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12/15/2006 Archived Entry: "Bob Barr on the Libertarian Party national committee???"

I USUALLY MANAGE TO IGNORE LIBERTARIAN PARTY NEWS. But Bob Barr invited to join the LP national committee??? That's like electing George W. Bush to the board of directors of the ACLU.

Yeah, I know. Since he got booted out of congress, Barr's been making libertarian-sounding noises. (More libertarian-sounding, sad to say, than some of the current uber-minds of the LP itself.) But while he actually had power to affect national governance, he voted like a herdbeast for every neocon con ever put before his hoggish face. His vote for the UnPatriot Act was only the culmination of a dishonorable congressional career. During the 104th congress (the congress of the "Republican Revolution") he voted for every one of the federal ID and surveillance programs that oozed out of that fetid sink of lies, broken promises, and ultra-statism. Why the LP -- or any other freedom-oriented organization -- would want him now beggars belief.

The man isn't "reformed." He's never atoned in any way for the damage he inflicted on the country. He's never tried to undo his own evils. He's just talking slick talk.

Even the rather critical opinion piece linked above naively calls Barr "good on privacy." Yoiks! Only if you don't count his horrendous voting record!

Just one more demonstration, I guess, of the fact that people give more credence to what a public figure says, rather than what he does. And -- sigh -- one more demonstration that even alleged liberty advocates consider a scumbag to be a desirable acquisition as long as he comes with government -- even former government -- cache.

Posted by Claire @ 12:16 PM CST
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