[kj] DON ? T FORGET TO VOTE

[Mark Kolmar]

On Apr 7, 2005 11:40 AM, Matthew Burke <marsboy1 at msn.com> wrote:
> Are there ANY libertarians on this list?
> 
> >>"I was in favor of both Iraq wars *on balance*. "

I am a libertarian, that is to say a classical liberal rather than a
right-wing pro-biz nut.  And I am also a pragmatist as well as an
idealist.  The fact is half of The Left cannot see their own
humanitarian ideals past their distaste for the right-wing, pro-biz,
authoritarian, crypto-theocratic Bush administration.  The fact that
the Bush administration and Blair government handled the situation so
badly does not take away from the human rights problem, and options
were quickly running out.  I don't see how someone could argue
consistently for intervention in Rwanda and now Darfur, and against
intervention in Iraq.

Of course that does not justify any ol' type of intervention on any
ol' timetable, which is where my objections begin.  Among other
considerations, Saddam Hussein was not killing or torturing *in my
name*, whereas the military did cause "collateral damage" (i.e. killed
innocent people) *in my name*.  Too many in the pro-war camp are
unwilling to own up to the difference between sins of omission vs.
sins of commission.

--Mark