Why do Libertarian Party candidates hate guns so much? That seems a valid, if unlikely question, first in the wake of the party’s nomination of an unapologetically gun control loving VP candidate. Now, the top of the ticket, Gary Johnson has displayed a jaw dropping lack of manners, not to mention arguable antipathy toward a replica historic firearm he was given as a peace offering. Gary Johnson Shoots Himself in the Foot: Throws Out Austin Petersen’s Gun. The Libertarian presidential candidate thought so little of the keepsake given him by his defeated primary rival, Austin Petersen, that he tossed it in a trash can (where it was later liberated and returned to Petersen). Who gets rid of (even a replica) gun like that? Who displays that kind of gracelessness? Who’s the lesser of three evils now? . . .
Making do in Hell’s kitchens – ‘THE ‘hell cannons’ of Aleppo pack a deadly punch. Cobbled together in Syria by militant groups fighting to overthrow the autocratic regime of Bashar al-Assad, they use an explosive charge at the bottom of a pipe to hurl a propane cylinder crammed with 40kg or more of explosives and shrapnel. A finned tail welded to the cylinder shields it from the launch blast and provides stability in flight. The Ahrar al-Sham brigade reckon the cannons can hit targets 1.5km away.”
Personal safety tip: don’t practice obstetrics while male in Saudi Arabia: Saudi Father Overjoyed To Welcome Baby Into World, Shoots OB/GYN For Seeing Wife Naked – “According to Gulf News, the man had requested that a female gynecologist operate on his wife, and was enraged when the male Dr. Muhannad Al Zabn was the one who delivered the baby at King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia back in April.”
Gunfire Is Reversing the Great Migration in Chicago – Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun agitpropagators at The Trace ponder the fact that some 200,000 residents left the Windy City hellhole in the last 14 years…and the “journalists” blame the migration on “gun violence.” In context, of course. Like this: “There are many explanations for why blacks are leaving Chicago. Former residents cite higher taxes, failing schools, job losses, and even the weather as contributing factors for why they left. But one of the most prevalent complaints is violent crime.”
Win an Omega 9K suppressor from SilencerCo. Click image above to enter.
Where LEOs never learn: FBI agent’s gun, badge and credentials stolen from car in SF. The “only ones.”
The Libertarian Party hasn’t been libertarian in a long, long time. That may be why they remain so irrelevant.
“Libertarian [Party]. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
— No one of consequence
Heh heh. If only they did……
What is and is not ‘libertarian’ is open for discussion. What is not open for discussion is that fact that Johnson is unquestionably far superior to Hilary or Trump when it comes to the second amendment.
Johnson stated in a Slate interview:
“I don’t believe there should be any restrictions when it comes to firearms. None.”
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2011/04/americas_next_top_libertarian.html
The Liberterians are the boneheads who at their recent debate had a question about whether you would have supported the Civil Rights act of 1965 as well as should the US have intervened in WWI and WWII.
Wake me up when they get within 50 years of today.
They spend a lot of time whipping up furious debate with zero ability to actually make any statements that the average voter can relate to.
Someday there will be a viable third party,at that point, the Liberterians will then maintain staunchly their position of the 4th or 5th party. They had a really chance at getting some recognition but they blew it because they can’t actually see what’s going in and respond to it because they continue to want to argue amongst themselves as opposed to becoming relevant to a typical voter.
Johnson has as much chance as I do of getting elected POTUS, and Im not spending any money or running for office.
As a former card carrying member, I’m confident in saying that the Libertarian Party comprises a bunch of stampy-foot pseudointellectuals.
Your “Gunfire Is Reversing the Great Migration in Chicago” is a perfect “This is What Happens to a Disarmed Populace” two-fer as well. When are our “intellectual betters” going to realize that crime, regardless of the tool used to perpetrate it, is a socio-economic and cultural issue? Or do they already know and just don’t care because it doesn’t fit their purposes?
