Blogs For Victory

A shot across the bow of Libertarianism, as such:

The National Board of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF)—America’s oldest conservative-libertarian activist group—has, per curium, voted to purge Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) from YAF’s National Advisory Board.

YAF’s concern with Rep. Paul stems from his delusional and disturbing alliance with the fringe Anti-War movement.

“It is a sad day in American history when a one-time conservative-libertarian stalwart has fallen more out of touch with America’s needs for national security than the current feeble and appeasing administration,” said YAF’s Senior National Director Jordan Marks…

As I’ve noted before, Ron Paul’s foreign policy views are just flat wrong – we can’t live in a world without a muscular application of US power at need. The defense of the United States does not just involve the defense of our physical territory but also requires a defense of those forces which are aligned with us. The United States must strike a balance between the need to defend these interests and not getting dragged in to every conflict around the globe – Ron Paul essentially proposes that we stay out of everything. This is done on the absurd theory that the reason we are hated is for what we do, rather than what we are.

To be sure, US actions can cause enmity – or create friends – depending on the nature of the action. But the primary reason we are hated is akin to the reasons for Judaism and Christianity being hated: when you stand for self-evident truth and refuse to be swayed from it, those who live off of lies determine to destroy you. It doesn’t matter what we do, we will be attacked by evil people because evil cannot co-exist in a world with good…it must strike it down, lest good overcome it.

Lately I have had some kind things to say about Ron Paul and I still assert – and will go on asserting – that in his current position as inquisitor of the Federal Reserve, the man and the hour have met. I believe this action by YAF is probably a bit more than was necessary, but I understand why it was taken. It is to be hoped that Ron Paul and the YAF will find a way to reconcile because all of us who are opposed to the left must unite. That said, it must be made clear that the main line of conservative foreign and military policy is a robust defense of US interests around the world.

The peril of viewing the United States as a baleful force in the world is twofold – first off, it allows a person to easily fall for utter nonsense discreditable to conservatism in general. While Ron Paul has not, himself, advocated the idiocies of the “9/11 truthers”, he has failed utterly to condemn them with sufficient force. Secondly, when you take it to heart that the US – rather than America’s enemies – is responsible for the ills of the world, you go in to tacit alliance with the worst of the left. The part of the left which acts the part of traitor in the debates over foreign and defense policy.

Long ago, conservatism purged itself of the poison of the John Birch Society. This was the 1960’s version of the “9/11 truthers” – screwballs who refused to see reality and lived, instead, in a fantasy world of conspiracy theories. Ron Paul is very much old enough to remember this – and his refusal to act in accordance with wisdom has now resulted in this action by the YAF. It is to be hoped that the lesson will be taken to heart – by Ron Paul and all conservatives of a libertarian bent.