A Question on ISIS, Terrorism, and Libertarian Response

Screenshot from an execution video from ISIS propaganda

Fellow libertarians, we have a major problem. When the federal government waged its illegal wars and clandestine interventions abroad, it bred hatred and ultimately blowback. As I see it, ISIS is worse than Al Qaeda. The previous waves of jihadists' main grievance against our people [Americans] was that our government occupied Islamic holy lands. Their main goal was to remove foreign occupation forces from their holy lands and from the Middle East. ISIS has upped the stakes and done what Al Qaeda couldn't, conquering extensive territory and establishing a state.

Al Qaeda offered rhetoric on establishing a Caliphate and expanding; ISIS is actually doing it, and they're kicking ass and taking names. Furthermore, they've made it absolutely clear that they'll continue expanding and that they're coming for us. They don't care about the difference between the State and We the People; they don't care about statism/tyranny versus anarchy/liberty; they don't care about our nonaggression principle. Hell, they make no qualms about mass-executing civilians for not being good enough Muslims.

They're coming for us, sooner or later, and they're raising their sons to carry on the jihad. They may not be able to send infantry or armored divisions to attack the US, but they'll sure as hell send cells and suicide bombers to kill in America. The ISIS press secretary literally announcing the Islamic State's short term goal of sending "martyrs" to America and their end goal of "raising the flag of prophet Muhammad over the White House." They've promised to attack us; so far they've shown in Iraq and Syria that they keep their promises. 

I'm not afraid of them, but I believe my level of concern to be a healthy one; I'm not afraid of burglars but I still lock my doors at night. So when an organization of assholes who execute 2000 people in single swoops announces an intention of sending violence to the country I live in, I'd like to have a contingency plan JUST IN CASE.

How then do we as libertarians stand by the nonaggression principle and non-interventionism when ISIS continues to expand its state and crush liberty? How do we as libertarians help America prepare for self-defense knowing THIS manifestation of blowback is coming for us? When terrorism targets us, how do We the People fight terrorism without betraying libertarian principles?

Not training or arming foreign armies and insurgencies is a no-brainer in my book, as we would all agree that it causes blowback. However, not causing further blowback in the future doesn't change the fact that a state and army, who hates us for not being like them, currently exist and have declared that they want a piece of America. Also, I'm completely against forfeiting civil liberties over to the government so it [they] can "protect" us. Ben Franklin said that those who trade liberty for security deserve neither.

How do we apply libertarian principles in real-time given the current conditions in American society and the rest of the world? While there's still relative peace on our shores, we NEED to think of ways to prepare for and respond to terrorism, foreign and domestic, without betraying libertarian principles. 

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Execution photo from an ISIS video, courtesy of New York Daily News. Second [mass] execution photo from ISIS' Twitter feed, courtesy of news.com.au.

Five Libertarian Ideas #21 - War in Gaza, War in Ukraine, Personal responsibility

Israeli soldiers shield a child during a rocket attack

Arguing over Gaza

Since Jews and Muslims, liberals and conservatives are BACK into hysterical arguing over whether Israel or Palestine has the moral high ground in Gaza, I would like to formally protest the U.S. government's illegal conquest and occupation of my two ethnic motherlands, northern Mexico and the Confederate States of America. ‪#‎lol‬ -7/12

Alcoholism and personal responsibility

Dealing with alcoholic family members brings me in touch with my inner Ayn Rand. No, I don't want to help you. Your poor choices do not amount to my emergency. You had every opportunity under the sun to get your act together. Stop blaming other people for your problems. Others may enable your parasitic behavior but I refuse to participate. -7/13

PTSD from gang violence in LA

Every day this summer I've worked with teenage boys who have PTSD from gang violence in LA. They have thousand yard stares and can recount in graphic detail their friends and neighbors being shot, and them being attacked for refusing to join a gang.

Every day these boys make the decision to risk their lives going to school and to Scout meetings, and they're working towards becoming Eagle Scouts and making plans to afford college.