Definitely the latter. They aren’t trying to fix crime, they are propping up their agenda as a solution to it. When their agenda doesn’t fix crime (it was never meant to), they can say we need more of whatever they’re selling. It’s circle logic at it’s best.
the man had requested that a female gynecologist operate on his wife, and was enraged when the male Dr. Muhannad Al Zabn was the one who delivered the baby
Gynecologist? I thought they needed a veterinarian for that.
Back when AHC had stories about real heroes instead of whatever crap they show now there was a feature they did of personal accounts from guys who served in the GWOT. One story I saw was this awesome medic (redundant, I know) who was at some outpost in Afghanistan when a local came up with his very pregnant wife on a donkey. The labor was complicated, I can’t remember if the baby was breach or the umbilical was around its neck, but anyway they needed help fast. The medic starts to go to help, but of course the husband would rather his wife and child die than have the medic see his wife’s nethers. Initially the medic was going to tell him to take a hike, but instead he grabbed a female reporter who was embedded in the unit and talked her through the delivery. Hippocrates would be proud, hopefully the kid does not turn out to be another Arid Uka or Tsarnaev.
I was a medic (Army), but long before the current or even previous middle east unpleasantries. I would have walked away. I would have felt bad for the woman’s pain and anguish, but who am I to stand in the way of Darwin’s Law? How is the world a better place for bringing in yet one more child to live a life indoctrinated in 7th century fascism?
This sounds harsh and cold even as I write it, but Mother Nature is a hard-hearted bitch.
“Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or through education, or by legislation. Stupidity is not a sin, the victim can’t help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal capital crime: the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity.” – Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough For Love
I’m sorry. That’s just too pessimistic for me and I’m a pretty cold bastard. If there is a chance that someone; the father, his wife, a bystander, someone; sees or hears about the transcendently good deed done by an American to someone who didn’t necessarily deserve it… this is how opinions are changed and enemies become allies. Never doubt the good that the little things can accomplish.
I’m pretty callous myself, but even I would have to help them somehow. It isn’t the wife’s fault her husband is boot-on-head retarded, nor the child’s. That particular man may end up dying of his own stupidity some other day, but he wouldn’t murder his wife and child in front of me with it.
Don’t tell us you’re “pro-life”.
Has the LP become totally irrelevant, or does it just want to be irrelevant in the current presidential cycle?
Can we at least pretend to believe that the LP doesn’t want to Perot another Clinton into office?
I swear, everything I read about Johnson this year sounds like he’s throwing votes away, and then at the convention, they nominate…Johnson.
That propane round looks like a howitzer sized rifle grenade. I never thought of scaling that concept up beyond 7.62mm.
Look, I used to be a member of the LP in California. About half of their members were never, ever pro-RKBA, never mind pro-gun.
The LP has always been about being free to smoke as much dope as they wanted, have sex with whomever they want, as many times as they want, in as many positions as they want, and avoiding paying taxes.
That’s it. That’s the whole of the typical LP member epistemology that I met in California.
That’s what you have here: Gary Johnson is the LP’s guy this time because the LP’s members care most about their ability to spark up a doobie in public.
I imagine that if all the next president did was try to legalize pot we’d be pretty damned lucky.
Pot legalization is happening on its own momentum at the state level, even here in Florida.
The Libertarian party, aw, geeze.
Here’s the guy I want to vote for for Prez:
John McAfee, of computer infamy. (and yes, this clip has lots of guns…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpRvaQsGIY8
It is the not doing anything else that would be the good part.
I actually thought McAfee sounded more like he had his shit together during the debates than Johnson. At least McAfee doesn’t pretend that the Libertarian Party has any chance of winning the Presidency. McAfee understood that the best thing a LP candidate can accomplish is to get people thinking about libertarian ideas and accelerate the growth of the movement. Johnson might think he’s doing that, but all I see is a lot of pandering to the Bernie crowd instead of educating them.
Yeah, I liked McAfee a lot more than Johnson. I like both better than Trump, Sanders, or Clinton.
The problem with pot legalization is that they will never get your order right at the drive through.
