desperately seeking prozac...

Holy expletive Batman!

That was like a Red Fox record, no offense to the late Mr. Fox. I'm concerned that the neck hole in Mr. Seekers Che tee shirt is a size too small, and cutting off much needed oxygen.

But, as Titus has already masterfully handled the man with a child's temper, I'll just leave it at that.

I do, however, need to comment on Titus' original post. There were some glaring errors, and ones that are oft repeated in the mainstream, sometimes even conservative, press ...

I am certainly not a Libertarian. And neither is Glenn Beck. Nor is Ron Paul. No, not even Ron bares that title. Let me explain:

I will forgo explaining why and where I disagree with the Libertarian Party (as I think by and large you are familiar with the reasons), and move on to Beck. He is a rabid opponent of "open boarders." He is also opposed to the idea of disbanding the CIA, and the FBI. In addition he opposes the legalization of narcotics, and is firmly pro life. These are fundamental differences with the Libertarian Party. In fact Beck has held debates on both his radio and television programs with Judge Napolitano (an authentic Libertarian), numerous times on a variety of issues. Beck is very conservative, but he is no Libertarian, and has said so on more then one occasion. You can visit his website (either the one that bares his name or The Blaze); you can search his archives; you can listen frequently to his 3 hour radio program or 1 hour television show, and in each case you will not find Glenn using the word "Libertarian" to describe himself, and for a simple reason - he is not one.

Ron Paul. Lets start with the obvious. His title is Representative Ron Paul (R) TX. He runs in the Republican congressional primary every 2 years. He ran (more then once and will again in 2012) in the Republican presidential primaries. He has repeatedly rejected calls from the Libertarian Party to defect. You can peruse his website HERE, and you will never see the word "Libertarian", not even once. In addition he stands contrary to the Libertarian Party in 2 fundamental areas: 1) the man is adamantly pro-life. His full title, in "real life", is Dr. Ron Paul. He's been a practicing Obstetrician for more than 40 years, claiming to have delivered over 10,000 babies. 2.) He is forcefully opposed to open boarders (source: HERE). He wants to physically seal every port of illegal entry as a stand alone bill, before addressing the millions already here. He flatly opposes amnesty and even wants to end birthright citizenship. And he voted against both NAFTA and CAFTA. Some would describe him as an isolationist. He would argue he's a proponent of "true" free and open trade - no limits of imports/exports (he lectures particularly on the imbalance of the latter), including doing business with such nations as Cuba, Iran and China. Again my point here, as well as with Beck, is Ron Paul is an extremely conservative Republican (in the traditional conservative sense), but by definition, and by self proclamation, he is not a Libertarian.

Now, his stances on drugs and foreign policy do in fact overlap with positions identified with the LP, no question (and yes, his inability to recognize the threat of terrorism in the 2008 GOP primary did prompt me to dub him, "mayor of crazy town", but I don't seriously question the man's lucidity, nor do I think his every word drivel, I just wouldn't be able to pull the lever for him). But any Conservative is going to find overlapping common ground with Libertarians, it's unavoidable. However, a Libertarian that does not make.

My point is we should be careful not to willy-nilly throw the term around, and assign it to people without first doing some rather basic homework on those we are describing. It leads to ill-advised statements such as:

"... Ron Paul (the only nationally known Libertarian candidate in the modern era) ... Mike Church is a Libertarian, as is Glenn Beck... and they are BIG names in talk radio ... It is my biggest problem with people like Beck... there is a degree of naivety and stubbornness in their views [Libertarian] that I think makes me not want to take what they say and see as valid and serious at all."

Otherwise, good Titus, people might not take what we say and see as "valid and serious."