Frank Dux would be proud[Must Read]

**DuckofDeath** · Posted On: 7/12/2004 2:02pm

Originally posted by Samuel Browning
I contacted the Western Libertarian Alliance to find out more about Putman and Yu and I am now in a ongoing argument with some paranoid libertarians, I'd love some company :)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WesternLibertarian/

You've got some good company, Samuel. No less than John Galt himself, hero of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, has sided with you!

**marnen** · Posted On: 7/12/2004 2:27pm

Originally posted by DuckofDeath
You've got some good company, Samuel. No less than John Galt himself, hero of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, has sided with you!

Do you think the list regulars will understand that post? I barely did. :)

Best,
Marnen

**Mouthfire** · Posted On: 7/12/2004 6:06pm

Originally posted by marnen
Do you think the list regulars will understand that post? I barely did. :)

Best,
Marnen

Blah... count me among the people who didn't :mad:

**liuzg150181** · Posted On: 7/12/2004 11:22pm

Bad news,Samuel,the link to Western Libertarian article is already not there.......i believe they might have removed it after your appearance~~~:(

**Sam Browning** · Posted On: 7/12/2004 11:32pm

I definately feel unloved and unappreciated, If you didn't previously print out a copy I will be happy to send you one, airmail.

**liuzg150181** · Posted On: 7/12/2004 11:38pm

Dont worry,i had a copy~~~:)

**DuckofDeath** · Posted On: 7/13/2004 4:52am

Originally posted by marnen

Do you think the list regulars will understand that post? I barely did.

The people on that site ought to. Any libertarian who doesn't should be bludgeoned into unconsciousness with a hardcover, unabridged version of Rand's magnum opus. I read Atlas Shrugged when I was younger, and I recall a long, rambling speech by John Galt where he went into all that "A is A" Aristotelian logic. I think that someone going onto a libertarian site as John Galt and doing the "A is A" thing is funnier than hell.

**DuckofDeath** · Posted On: 7/13/2004 4:54am

Originally posted by Mouthfire

Blah... count me among the people who didn't :mad:

A is A.

**marnen** · Posted On: 7/13/2004 11:30am

Originally posted by DuckofDeath
The people on that site ought to. Any libertarian who doesn't should be bludgeoned into unconsciousness with a hardcover, unabridged version of Rand's magnum opus.
[...]

Probably so...but frankly, these folks don't seem like they've got the attention span to read anything like that. (And BTW, I'm another libertarian who hasn't yet read Atlas Shrugged.)

Yes, it's funny and appropriate to come in quoting Ayn Rand against "libertarians". But I just don't think it'll have an effect, because it's too hard to read.

Best,
Marnen Laibow-Koser
marnen@marnen.org

**CFT** · Posted On: 7/13/2004 11:38am

Hi Samuel,

I must commend your tenacity in dealing with the Western Libertarian Alliance people. I've skim read most of the posts in your exchange with the 'leading figures' in that organisation.

It is obvious that they are uncomfortable with the fact that the article submitted by Jason Putman to their newsletter is flawed, or that the authorship of said article is dubious.

However, they just try to bluster and hide behind stock arguments:

1) Not our job to validate articles but the authors
2) We're not a formal organization, we're anarachists
3) We're not here to do your job for you.

And so on ...

They have an entrenched opinion of government and quasi-governmental organizations. The Bannon and Putman articles are like manna from heaven for them. They just blindly lap it up regardless of whether it is true or not because it just reaffirms their world view and validates their politcal viewpoint.

Any evidence that you have offered, or will offer in the future, to counter this will just be dismissed as not being thorough enough - which flies in the face of their own existing 'standards'. They would not accept any court documents, or signed affidavits or anything with a whiff of the establishment - you would require witnesses in person, with some form of ID, giving testimony in front of them. More proof than that provided by Bannon and Putman.

FWIW, Bannon is still using a quote from the WLA 'Journal' newsletter as validation of his book. This is his (and Putman's) favourite trick of circular and unvalidated referencing. I think you should reserve a special place for the WLA in your final investigation write-up - intransigence in the face of overwhelming fact.

I think you and your fellow investigators are doing a terrific job; keep up the good work.