I think it’s a state-by-state thing. A lot of Californians don’t care about guns, but they do care about drug legalization. A lot of Libertarians pick their key issues and maybe flex on the others in a sort of compromise. I’m registered LP, but I do support the whole idea as it was traditionally stated. I don’t use illegal drugs, but I support their legalization since it’s none of my business what someone chooses to ingest. I expect the same with regards to guns from someone that maybe doesn’t have a gun.
I’ve found the LP members here in Florida are more true to the original platform than elsewhere. But everyone does have their key issues.
Will I vote LP this coming election? I really have no idea at this time, though I lean towards saying “screw it” and going R since gun rights are my “key issue”. I feel it’s easier to negotiate the other things, whereas gun rights is a real difficult battle that if we can avoid having it, we should.
Libertarian party is the party of Fudds now thanks to these two bozos.
Then join the libertarian party and make it what you want it to be.
I used to call myself a pragmatic anarchist. Some rules are necessary but no more than necessary and each rule requires frequent validation of an essential need for it to exist. Then, I discovered the Libertarian party. Now, it appears that Libertarians are no longer libertarian. I guess its time I went back to calling myself a pragmatic anarchist.
You should check out “The Law,” by Frédéric Bastiat. The essay was written in 1850 by a Frenchman, but boy, is it poignant today. This guy really understood what liberty is all about.
http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html
I just read it last week for my first time, and I’m reading it again now.
Check out The Constitution of no Authority by Lysander Spooner. Spooner, Mises, and Bastiat are the best doors to a stateless society.
It saddens me when people are programmed to think Anarchism means no rules, when in fact there are plenty of rules, just no Rulers.
You need more than rules. You need enforcement or else rules are ineffective.
Criminals will organize more rapidly than model citizens so you need to start with a governing body made up of the governed.
I thought Libertarians were supposed to be all about individual freedoms? I suppose all political parties change wildly over time.
The big L libertarians are really just disenfranchised conservatives.
Glad I changed parties to vote for Paul and demand NFA repeal from candidates during the primary.
Was planning to change back after the election, but with Johnson’s anti-constitutionalism I’ll save myself the postage.
Even worse, he believes in open borders and anyone who wants to come across should come on up and have a great time.
When it so common to have under-seat gun safes, and the deaths of two people from two of those stolen weapons, I find it shocking that an officer in SF has lost yet ANOTHER handgun. The first question of question of course is why the hell he left his gun AND his credentials in the car. True, there is a school right there, and maybe he was visiting, but he as a LEO is exempt from those rules, even in San Francisco. To say nothing of the fact that a little farther down the hill on the east side is public housing, and yes, thieves. (I used to live in the neighborhood almost thirty years ago on the west side of the hill, and it hasn’t likely changed.)
Salinas CA PD have multiple guns stolen, including the Chiefs rifle, and they are all cleared, King City cop has dirt bag step son steal a gun, and he his hung ….politics of the DAs office…..it really is US vs. Them.
I might have voted for Austin Petersen, although he reminds me so much of Seth MacFarlane I keep expecting him to break out in Peter Griffin’s voice. I won’t vote for Gary Johnson. Still leaning for writing in ‘the Zodiac Killer’ right now.
RE: Zodiac
A wasted vote. Barry is term limited to two.
The ‘Zodiac Killer’ is a jab at the Trumpies who thought Ted Cruz was the Zodiac Killer and were too dumb to realize that the Zodiac killings started before he was even born. Nothing to do with the current regime.
In other news, turns out Hiltlary Clinton was a member of the Manson Family back in the 1960s. (At least that one’s pretty believable.)
Petersen could have earned my vote. Johnson? Nah.
Now he’s going around claiming he agrees with Bernie the commie on 73% of the issues.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/05/31/libertarian-presidential-candidate-i-agree-with-sanders-on-73-percent-of-the-issues/
Libertarians have long tried to claim that they are the ultimate expression of Conservatism, when in reality, they have become little better than the Liberals they claim to oppose. Anyone voting for the ‘Libertarian’ candidate is at best wasting their vote, and at worst giving another vote ahead to the Democrats.
