Comments on: A Two-Part Quiz on Libertarianism and Patriotism

By: Question of the Week: Why Aren’t Libertarians More Persuasive? | International Liberty

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:33:03 +0000

[...] 4. And in general, libertarians are ultra-individualists who reject concepts such as community, family, and nation. While it’s true that libertarians are motivated by individual freedom, opposition to government coercion does not imply that people can’t be good neighbors or good parents. Indeed, we would argue that a free society promotes private virtue. And there’s nothing inconsistent with patriotism and libertarianism, as illustrated by this t-shirt. [...]

By: Where Will You Go if America Collapses?

Where Will You Go if America Collapses? — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:02:05 +0000

[...] because of an irrational form of patriotism, I’m fairly certain that I will always live in the United States and I will be fighting to [...]

By: Question of the Week: Where Will You Go if America Collapses? « International Liberty

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:14:27 +0000

[...] because of an irrational form of patriotism, I’m fairly certain that I will always live in the United States and I will be fighting to [...]

By: luciengunn

luciengunn — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 20:18:03 +0000

Since sport and sports are an extension of the war mentality, I find that both your examples are related … I want my team to win – no matter the scenario. And since casualties are a by-product of sport and war, I want them to be minimilized for my “side”. This doesn’t mean I have a particular ill-will for the opposition and want them obliterated … I just want my side to have as few casualties as possible – however that comes to pass. On a related note, I wholly embrace your tee shirt sentiment …

By: A Description of Evolution in which even Creationists Can Believe | Sago

A Description of Evolution in which even Creationists Can Believe | Sago — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 05:14:59 +0000

[...] Like this t-shirt that shows the proper definition of patriotism. [...]

By: A Description of Evolution in which even Creationists Can Believe « International Liberty

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 22:48:58 +0000

[...] Like this t-shirt that shows the proper definition of patriotism. [...]

By: The “Happy Planet Index” Ranks Venezuela, Albania, and Cuba Far Higher than the United States | Sago

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:10:00 +0000

[...] not being jingoistic. Yes, I am a patriot in the right sense of the word, so I would like the United States to be at the top of most [...]

By: The “Happy Planet Index” Ranks Venezuela, Albania, and Cuba Far Higher than the United States « The blog for taxspecialists

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:29:07 +0000

[...] not being jingoistic. Yes, I am a patriot in the right sense of the word, so I would like the United States to be at the top of most [...]

By: The “Happy Planet Index” Ranks Venezuela, Albania, and Cuba Far Higher than the United States « International Liberty

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 20:40:28 +0000

[...] not being jingoistic. Yes, I am a patriot in the right sense of the word, so I would like the United States to be at the top of most [...]

By: luciengunn

luciengunn — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 15:43:55 +0000

I could care less for sports that have little interest to me … I’m more concerned with the Yankees winning than if the U.S. wins a baseball medal in international competition (though how can we lose at our own game?) … But I respect the jobs our military airmen, marines,sailors and soldiers do and wish them nothing short of 100% success in any endeavor and especially so in any conflict … They allow me to enjoy the Yankees play – and win.

By: Dan Mitchell: Maryland to Texas, but Not Okay to Move from the United States to Singapore? « HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:09:59 +0000

[...] stated, we self-identify as Americans (if we have any patriotism) and don’t have instinctive loyalty to individual states. So we don’t think there’s anything [...]

By: Why Is It Okay to Escape High Taxes by Moving from Maryland to Texas, but Not Okay to Move from the United States to Singapore? « International Liberty

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:15:01 +0000

[...] stated, we self-identify as Americans (if we have any patriotism) and don’t have instinctive loyalty to individual states. So we don’t think [...]

By: BikerDad

BikerDad — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:28:21 +0000

1) Yes. There are a few instances when the “story” of some other competitor is so compelling/interesting, or the US team is composed of such d-bags, that I’ll root for there other guy, but it’s extremely rare. Above all though, I want to see a truly good match.

2) Yes. As a practical matter, no caveats. Theoretically, America could conceivably become so rotten that I might feel otherwise, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

By: Second Amendment Humor « International Liberty

Second Amendment Humor « International Liberty — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:25:26 +0000

[...] not sure why I like it so much, but it may be related to why this t-shirt makes me want to fight for liberty. Rate this:Share this:PrintEmailFacebookTwitterMoredeliciousDiggFarkLinkedInRedditStumbleUponLike [...]

By: “Honor Flight” Shows the Greatness of America « International Liberty

Mon, 28 May 2012 18:01:41 +0000

[...] I remember being at Reagan Airport when one of the honor flights landed. It was very moving to see everyone in the terminal cheer as the veterans came off the plane. That’s true patriotism. [...]

By: American Politicians Should Learn Some Policy Lessons from Hong Kong and Singapore « International Liberty

Sat, 19 May 2012 19:41:41 +0000

[...] last quote really irks me. I have a knee-jerk patriotic strain, so I want America to be special for reasons above and beyond my support for good economic [...]

By: dunce

dunce — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:08:22 +0000

Obama has already answered Q2 by rules of engagement that needlessly cause more soldiers to die in Afghanistan to minimize Taliban lives lost.

