http://cluebyfour.livejournal.com/430173.html <http://cluebyfour.livejournal.com/430173.html>
So much for the Party of Principle. [cross-posted from [vertical-align: bottom;] <http://community.livejournal.com/libertarianism/profile> libertarianism <http://community.livejournal.com/libertarianism/> ] The Libertarian Party is calling for more cooperation between Federal, state and local law enforcement to battle the scourge of child pornography <http://www.lp.org/media/printer_578.shtml> : "FBI Chief Robert Mueller was correct when he said we are losing the war on child pornography," says Libertarian Party Executive Director Shane Cory, referring to comments made by the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday before a House Judiciary Committee meeting. "We have an obligation to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse, and we can do this by increasing communication between state and federal agencies to help combat this repulsive industry. While privacy rights should always be respected in the pursuit of child pornographers, more needs to be done to track down and prosecute the twisted individuals who exploit innocent children." Mueller called for "integration" between police agencies and increasing FBI resources to work on child pornography cases, which the LP press release mentions without comment, except to suggest that those resources could be freed up by not prosecuting victimless crimes. So, yes: child abuse, particularly sexual abuse, is evil and those who engage in it can hang in the courtyard by their genitals for all I care. But what the hell is the LP thinking here? They're not even pretending to support the Constitution, let alone limited government, with this view. The LP is justifying not only the existence of a national police force (which is not authorized by the Constitution), but by implying support for "integrating" police agencies, they're calling for even more Federal intrusion into areas that should by law be the states' domain. There's only one reason for such an ill-considered and frankly unlibertarian stance from the LP, and it's to further marginalize the radical core of the party. It started with the gutting of the party platform in 2006 and it continues through attacks on Mary Ruwart <http://thirdpartywatch.com/2008/04/27/open-letter-from-angela-keaton-re\ garding-a-proposed-lnc-resolution/> , an LP candidate for President and a more radical libertarian than the current leaders of the LP are comfortable with. Even party founder David Nolan expressed his outrage in a comment <http://thirdpartywatch.com/2008/04/27/open-letter-from-angela-keaton-re\ garding-a-proposed-lnc-resolution/#comment-582773> : I am appalled at the national HQ staff putting out a press release that implicitly disowns one of our candidates over such a relatively minor issue. First, because that's not a proper role for paid staffers to assume, and second because several other candidates have taken overtly anti-Libertarian stances on a number of issues, and none of them have been shot at by the national staff for doing so. This whole fiasco just reeks of cronyism and witch-hunting. Our presidential nominee will be chosen by the delegates to the national convention in Denver, and attempts by the LNC or (especially) the office staff at LPHQ to subvert that process are despicable. Once again, the New LP demonstrates its willingness to sell out its own principles, and even one of its most dedicated party members, in a futile effort to gain some mainstream political credibility. It's just pathetic. If you truly care about the libertarian movement then stop supporting these clowns.