Regardless of who the third, fourth, fifth, etc. parties nominate they have absolutely ZERO chance of being elected President of the United States. A vote for any of them, or the all powerful and popular, “I’ll show ’em! I’m going to stay home and not vote for any of those clowns!” is a vote for Hillary.
So an actual vote for Hillary is really two votes for Hillary?
Thank you. I’m so tired of hearing: “A vote for XXX (not Trump) is a vote for Hillary!”
Let’s clear this up– A vote for Hillary is a vote for Hillary. Not voting or voting for a third party candidate is effectively 50% Trump, 50% Hillary. And voting for Trump is–you guessed it!–voting for Trump. Real simple.
Except that it is highly unlikely many Democrats will vote for the Libertarian, so while the Democrats vote for Clinton, the Conservatives split their votes up among the Republican and the also-ran’s.
Yes. That is exactly how the math works. A vote for Hillary is a two point swing. A non cast vote or third party vote has the potential as a one point swing since the assumption is that the conservative vote would have never gone for the Democrat.
It’s like throwing an interception in the end zone and the safety returns it 100 yards for a defensive TD. That is a 14 point swing. The 7 you should have scored plus the 7 you gave up on the same play.
Meh.
In the state I live in, the (D) nominee has won the Presidential vote in every election since ’92. It doesn’t take Nate Silver to figure out what’s likely to happen in ’16. Barring an incredibly unlikely dead heat in the polls on election day, I’m planning to write in Cthulhu. Won’t make a damn bit of difference, and I want to experience not voting for the lesser evil at least once.
Really? A plastic toy gun symbolizing unity? It served its role and was tossed. The LP is the only political party left that completely endorses the Second Amendment (despite that suspicious newbie VP candidate, Weld). Hell, the LP in general thinks drivers licenses are unconstitutional and gov’t has no right to require licenses for anything.
Look again.
Yep, it was a plastic toy replica, not a real gun. And on top of that it was given to him by Austin Peterson, who is a complete dickhole and is yet another far-flung Libertarian that gives the entire party platform a bad name each and every time he opens his mouth.
I’d have tossed that shit in the garbage right away, or not even accepted it. Austin’s George Washington meme wasn’t even dank.
The Libertarian has zero chance of ever being elected, so why would anyone waste their vote on them? All that does is split the Conservative vote and give the Democrats a bonus they don’t deserve.
You’re right that Johnson has almost zero chance of being elected. However, considering how many people hate both Trump AND Clinton he’s got a good chance of pulling enough of the popular vote (10%) to get the LP automatically into the national debates in 2020.
Polling data currently shows that Johnson is pulling equally from Trump and Clinton. I’m also seeing a lot of people that are into Sanders that absolutely hate Clinton. Many of those NeverHilary Sanders supporters are poised to consider Johnson for the socially liberal portion of his platform.
Regardless, I’m in a state that unfortunately gives the electoral college to the Dem candidate every fricking time. On top of that I can’t stand Trump at all. On “isidewith.com” I actually agree with Clinton’s platform by a narrow, narrow margin more-so than I do Trump excepting, of course, that I actually care about 2A. All that being said, in my case it’d be crazy of me not to vote for Johnson this year considering I agree with 90% of his platform stances.
>> All that does is split the Conservative vote
Why do you assume that a libertarian vote “belongs” to conservatives, or that it’s “stolen” from you? It was never yours to begin with.
This arrogance is part of the reason why so many people are giving both major parties the middle finger now.
The Armed Intelligentsia have finally reached enlightenment. I have been telling you for years that today’s Libertarians are faux Libertarians. The Libertarian label was taken over by the Randians and Rothbardians 30 years ago. Both Rand and Rothbard rejected Hayek. Rothbard started out in the Austrian school of economics but evolved into a Marxist heretic differing only in the belief that the problem of scarcity could be solved. Rothbard can be best described as a market oriented radical syndicalist which is why he describes his philosophy as anarcho-capitalist.
