The Reluctant Anarchist

SOBRAN’S ^ | December 2002 | Joseph Sobran

[Albert_Jay_Nock]

As I grew up, my patriotism began to take another form, which it took me a long time to realize was in tension with the patriotism of power. I became a philosophical conservative, with a strong libertarian streak. I believed in government, but it had to be “limited” government — confined to a few legitimate purposes, such as defense abroad and policing at home. These functions, and hardly any others, I accepted, under the influence of writers like Ayn Rand and Henry Hazlitt, whose books I read in my college years.

Gradually I came to see that the conservative challenge to liberalism’s jurisprudence of “loose construction” was far too narrow. Nearly everything liberals wanted the Federal Government to do was unconstitutional. The key to it all, I thought, was the Tenth Amendment, which forbids the Federal Government to exercise any powers not specifically assigned to it in the Constitution. But the Tenth Amendment had been comatose since the New Deal, when Roosevelt’s Court virtually excised it.

[Albert_Jay_Nock]

Interesting editorial... Enjoy...

[Snapple]

Ayn Rand is a Russian NAZI. One of her books gloriffies a rape.

She believes in an ideology of the "survival of the fittest" based on power.

She scorns religion.

She is the flip side of communism.

[DugwayDuke]

What exactly is so interesting about this editorial? Sorban condemns the state but offers no viable alternative except a naive belief that anarchy would be superior.

[Rifleman]

Five sentences, four flat falsehoods mixed with one true statement.

[KeyWest]

Welcome to FR.

Politics is the art of the possible. Sobran is asking for the impossible. The reason is the difference between what we want (compared to others) and the fact of human nature.

He is looking for a perfect State and will never find it, so he rejects the State entirely. Marx looked for a perfect State and embraced it.

So you have the simple problem that was best said by Churchill, "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried".

If you want no government, read "The Lord of the Flies". Our nature will lead from anarchy to a dictator. That is a consistent in human history.

The interesting thing about human nature is a reading of every movement that has come down the pike. They rely on a somewhat perfect society that thinks the way they think. Any thought to the contrary is wrong. Plus, the thinkers always put themselves in the position of running the society, so it is done right. If you want a splendid example of this, look no further than Hawaii, where the Ohana movement pushes for a return of land to set up the original Hawaiian culture. All see themselves as in the upper ranks of that society, for if they were just commoners, they would lead a sorry life, much worse than any envisioned in the society they reject. Just standing in the shadow of a chief meant death. And who wants to eat poi for the rest of your life? Library paste is better.

Reality has a way of intruding on all perfect societies.

[Uncle Fud]

I'm not looking for a "Perfect State" by any means.

The degree of government power over the individual that existed -in the real world- in America circa 1905 would be just about right.

[aynrandfreak]

You obviously don't understand her ideas and you sound terribly ignorant.

[Snapple]

I read all of Ayn Rand's books all the way through as a teen.

She glorifies power, rape, money. She is a Bolshevik NAZI.

Her hero is based on that architect Frank Loyd Wright who build completely uncomfortable houses and who was a complete jerk. I've been to the houses, too.

[Snapple]

I have a degree in Soviet/Russian studies and have studied Russian NAZIS. She is pretty much the same.

[I got the rope]

FR rule #1:

Thou shall not criticize Ayn

oh wait.......

I meant Ann ....as in Coulter.

[I got the rope]

I thought she was the flip-side of communism. Now she's a bolshevik Nazi.

You're confusing me. Maybe you should reread her books again. Start with Atlas Shrugged.

[yatros from flatwater]

If you want no government, read "The Lord of the Flies". Our nature will lead from anarchy to a dictator. That is a consistent in human history.

You agree with Hobbes, then, that Leviathan is needed to restrain our nastiness and brutishness?

[neb52]

Save for later.

[Kerfuffle]

"Those who attack libertarians are those most uneasy with their own conscience. They fear what they would be capable of if they were free."
-- Me

[Jim Noble]

And who wants to eat poi for the rest of your life? Library paste is better.

The climate is superb.

I thought the poi was a scam to get the haoles back on the ships.

You mean it's real?

[aynrandfreak]

Other people with degrees have said ignorant things too. Yes, she was from Russia, but she was against the initiation of force, and was against all forms of totalitarianism. What 'definition' of Nazi are you using to describe her?

[Dutchgirl]

Reality has a way of intruding on all perfect societies.

What does it mean when everything reminds me of a Simpsons episode?

"They Saved Lisa's Brain" 1022 AABF18 Original Airdate: 5/09/99

Lisa joins Mensa, the high I.Q. society. While there, she spends her time interacting with such geniuses as Dr. Hibbert, Professor Frink and the Comic Book Store Guy. By a twist of fate, the members of Mensa become the leaders of Springfield and try to remake the town in their geeky likeness. But the geniuses can't agree on anything and begin squabbling amongst themselves. It's up to the ultimate genius, Stephen Hawking, to intervene and set the smarty-pants straight. Guest Star: Stephen Hawking as himself

[Snapple]

The Russians call these kind of folks "Bolshevik NAZIS."

[DGray]

Wow. There's plenty to criticize about Ayn Rand, but calling her a "Bolshevik" isn't, uh, factually correct. Calling her a "Nazi" wouldn't be correct, either. Without going into tedious minutia, suffice to say that these are both authoritarian movements - while she was strongly anti-authoritarian. (So much so that her anti-authoritarianism kind of cancelled itself out, but that's another discussion.)

[Snapple]

She glorifies rape. That's pretty authoritarian to me.

She assumes that people who have money earned it. Sometimes they have all the power so they have all the money.

And she doesn't believe in charity. For her, it's survival of the fittest. Darwinism.

Check out Russian NAZIS.