Shortening the leash
November 14, 2004
2:18 p.m., MT

I'm used to hearing rather tepid defenses of liberty from many of those involved with the LP. My term for these people is "Longer Leash Libertarians": they aren't unhappy being slaves, they just think that their masters should give them a bit more rein. Following the link that Sunni posted earlier to the ongoing argument at the Statrix, I soon found myself on another site reading the article that started it, entitled "The Quick Way To Lose Your Rights".

It seems that the quick way to lose our rights would be to actually attempt to use them….

I now find myself in need of a new term to describe those who call themselves Libertarians, yet think that their leash is plenty long enough already, and who urge their fellows not to tug too hard on their leashes, lest our masters get peeved and reel-in some of the slack they so generously allow us. Any ideas?

Skeptical Man

Comments: 3 people have contributed to the conversation

On Sunday, November 14th, at approximately 3:06 p.m. Mountain time, DLT said:

Statists?

On Sunday, November 14th, at approximately 5:17 p.m. Mountain time, Endervidual said:

This isn't confined to LP "partyarchs." Although, one of those linked blog entries seems focused on the LP, the "argument" could also be be used by RLC and/or DFC sorts, too (and probably is). So, I would drop the capital "L", although it is most disturbing to see (for me anyway) within the LP.

Calling them statists, seems apropos, but there are many types of statists. In some ways they are "better" than socialists or fascists, and in other ways "worse."

How about "liberturdians" ? (Oops, I guess there's ad hominem in that.)

Maybe like Karen De Coster says they are libertarian compromisers.

Although I have to disagree with her somewhat too, since I would say there is value in some South Park episodes (though probably not of a "literary" sort) and thought that both IHS and IJ had done a fair amount of good, even though ideological "purity" is probably not one of the goals of either organization.

On Sunday, November 14th, at approximately 11:45 p.m. Mountain time, Cat said:

Leash-itarians?

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