Rothbardians believe man is little more than a rational economic calculating machine. All civil and criminal law are responsible for crime, violence and international violence because law interferes with the proper functioning of markets. When markets are distorted wants cannot be satisfied through exchange and some economic agents will engage in violence to satisfy their wants. Eliminate law and you eliminate the cause of crime. It’s a crock but many people here believe it.
Luckily the Republican party at least is still true to Austrian School. I imagine that the next printing of the Road to Serfdom will have a forward by Donald Trump. Not that he will have any idea what the book is about, but he’ll want to get his name in there.
Very funny and so true.
TTAG talks about the Libertarian party and the rest of the world says…..Who cares?
Amen …lacking morals they pretend to care about liberty.
Amen?
I’ll put my morality and “pretend” care about Liberty, up against your morality and pretend god, on any given day.
The libertarian flag looks like the Ghost busters logo except it has a sheepdog on it.
So do they seriously weld fins on a tank of propane? They’re braver than I thought.
Believe it or not, hot tapping pipelines is a thing. I imagine they have a few welders that have done it before over there.
I assume they weld fins on an empty propane tank before they stuff a bomb in it.
“hurl a propane cylinder crammed with 40kg or more of explosives and shrapnel”
Ewww…hairy moose-lim gals. Not worth dyin’ for…watchin’ a petulant 69year old today reminded me of how screwed we are. Is he better than these libertarian loons? Beats me…
Wow we have the worst possible candidates for Republican, Democrat, and Libertarian parties. State secession here we come.
Apparently Gary Johnson thinks [faux] Libertarians have 73% in common with Bernie Sanders.
http://hotair.com/archives/2016/05/31/great-nevertrump-hope-gary-johnson-i-side-with-bernie-sanders-73-of-the-time-you-know/
Well the I side with website gave me a similar result. Bernie is anti-war, pro-legalization, and anti-corrupt welfare, all Libertarian principles, he differ significantly economically, and on guns,. Don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t vote for him with a gun to my head, but we on those issues we are identical
As George Orwell said anti-war is objectively pro-Fascist. Anti-warriors aren’t anti-war they just support the other side.
Anti-corrupt welfare is just being against giving money to the “wrong people.”
That leaves you with pro-drug.
There is usually more than one side to a war. In a binary world, such simple statements could be true, alas….
George Orwell recanted the statement you just quoted, because it is a logical fallacy.
Maybe Anti war is a strong term, but generally being opposed to unjust and useless wars. Orwell was also a socialist, so I have a hard time thinking he was this great freedom espousing writer.
It may be true if you simply count the positions, but not if you weigh them. That 23% that isn’t the same is also where the meat of both ideologies is.
He can get some of the Bernie bro vote as a protest thing, but it wouldn’t be guided by ideology.
Not a single comment about banning propane and propane accessories? Commenter’s at TTAG, I am disappointed.
Well, I’ve been hoping for a real, successful Libertarian party for a long time. But if they don’t realize that gun owners are among their most obvious, natural supporters and court our vote . . . well that’s pretty dumb.
If you like propane mortars, also called ” hell cannons” then go to bellingcat.com
They did a great article on them
Oryx blog latest article is on the “mad max” armored vehicles both sides are using in Syria
Abu Hajaar is still rolling to this day!
There seem to be only one constant in the Libertarian Party. Legalization of narcotics.
Ending the War on Drugs is one of the few things that our government can actually do policy-wise to reduce violent crime more drastically than it is already trending down naturally. Take away the massive profits of the cartels and drug-gangs and after an extinction burst you’re likely to have less inner-city violence and less border violence.
Banning guns doesn’t work. Banning alcohol didn’t work. Banning drugs hasn’t worked either. In 2016 the U.S. is on pace to spend more than $34 billion dollars on the drug war. Maybe it doesn’t agree with some people’s sense of morality to let people do what they want with their own bodies, but no matter how you slice it this is failed policy through and through.
Ban propane. FOR THE CHILDREN.
“I can’t think critically, therefore I make baseless assumptions. GO TRUMP!”
Comments are closed.