THE LIBERTARIAN ENTERPRISE Number 783, August 10, 2014 Obedience is an attribute of slaves
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Re: "Letter from Tyrone Johnson" Those who read the letters to the editor may remember that Tyrone Johnson was, shall we say, uncomplimentary towards my "defense" of Tom Kratman. Despite comprehension problems, I felt that it was worthy of a response. So I talked to Tom and got one. Sorta. Being Tom, he's not particularly concerned with the opinions of others. But then, neither am I. Ennyhoo, I sent Tom the entire thread, from Ken's opening comment to Tyrone's scathing disapproval of my "defense". Here is Tom's written rebuttal. Well, what he is willing to waste his time on. AFTER I send this to our editor, I intend to follow the enclosed links and see what Tom REALLY said, in context, AND his opinion of what others of Tyrone's bent had to say about it. I do not know, nor do I particularly care, whether this makes anyone happy or not. But before I include the response, I just wanted to take a few moments to straighten out Tyrone a wee bit. As a person, my contacts with Tom started from an online review I wrote of "A Desert Called Peace". I was not complimentary, taking him to task on the brutality, and explained (in the review) that I enjoyed the book as a novel, but disagreed with the philosophy presented. Tom posted comments on the review (on NewsVine), and a relationship ensued from there. I have continued to review his novels, and I never pull punches. Tom and I disagree on the tenets of Libertarianism, with his primary objections being to open borders, national defense not being considered necessary by Libertarians, and the power he feels it necessary for a central government to have in order to combat epi- or pandemics. He is a polite and friendly man, and I look forward to someday meeting him in person. When I said I would prefer Balboa (the fictional country that is the centerpiece of the Carrera series) over the direction I fear this country is heading, I meant it. I never said it was an ideal place. I never said it was a Libertarian paradise. I simply said I preferred it to where we are heading. Unlike our esteemed publisher, L. Neil Smith, I do not feel the age of authority is ending. I foresee a brutal dictatorship in the offing. And while Balboa IS brutal, it is NOT a dictatorship for one simple reason- firearms ownership is near universal, well respected, and almost totally un-controlled. And an armed man is ALWAYS, in the end, free to make his own way. I do not now, nor have I ever, supported a death penalty, except at the hand of the intended victim and at the scene of the intended crime, so OBVIOUSLY I do not support the draconian penalties Tom has enabled in Balboa, or what he appears to support in the snippet presented a few weeks ago that spawned this thread. I do not, however, believe that we will be able to vote our way out of where I see America heading. This does not mean I won't TRY to change things, I just fear that too many have bought into the government lie that "Only government can do 'X', so we need more government" for my votes to ever mean squat. I see a need for a new American Revolution in the offing, and far too many people too dependent upon government largesse to ever shed their blood to water the tree of Liberty. Rest assured, I will never quit, for I AM Donkey Hotay, slayer of windmills, on spavined steed, bearing a rusty lance, tarnished armor, and a bent sword. However, I do not see this making much difference in the long run. Now, to Tom's "reply". Then I shall go read it, and see what the man has to say. No matter what, one thing is sure—it WILL make me think. And that is the job of ANY author.
Enjoy... or not. machts nicht. Neale Osborn
[ "All the effort it's worth" eh? If many many people mis-understand me, I'd tend to think I haven't explained myself clearly enough. (There is a lot of that going around.) But perhaps Kratman is different? Uh huh?—Editor ]
I should have waited a week to write my latest article on the logging operation underway at my place because a lot happened beginning yesterday and today the first truckload of logs departed just before I did for work. When I have more time later in the week I hope to write something more about it and the people who make their living off the land and make civilization that too many of us take for granted possible. I even shot a 12 minute video that El Neil and the dear readers of this journal will probably enjoy- if I can figure out how to send it or post it to YouTube!
Jeff Fullerton
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