I am no libertarian. I find them, frankly, scary in their bizarre faith in markets and contracts to keep civilization from eating itself alive. And very often, libertarianism is used as a thin veil to disguise things like institutionalized racism.
Which is why this post from Jason Kuznicki at the Libertarian Party’s blog was so goddamned refreshing, at least on one important issue; the libertarian view of the Confederacy, declaring, “Any affinity for the Confederacy marks one very clearly as an enemy of liberty.”
He then points out specific provisions of the Confederate Constitution that not only legalize but sanctify the practice of enslaving other human beings (and they are shocking), and says:
There is only one legal term that seems quite to do [these provisions] justice. That term is hostis humani generis: The founders of Confederacy were the enemies of all mankind . . . Anyone who cares about human liberty—to whatever degree—ought to despise the Confederacy, ought to mock and desecrate its symbols, and ought never to let Confederate apologists pass unchallenged. . . .
All friends of the Confederacy are my enemies.
Thank you, Jason, for spelling out so plainly what even many liberals are afraid to say for fear of alienating Southern voters (whom they will never win anyway).
I am no libertarian, but I sure do like how they so rarely fuck around with words.
Near-Earth Object 