The Rational Argumentator

A Journal for Western Man

Issue CXCVIII

June 27 - July 4, 2009

Argumentation
A Critique of Russell Kirk's "Libertarians: The Chirping Sectaries":
G. Stolyarov II
June 28, 2009
Russell Kirk’s 1981 essay, “Libertarians: The Chirping Sectaries,” is a shallow, unsophisticated ad hominem attack on the American libertarian movement. It contains an abundance of fallacies, mischaracterizations, false blanket generalizations, and outright lies about libertarians. Moreover, its intentions are hostile and destructive: to prevent the possibility of what might have been productive intellectual and practical cooperation between libertarians and some of the more reasonable conservatives. Here, Mr. Stolyarov endeavors to thoroughly refute Kirk’s arguments and to show that libertarians are not the chaos-loving demons Kirk depicts them as being.

Culture
Am I Boring You?:
Alan Caruba
June 27, 2009
Alan Caruba and many other writers face the prospect that their warnings are ignored by a public grown bored with the many weighty issues that will determine whether the nation emerges from its current economic woes. With the extremely rapid pace of change at the federal level today, many Americans simply tune out the news that often seems overwhelming to them. However, Mr. Caruba believes that we cannot afford to be bored by such matters.

Economics
How Zoning Rules Would Work in a Free Society:
Ben O'Neill
June 27, 2009
It is well known that the libertarian political philosophy is antagonistic to coercively imposed rules that limit people's freedom to use their private property as they see fit. Indeed, the very essence of libertarianism is the nonaggression principle that condemns the initiation of force against person or property. As a result, libertarians have been critical of zoning laws, which restrict the ability of property owners to develop their property or use it for their desired purposes. Ben O'Neill discusses the alternatives that would exist in a free society to government-imposed zoning restrictions.

Politics
Public's Best Interest, Disinterested Public:
Marita Noon
June 27, 2009
June 5, 2009, was the culmination of a seventeen-month battle for Mount Taylor where the decision to make the temporary Traditional Cultural Property designation (TCP) permanent was announced—New Mexico’s 1 million acre land grab. An opponent to the decision said, “I could hear the jobs, stability, and growth in our community suck right out of our town as the vote was cast. Corporate dollars will be spent in other communities where progress is encouraged and growth is a way of life.” Marita Noon writes that those who support the land grab can do this because those of us who value free-market principles, believe in private property rights, and support energy freedom were sleeping—and we’ve been asleep a long time.

From Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama: A Horror Story:
Alan Caruba
June 27, 2009
Alan Caruba argues that during the 1979 Tehran uprising, Jimmy Carter was incapable of demonstrating the power and the will of the American people to free our diplomats. Now Barack Obama seems to display a similar indecisiveness in response to the protests in Iran against the ruling theocracy.

The Obama Administration's Deceitful Report on Climate Change:
Paul Driessen
June 27, 2009
Suppose a company doctored data, misrepresented study findings, replaced observations with computer simulations, and hired PR flacks to promote its new “wonder drug.” News stories, congressional hearings and subpoenas would be in overdrive. Fines and jail sentences would follow. And rightly so. But the standards change when “climate catastrophe” is involved. Paul Driessen writes that the Obama administration's answer to to these inconvenient truths is simply: Issue another report by government scientists carefully selected to exclude any who don’t subscribe to climate Armageddon. Ignore contrary data and analyses. Crank out more bogus computer-generated worst-case scenarios. Hire an activist media firm that specializes in environmental scare campaigns. And spend tens of millions hyping every imaginable climate disaster.

The Real Crisis is Obamacare:
Alan Caruba
July 4, 2009
Alan Caruba argues that the Obama administration's proposal to mandate health insurance and further regulate health providers is not healthcare reform. It is the destruction of the best healthcare system in the world. It is the destruction of the nation’s economy. It, along with the tax on energy use, must be stopped. We are being attacked by one “crisis” after another when the only one that matters is the restoration of the full faith and credit of the U.S. dollar. If the “health” of the U.S. dollar is not restored, nothing else will matter very much.

The Victorian Bushfires:
Ben O'Neill
July 4, 2009
On February 7, 2009, and in the week that followed, bushfires ignited across Victoria, in Australia. The fires raged through many towns, destroying at least 1,834 homes, and killing at least 209 people,more fatalities than any bushfire in Australian history. While the immediate causes of the various bushfires are thought to include arson, discarded cigarette butts, faulty power lines, or lightning strikes, these initial fires transformed into huge infernos and spread uncontrollably across Victoria only because of extremely high fuel loads throughout the state's bushland. The reason? For years, local governments have neglected to manage fire hazards on their land in order to be faithful to the principles of environmentalism — a philosophy that contends that nature has intrinsic value that must be preserved, regardless of any use it has to man. Ben O'Neill writes that the result has been that people have sacrificed their prosperity and even survival in an attempt to preserve the unspoiled sanctity of nature.

On "Private Tyrannies":
Ben O'Neill
July 4, 2009
If you have ever read much of the political philosophy and commentary of renowned anarchosyndicalist intellectual Noam Chomsky, then you are probably familiar with his view that large private business organizations are "private tyrannies" — oversized and antidemocratic institutions that function according to that most hated of organizational principles, the hierarchy! Ben O'Neill discusses and refutes Chomsky's position.

Cap and Trade Will Lead to Capital Flight:
Ron Paul
July 4, 2009
The Cap and Trade Bill HR 2454 was voted on last Friday.  Proponents claim this bill will help the environment, but Ron Paul thinks that what the bill really does is put another nail in the economy’s coffin.  The idea is to establish a national level of carbon dioxide emissions, and sell pollution permits to industry as the Catholic Church used to sell indulgences to sinners.  HR 2454 also gives federal bureaucrats new power to regulate a wide variety of household appliances, such as light bulbs and refrigerators, and further distorts the market by providing more of your tax money to auto companies.

"All wars are follies, very expensive and very mischievous ones." 
~ Benjamin Franklin