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89

L. Neil Smith's
THE LIBERTARIAN ENTERPRISE
Number 89, September 11, 2000
HBTM!

Just a quick response to Derk Benner's letter last week. He said: "That's right, Mr. Scott tried to make owning a gun a privilege, just like owning and driving a car!"

In a broad sense owning and driving a car is no privilege because the Constitution never gives the government the power to regulate transportation. It therefore remains one of those 'other rights' reserved to the people. But practically speaking we know they do.

Someone really ought to produce a brand of toilet paper with a little copy of the Constitution on every square so that we can be graphically reminded every time nature calls as to what the Statists are doing to our rights. It could even be 3-ply for our 3 branches of government! Hey now that's fun for the whole family! It would also make the point to our guests far more eloquently than we ever could. But I digress.....a lot......

My point was that even now you don't have to register a car unless you take it off of private property. You can drive it around till doomsday without plates or taxes etc as long as you don't take it onto tax funded roads. Next time some gun-grabber says they want to treat guns like cars just tell them 'Fine, dump the FBI check and and lower the age restriction, teach kids how to shoot in high school (call it Shooter's Ed) and subsidize American gun manufacturers so they can sell guns more cheaply than foreign competitors". Then watch smoke come out their ears.

apple [email protected]

This fall, either the Republicans or the Democrats will win the White House and also control of Congress.

Third parties have no real chance.

The Socialists took on the cape of the Democratic Party back in the '30's and have been extremely successful in bringing about their goals.

Unless Libertarians choose to take on the cover of the Republican Party their goals are unlikely to be met.

As it is, any third party vote only amounts to at best a non vote and at worst as an aid to electing a candidate most unlike a Libertarian.

I'm sure there is some ego value in running as a third party candidate and some financial value to control the funds allotted and collected but from a ideological viewpoint it is an exercise in futility.

Of the two real choices to win Republicans will certainly reduce the size of government or at least slow the growth more than the Democrats.

That's your real choice.

Bob Graves [email protected]

Hi [Curt Howland], Caught your article in the TLE #88.

Had to chuckle though, over a particular faux pas in word usage. To quote:

[...]
Where I believe the phalicy of "compromise" exists is in the application of that word by the opponents of freedom.
[...]

I do believe the intended word is 'fallacy'?

However, in light of the moment to discuss the real intents of those who wish to compromise, your word, although not a real one -- but could be a coined term -- might well express accurately their desire to, ahem, 'bone' us through said compromise.

Good writing!

E.J. Totty

Curt Howland writes in his letter to the editor published in TLE #88 "Labor Day" issue:

Where I believe the phalicy of "compromise" exists is in the application of that word by the opponents of freedom.

I think the author was looking for the word "phallicy," which describes Bill Klinton's approach to government, or at least government interns. It certainly was a compromising position for that particular opponent of individual freedom, but aptly describes what he has been doing to all Americans for the last 8 years!

Coleman Weidenbusch [email protected]

Hi J C,

I was totally incensed at the cover article on the food page of the Washington Post this morning. The last thing I would have expected was to see a story on USGov regulation in the only untarnished section of that elitist liberal rag.

Apparently it's not enough that government is regulating our freedom down the crapper, they want that Gruyere cheese out of your hands, too. FDA is doing an analysis in the safety of CHEESES made from whole unpasturized milk. This type of milk (characterized in the industry as "raw") has the possibility of harbouring the E. coli 0157h7 organism. In some rare cases the more virulent E. coli K12 has been found as well. K12 is resistant to streptomycin treatments.

Although these cases are rare, and the industry goes to great pains to test it's food for safety, FDA plans to inexhorably blunder ahead with it's regulations. Manufacturers are already obligated to public safety, and there are civil and criminal safeguards already in place, so what's the beef here? It's yet another example of the many carrying the punishment for the few.

In classic USgov style, unconstitutional burocracies will limit your freedom in yet another area, wreaking havoc upon local economies. This will put the lucrative cheese lobby in a real uproar. Kraft Industries have sent their emmisaries to Washington, accompanied by a Globemaster full of their wares. The Clinton Administration will be implacatable to this lobbying onslaught, as they were to the NRA. I've got some bad news for the FDA, they can have my Roquefort dressing when they pry it out of my dead, cold hands.

Peace,

Jack Jerome [email protected]

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