Then you've got people here in the suburbs who were handed everything on a silver platter, who make every excuse for not having their act together. It makes me sick. -7/18

Anti-Russian mentality

Julie Borowski did well to pose this question: Is there an anti-Russian mentality in the US? I think there is, and it's remained after the Cold War, and that mentality bothers me. I'm in no way anti-Russian, but rather anti-Kremlin. The thuggish actions of Comrade Putin and his merry band of ex-KGB officers and former Party apparatchiks do not represent the vast majority of Russians who manage to live their lives without invading neighboring countries, promoting Communism, or praising Stalin. -7/21

Civilian casualties in the War in Ukraine

Between the Russian government covertly shooting down the airliner and the Ukrainian government carrying out multiple air-to-ground strikes, more and more civilians are being killed in the crossfire. This is unacceptable! Civilians will inevitably be caught in the crossfire of wars but if risk of civilian casualties can be minimized, it should be minimized immediately. It's better for both sides to risk soldiers (all of whom are volunteers in this war) on ground operations than to carry out air operations that kill more civilians. -7/22

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Photo by the IDF

Riot at the Border

At the foot of the Statue of Liberty are the words "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free..."

In light of this tradition I have nothing but compassion for those who make the long, dangerous trek to this country to work and make an honest living. I believe that honesty and hard work need to be reintroduced in this country where mediocrity and dishonesty so often prevail.

However, I have contempt for those who rioted at the border in mobs and assaulted  the Border Patrol. In any other country, foreigners assaulting border guards would be fired on with live ammunition.

It's WRONG when our government invades sovereign countries without just cause, and it's WRONG for anyone to bring violence to the borders of another country, including ours.

I believe that a poor migrant looking for sanctuary ought to be given compassion; that rioters assaulting US officials ought to be given rubber bullets; that armed criminal insurgents invading our country ought to be annihilated.

If these rioters are angry, they should direct their rage against the ultra-corrupt government that keeps them in poverty, and against the drug cartels and affiliated gangs that bring hyper-violence to their communities.

Mexico is a country rich with vast natural resources, unique flavors of Western and indigenous culture, and a proud history of ordinary people fighting for freedom. It brings me great sadness to realize that a Mexican's worst enemy is not an American, but another Mexican.

Five Libertarian Ideas #20 - Mexico, the Border, and California

Local militia to government force
Mexico's self-defense militias have been reorganized into the Rural Forces with government oversight. They may still succeed, since most of Mexico's federal police are Sinaloa Cartel agents, not Knights Templar. However, given the rampant infiltration of the federal police and army by criminal insurgents, I expect casualties to rise for the Rural Forces. God help those patriots. -6/24

The National Guard and the border
California needs a governor who isn't afraid to mobilize the National Guard and state defense force to bolster border security. It doesn't bother me that people come here illegally to work (and frankly, cheap labor keeps prices down for consumers like us). What BOTHERS me is that there's a civil war south of the border and criminal insurgents are freely crossing the border to kidnap and murder, and to intimidate/extort law abiding small businesses and LEGAL marijuana collectives. -6/28

No foreign aid, period
I agree with Senator Paul's idea to cut off all US aid to the Palestinian Authority, especially since Hamas just murdered three teenagers, one of them a US citizen. However, I believe the government should cut all foreign aid, period. If tax dollars must be stolen from American taxpayers, let those dollars be spent on American infrastructure rather than backing sides in foreign wars. -7/2

LGBT adoption
As a Christian and a libertarian, I would much rather see a child adopted into a loving home, even by a same sex couple, than for that child to remain in the foster system as a ward of the state. Children deserve a loving home and if the adoptive parents are capable of providing that, who are we to stand in the way? -7/7

Democrats and gay marriage
The Democrats have held power over the California legislature for years. If they really gave a damn about the LGBTQ community like they say they do, gay marriage would have been fully legalized in California years ago, but it AIN'T. The libertarian solution: marriage is between two consenting adults and a judge, or between two consenting adults and God. It's no one else's damn business. -7/12

Five Libertarian Ideas #19 - Ron Swanson, Troops for Ron Paul

Technology and the free market

Last night I was reading a kickass novel on my tablet via the Kindle app. Now I'm out and about reading the same book on my phone, and the Kindle app on my phone brought me to where I left off on the tablet. Incredible!

Better yet, I got the tablet for FREE as a special promo for buying ANY Android phone. Now I'm having a blast with two new devices that allow me to run a side business, do homework, and be entertained on-the-go. This is a beautiful example of the wealth and abundance created by the free market.

Today is a wonderful day to be libertarian. -5/14

Ron Swanson libertarian or Kim Jong Un communist?

