the next few years as getting out the message, and help voters understand Libertarian goals. The Colorado delegation has done so recently by setting up booths both at Pride Fest, and gun shows. So, there ya' go.

Take a listen to our full interview with Wayne Harlos:

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Why don't more Coloradans identify as Libertarians? - 9NEWS.com

The Tennessee Valley Chapter of the Libertarian Party of Tennesseewill be hosting the State Libertarian Party Chairman, Tom Arnold, as guest speaker on April 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Casual Pint, 5550 TN-153 in Hixson.

Mr. Arnold became involved with the Libertarian Party in 2012. He is working toward free and fair ballot access for everyone. He said hopes to have Libertarians on the ballot across Tennessee in the next two years.

"Tom has a heart for young people. He is focused on mentoring the future leaders of the party to redirect the current course of government. His goal is that we could live free from as many governmental constraints as possible.

"Tom was born on the fourth of July and has been a lover of liberty ever since. He is an eighth generation Tennessean and currently lives with an addlepated Sheltie on a 13 acre farm in Jackson county. Tom is a philosopher, poet, political hack, farmer and highway contractor," officials said.

Mr. Arnold said his favorite quote on liberty is from Walt Whitman's Caution:Resist much, obey little; Once unquestioning obedience, once fully enslaved; Once fully enslaved, no nation, state, city, of this earth, ever afterward resumes its liberty.

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State Chairman Tom Arnold Speaks To The Tennessee Valley Libertarian Party - The Chattanoogan

Being Libertarian

Libertarianism & Feminism Being Libertarian That feminism and libertarianism seem to be at odds with each other, in the current U.S. political climate, is something that has recently perturbed me. On the surface, the two ideologies share many commonalities such as equal opportunity and ...

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Libertarianism & Feminism - Being Libertarian

The Liberty Conservative

Libertarian Budget Director Mick Mulvaney Rising Star In Trump ... The Liberty Conservative Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is "on the rise" within the White House, according to a report by Politico on Tuesday. "When thinking about up and comers in the ... and more »

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Libertarian Budget Director Mick Mulvaney Rising Star In Trump ... - The Liberty Conservative

Being Libertarian

I'm A Libertarian Calling For Universal Healthcare: Here's Why! Being Libertarian What I'm proposing probably won't make me the most popular libertarian in the world, but I'm looking for something which is actually going to pass and still manage to do some good. So, this article won't be about abolishing Medicare or Medicaid, nor ... The Future of Brand ManagementMorning Consult How Voters Feel About Their Senators Ahead of Election Day (September 2016) - Morning ConsultMorning Consult all 39 news articles »

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I'm A Libertarian Calling For Universal Healthcare: Here's Why! - Being Libertarian