By: Patriotism, Loyalty, Tax Competition, and ‘Tax Fugitives’ |

Patriotism, Loyalty, Tax Competition, and ‘Tax Fugitives’ | — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:22:36 +0000

[...] you can probably imagine, that was not an effective argument. As this t-shirt indicates, my patriotism is to the ideals of the Founding Fathers, not to the statist actions of the U.S. [...]

By: Political Cartoon: Smothered by Big Government « International Liberty

Political Cartoon: Smothered by Big Government « International Liberty — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:49:16 +0000

[...] lesson to be learned, thought, isn’t that we should fear big government (though we should, as this t-shirt makes clear), but that statism destroys the human spirit. Rate this: Share [...]

By: njcommuter

njcommuter — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 07:13:16 +0000

Do you value the life of an American soldier over the life of 1000 Taliban? I suspect that the answer reveals whether you believe the Taliban are evil and the US is acting in what it perceives as defense, or you believe that the Taliban are harmless people who would mind their own business if only the Big Bad USA wouldn’t go trying to stop them from taking over villages, throwing acid in women’s faces, and beating grocers who don’t keep the “female” tomatoes far enough from the “male” cucumbers.

By: This Is Why I’m Proud to Be an American « International Liberty

This Is Why I’m Proud to Be an American « International Liberty — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:55:45 +0000

[...] a basic level, my attitude on patriotism is captured by this t-shirt. And hold the snarky comments. My view is not influenced by the woman modeling [...]

By: The Transatlantic Government-Incompetence-and-Stupidity Contest: The U.S v. U.K. « International Liberty

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 18:53:19 +0000

[...] I’m just being jingoistic, but I think the Brits win this contest. Yes, the American government flushed a lot more money down [...]

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 09:05:15 +0000

#2 – yes, I would rather 100 or 1000 Taliban be killed than one US soldier.

Similarly, I would rather 100 or 1000 US citizen mafiosi be killed rather than one honest cop.

There’s a difference between guilty and innocent people. Since I *do* believe that ALL people, both Americans and non, have God given human rights, I’m ok with US or other forces killing those guilty of oppression.

The tough part is changing from 100 guilty Taliban, to 50 guilty Taliban AND 50 passive non-Taliban Afghans.
Or 50 mafiosi and 50 innocent Americans. In the latter case, supporting a program to bring to justice the guilty, which also kills some innocents, becomes problematic somewhere… much sooner when innocent Americans are killed than when non-Taliban Afghans are killed.

Hope you had a happy 4th!

By: Patriotism, Politics, and the 4th of July « International Liberty

Patriotism, Politics, and the 4th of July « International Liberty — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:57:23 +0000

[...] I’m interested in how to get people to believe in freedom, not vote Republican, so I’m not sure what to think about the Harvard study. But my Republican friends can probably make a few snarky observations about whether patriotism is inconsistent with being a Democrat. My thoughts on patriotism, meanwhile, can be found here. [...]

By: A Great Day to Be an American « International Liberty

A Great Day to Be an American « International Liberty — Mon, 02 May 2011 10:35:55 +0000

[...] Time for some old-fashioned patriotism. [...]

By: Five reasons Why Switzerland Is Better than the United States (but Five Reasons Why I’ll Stay in America) « The Market Center Blog

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:52:05 +0000

[...] Even though it’s considered a bit uncouth among some libertarians, I do have certain patriotic impulses. I’m not about to surrender my nation to the plundering thieves from [...]

By: Five reasons Why Switzerland Is Better than the United States (but Five Reasons Why I’ll Stay in America) « International Liberty

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:21:11 +0000

[...] Even though it’s considered a bit uncouth among some libertarians, I do have certain patriotic impulses. I’m not about to surrender my nation to the plundering thieves from [...]

By: Brian Garst

Brian Garst — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:19:07 +0000

I agree wholeheartedly that my patriotism is based on the ideals of America’s founding, and not its government.

That said, I think question #2 has a component built in that you’re not taking account of. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are not merely foreign, they are also morally reprehensible. I indeed value American lives more than that of the Taliban or Al Qaeda, but I also similarly value any such non-Taliban or non-Al Qaeda life.

I think a more meaningful question would be whether you’d rather 100 Afghani civilians die or one U.S. soldier.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:37:50 +0000

I loved George Patton’s line. Paraphrasing, you don’t want to die for your country. You want the other guy to die for his country.

That is the same approach we should take with our soldiers. We don’t want them to die for our country, but, we want them to help others to die for their country.

By: S R Larson

S R Larson — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 00:18:19 +0000

Paul,

“Those Americans are just as much oppressors of others as the Taliban, and their loss would not particularly affect me.”

So you are saying that the Hollywood celebs are denying your daughter or sister the right to an education. You are saying that the greedy politician forces you to witness public executions of homosexual men and lesbian women.

Maybe I’m just more apprehensive of what tyranny really means because I grew up in its neighborhood, and because I walked on the east side of the Berlin Wall while the Soviets still had their tanks stationed a block or two away from the free world. But I still think that comparing corrupt American politicians to the Taliban is elevating the Taliban to something they’re not. Most of all, that comparison is insulting to the Afghans who can barely even dream of tasting the moderate freedom you enjoy every day.