SFL asked if I was a Ron Swanson libertarian or a Kim Jong-un communist. Frankly, I was sorely tempted to go with the commies. They may have their collective head up their collective ass, but they know what pageantry is! We libertarians are on point about a whole lot of things, but the Reds have style! (Thus endeth the jest.) -5/15

Troops for Ron Paul

I was walking around on post today, wearing my Youth for Paul T-shirt, when a soldier passing me says "Hell yeah, bro, Ron Paul!" Made…. my... day!  Though many in the liberty movement arrogantly scorn these "servants of the state," those who have to cash with blood the checks written by civilian leaders are among the MOST receptive to a humble libertarian foreign policy. -5/19

Civil war in Ukraine

Civil war is already upon Ukraine. With the army having failed, Ukrainian patriots have assembled pro-Kiev militias and clashed with separatists in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic. Ukraine is a prime example of the new kind of non-state warfare. Wars between governments are a thing of the past. Wars between private groups are the new wave. Mexico is another prime example of this. -5/21

Enter the Ukrainian National Guard

According to Simon Ostrovsky (formerly detained and beaten by Russian separatists), the entire First Battalion of the Ukrainian National Guard are volunteers who were peaceful protestors at Euro Maidan in Kiev. They stood up to a corrupt regime because it oppressed and repressed peaceful dissent. Now they're in combat in Eastern Ukraine because they oppose the Kremlin invading via Spetsnaz and installing breakaway puppet states like the so-called Donetsk People's Republic. They're an all-volunteer force.

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Smart phone photo by the UK Ministry of Defense, via Open Government License 1.0; Ukraine image by Mstyslav Chernov, via CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

Civil War in Mexico (the Mexican drug war)

High school aged kids from Juarez would take part in--and be victim of--massacres that shocked the world.

Mexican Marines operating against paramilitary Los Zetas

Hello, fellow libertarians and aspiring libertarians!

Many of you expressed interest on Facebook and Twitter in my undergrad thesis on the Mexican drug war, which I argue is a multisided civil war and a modern war.  The paper is complete, was submitted two months ago, I presented it at three conferences, and I'm graduating in two weeks.  Hoorah!

I recently polished and expanded the paper (in order for it to be above the quality of Finals Season, i.e., great rush, much caffeine, little sleep). Once I was happy with it, I submitted it for publication and I sure hope they accept it!

In the meantime, I uploaded my unpublished paper as a working paper on Academia.edu.  If you're interested in a 50+ page academic paper on people killing each other in creative ways, then you'll enjoy it. The title is "CIVIL WAR IN MEXICO: Re-Examining Armed Conflict and Criminal Insurgency." You can download the PDF or read it online on my Academia profile.

P.S. I cited Ron Paul and Murray Rothbard as academic sources.  Winning!!!

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Photo by Borderland Bear Reporter Buggs via CC BY-SA 2.5 license. Image obtained from Wikimedia Commons.

Five Libertarian Ideas #18 - Nazis in Ukraine and UFOs in Afghanistan

Russia on Nazis in Ukraine

The Russian army secretly invaded Ukraine and annexed whole chunks in order to "protect Russian speakers." Russian militias and mobs are dragging people out of their homes, severely beating them, and arresting them on the sole basis of disagreeing with "the revolution." It's funny how the Russians call Ukrainians "Nazis" and "fascists" yet themselves are doing exactly what the Nazis did in the 1930s. -5/6

Russian Soviet socialism… again

In the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic," the Russian separatists are shutting down entire banks to punish specific Ukrainian government officials who have holdings at those banks. What the separatists will undoubtedly cause is a bank run and fleeing business capital, both of which will cause economic depression in the area... just like the Soviet days. -5/6

Gay and straight Eagle Scouts

[Regarding the new twin Eagle Scouts, one gay and one straight:] I'm an Eagle Scout and it's none of my damn business what orientation a fellow scout is (nor your business either), as long as he keeps his hands to himself. End of story.  -5/7

UFO in Afghanistan conspiracy

Conspiratarians, don't get excited about the UFO in Afghanistan video that's going viral. It's definitely a drone in the video, and drones that can hover while shooting have been around at the latest since 2009. Sorry to burst your bubble but our intergalactic neighbors aren't interesting in picking sides in a tiny civil war. -5/9

Navy SEALs and libertarian foreign policy

The more I read Richard Marcinko's Rogue Warrior series (he founded SEAL Team Six), the more I realize it is, and has been for years, quite possible to deal with terrorism in a manner that neither violates the nonaggression principle nor requires the US government to start multiple wars and occupations abroad. -5/12

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Crimean militia photo by Voice of America and in the public domain. Rogue Warrior cover art is the property of Pocket Books, used via  tommytoy dot typepad dot com according to Fair Use Law.