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Jan 15, 2011

Cato, Reason, and other libertarian groups completely ignoring the Threat of Radical Islam

This is a guest post from Eric Dondero from Libertarian Republican, and Worldwide Liberty.

Generally libertarians tend to vary on foreign policy, from the extreme anti war, whatever that may mean, libertarians right through to pro defence types, which includes me. Noninterventionism is fine as a principle if you hold to it, however there is a strong element within that who seem to believe that this principle binds us to ignore the atrocities of the world on the basis of it being none of our business. This is wrong.

While it is reasonable to accept the idea of not sending troops to foreign countries, liberty is the rightful state of affairs for all mankind. At a time when public opinion is crippled by the tyranny of PC to the point where most of the 'mainstream' press simply ignore everything that could conceivably be thought vaguely if improbably possible to cause the slightest offence to the most radically extreme believer in any philosophy, no matter how ridiculous its foundation, some of us need to stand up for our beliefs.

Where injustice is seen we need to hold the blowtorch of visibility to its belly. We don't ask Cato, Reason, or the anti war swabs to go over there and fight but at least let the world outside our doors see that supporters of the principle of liberty, are at least willing to offer moral support. That is of course if those entities can get past parsing the word 'moral' to see who can come up with the most binding definition.

Anyway, here is Eric:-

Foreign Policy analysts Dr. Clifford May opines over at National Review: "The War Against the Christians. The most important story not being told" Jan. 13:
He writes:
Imagine if Muslims in Europe were being arrested for nothing more than peacefully practicing their religion. Imagine if Muslims in South America were being sentenced to death for “insulting” Jesus. Imagine if mosques were being bombed and burned by terrorists in a growing list of Christian-majority countries.
Now here’s what you don’t need to imagine because it is all too real: In recent days, Christian churches have been bombed in Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, and the Philippines. In Indonesia a mob of 1,000 Muslims burned down two Christian churches because, according to one commentator, local Islamic authorities determined there were “too many faithful and too many prayers.” In Iran, scores of Christians have been arrested. In Pakistan, a Christian woman received the death penalty for the “crime” of insulting Islam; the governor of Punjab promised to pardon her — and was then assassinated for the “crime” of blasphemy.
I could provide dozens more examples of the persecution and, in many cases, “cleansing” of Christians in what we have come to call the Muslim world...
Radical Islam presents the absolute Greatest Threat to Liberty in our Lifetimes
LibertarianRepublican.net in which I serve as Editor, is one political website that has been telling the story. Within the last week alone, LR has run stories on:
Labour MP: Pakistanis raping British Girls rampant in UK
Police in Britain too "frightened" of PC to arrest Pakistani men raping British Girls
Muslim police officer guns down 6 Christians on Egyptian Train - Female victims not wearing Burqas
South Sudan votes for Independence like our own fight for Independence in 1776
Islamist attackers hack to death 13 Christians in Nigeria
Radical Muslim conquest of Somalia near complete
Cato jumped on the demise of the Soviet Union, but refuses to promote Liberty in the Middle East

Clifford May is correct in questioning the liberal media, and there serious lack of coverage of these vastly important stories. But he misses the libertarian media.

Where's Reason on the rise of Islamo-Fascism? Where's the Cato Institute and their daily blog? The Libertarian Party? Influential libertarian pundit sites like The Agitator, Liberty Papers, The Daily Libertarian, Nolan Chart?

Of course, numerous other left-leaning libertarian sites completely avoid the subject for obvious reasons; sites like AntiWar.com, LewRockwell.com, and many of the Ron Paul sites. To talk of the threat of Radical Islam, would bring up the uncomfortable subject of what to do about it, for these hardline non-interventionist/isolationists.

But Cato, Reason? Why are they taking a head-in-the sand approach on Islamo-Fascism? They proclaim to be consistently Pro-Liberty, but how can we have liberty if Sharia Law is being shoved down our throats?

And Cato has no leg to stand on in this regard. For, in the early 1990s, they sent an entire delegation of free market economists and policy analysts to the former Soviet Union to promote freedom-oriented policies, at considerable expense. Why aren't they doing the same now in the Muslim world, sending libertarian scholars and policy analysists over the Middle East to promote Ayn Rand, Hayek, and other free marketeers?

LibertarianRepublican.net is virtually the only libertarian website giving coverage to the threat of Radical Islam. In fairness, Reason touches on the subject once in a great while, when it overlaps with free speech concerns such as the Danish cartoonist and South Park controversies. But that's it.

Yes Clifford May, the liberal media is purposely avoiding coverage of Radical Muslim violence against Christians. But the libertarian media is just as absent. It just doesn't fit the template.

Update: This item from Eric has been published at Breitbart's Big Peace.

3 comments:

  1. they sent an entire delegation of free market economists and policy analysts to the former Soviet Union to promote freedom-oriented policies, at considerable expense. Why aren't they doing the same now in the Muslim world,...

    Because in the former Soviet Union, they are not likely to be stoned to death for their views by any chance?

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  2. Hi Furor, I recall an old mate of mine, Ronny Kitching telling me about a trip over there to educate Russians on the free market system, among them the sight of guys clutching copies of The Road to Serfdom with tears in their eyes.

    This may have been the same group or from the Mt Perlin Society.

    The issue here is that many libertarian sites seem to completely ignore the fact that this is happening at all.

    I am inclined not to worry about 'The Agitator' as Radley concentrates on domestic issues on which he does a sterling job. I don't know how he keeps track of it all.

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