As Chairman Peter King’s hearings on Radical Islam and Terrorism get under way, the Left is racheting up the rhetoric. Leftists are screaming “racism” at King. Democrat Congresswoman Jackie Speier from San Francisco, said of the hearings (SFGate):
“To pinpoint Muslims as if they’re the only category — it’s wrong, it’s discriminatory, it’s racist and inappropriate.”
The NAACP (via WaPo) are warning the hearings will foster :
stereotypes which incite further misunderstandings or even violence against those groups.
King has shot back (via CNN):
“I will not allow political correctness to obscure a real and dangerous threat to the safety and security of the citizens of the United States.”
Noticeably absent from the debate is America’s libertarian movement.
Cato, Reason, the Libertarian Party, the Ron Paulists, have all kept largely silent on King’s hearings.
The leftside of the libertarian movement is in a rough spot on the issue of Radical Islam. Left-libertarians support both a staunchly non-interventionist, often isolationist foreign policy stance. But, they also support civil liberties.
Within just the last few weeks. with the downfall of the Tunisian ruling government and Mubarak in Egypt, we have witnessed an increasing crack-down by Islamists on civil liberties.
A week after the Tunisian government fell, fundamentalist Muslims stormed the famed Medina Quarter of Tunis, and attempted to torch houses of prostitution, all the while screaming “Allahu Ahkbar.” (LibertarianRepublican).
Pro-defense libertarian and former NY Madam Kristin Davis commented to Breitbart on theTunisian brothel burnings:
This is what happens when one strata of society tries to impose their moral beliefs on others.
Based on my experience those trying to burn down houses of Prostitution by day are those patronizing the places after dark.
Radical Muslims have also slit the throats of Catholic priests, and demonstrated in front of Jewish synagogues in Tunis shouting anti-Jewish slogans.
Just two days ago, a group of about 200 Egyptian women demonstrated in downtown Cairo for women’s rights. They were harrassed, pushed, groped and jeered by bearded Muslim men.
In the immediate aftermath of Mubarak resigning, groups of Muslim Youth rampaged Cairo’s casino district. They threw molotov cocktails at least 4 different luxary hotels and casinos. One firebomb killed two casino workers, and injured scores of others. (LibertarianRepublican).
These incidents all conflict greatly with the libertarian agenda of human rights and civil liberties. Right libertarians recognize this. The pro-defense wing of the libertarian movement oppose Radical Islam, largely for fear of what Sharia Law means to the agenda of civil liberties; legalized gambling, prostitution, marijuana use, alcohol, women and gay rights.
Liberals care little for civil liberties, particularly on tough issues such as gambling, prostitution and prohibition.
However, their sometimes allies, left-libertarians still care greatly for the civil liberties agenda. Problem is for these left-libertarians, all too often, their opposition to war and foreign intervention, trumps their support for civil liberties.
The left-libertarians are smart enough to realize this. They understand their hypocrisy on the issue, and the consistency of their right-libertarian counterparts.
Thus the silence on the subject of Radical Islam among left-libertarians.
The author is a US Navy Veteran. He is a former 6-year Senior Aide to US Congressman Ron Paul. He left his employ in 2003 over the Congressman’s opposition to the War in Iraq. He is now publisher of LibertarianRepublican.net
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.