Praying for Peace

I was emailed this joke. It seemed good enough to share...


A female CNN journalist heard about a very old Jewish man who had been going to the Western Wall to pray, twice a day, every day, for a long, long time.

So she went to check it out. She went to the Western Wall and there he was, walking slowly up to the holy site.

She watched him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, using a cane and moving very slowly, she approached him for an interview.

"Pardon me, sir, I'm Rebecca Smith from CNN. What's your name?

"Morris Feinberg," he replied.

"Sir, how long have you been coming to the Western Wall and praying?"

"For about 60 years."

"60 years! That's amazing! What do you pray for?"

"I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims."

"I pray for all the wars and all the hatred to stop."

"I pray for all our children to grow up safely as responsible adults and to love their fellow man."

"I pray that politicians tell us the truth and put the interests of the people ahead of their own interests."

"How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?"

"Like I'm talking to a fucking wall."


Reminds me of what Kurt Vonnegut said in Slaughterhouse-Five. That writing an antiwar novel is like writing an anti-glacier novel. There'll always be glaciers, just like there'll always be wars.

Oliver Stone Prefers Ron Paul for President

Filmmaker Oliver Stone prefers Ron Paul to Barak Obama for president!

Speaking to Ed Rampell of Rock Celler magazine, Stone engaged in the following exchange:


Rampell: In Our History you ask if there's "a potential wild card in an internal economic collapse of the empire"? Is America an empire? And if so, do you foresee the fall of the empire?

Stone: Yes. Yes, both. I don't think it's a wild card, I think it's a given. There's no way that we can continue this spending spree. In fact, I think in many ways the most interesting candidate -- I'd even vote for him if he was running against Obama -- is Ron Paul. Because he's the only one of anybody who's saying anything intelligent about the future of the world.

How do we go on being who we are? We have an identity crisis here. But as long as we keep running this fantasy through our minds that we can dominate history, it's not a wild card, it's a given!


Read the entire interview.

Oliver Stone's admiration for Ron Paul is yet another example of Paul's strong appeal to progressives -- and to artists and youth.

This is the crowd the Libertarian Party needs to court if it is to have a future. Instead, the LP is being guided by the Clintonesque neocon Wayne Allyn Root, who insists that the LP's future lies in courting "conservatives" (i.e., the neocon/pro-war Fox News crowd).

Were he ever asked to "discuss" Stone, Root would likely just vomit out one of his boilerplate screeds, ranting about how Stone is a "radical Marxist" who "hates America" etc. Really, Root need only take one of his past rants (they all sound alike), delete "Barak Obama" and insert "Oliver Stone."

Ron Paul's strength is that he appeals to a broad spectrum of thoughtful Americans who have a serious understanding of the dangers of war and empire. Whereas Root has no strengths -- just a few mindless rants that he endlessly reworks and recycles.

That Root supports Gary Johnson is worrisome, and would make me hesitant to support Johnson, were I still an LP member.

Gary Johnson on Israel and Iran

Carol Moore, of the Libertarians for Peace Yahoo Group, gives a heads up on Gary Johnson's views on U.S. support for Israel.

In a December 30, 2011 NPR interview with Robert Siegel, Johnson said:


SIEGEL: By the way, what do you make of Congressman Paul's libertarianism which pointedly does not include respect for the reproductive rights of women?

JOHNSON: Well, that would be one of our differences. I also happen to think that Israel, you know, we were responsible for the creation of Israel and that was through the United Nations; that they've been a strong military ally, that they will remain such. I do not think a military threat right now exists from Iran, but we should be vigilant to that. And I think it's naive to think that Israel is not going to act in their best interests should there be weapons of mass destruction showing themselves.

SIEGEL: And you would say the U.S. should support an Israeli action in that case, if Israel were to act militarily?

JOHNSON: Well, I would argue that that would probably be in our best interest. And to have them do that is a better situation than U.S. men and servicewomen engaged in the same.


Johnson's remarks sound vague and squishy to me. As if he knows that 1. many Libertarians support a strictly non-interventionist foreign policy (i.e., ending all foreign aid and military alliances/favored nations -- no exceptions), and 2. that other Libertarians (e.g. Wayne Allyn Root) want the LP to carve out an exception for Israel (i.e., continued U.S. aid and military alliance).

Johnson's answer sounds like he's hinting that he supports such an exception for Israel, without coming out and saying so unequivocally.

Curiously, while Johnson claims that Israel has been a "strong military ally" of the United States, there are counterclaims that Israel has never been -- legally or officially -- a U.S. ally, because no treaty of alliance has ever been signed between the two nations.

Carol Moore wrote the influential and controversial article, "Is Applying Libertarian Principles to Israel Anti-Semitic?"

Libertarian Party Joins Muslims to Oppose NDAA

An interesting press release from the Council on American Islamic Relations (dated January 2, 2012):


On Tuesday, January 3, representatives of the Libertarian Party and the Green Party will join the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT*) -- a national coalition of major Muslim organizations -- and other civil liberties group leaders at a news conference in Iowa to express their opposition to the unconstitutional nature of the National Defense Authorization Act's detention provisions.

This news conference is intended to convey a broad-based public response to President Obama's signing into law of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that authorizes the military to arrest and indefinitely detain American citizens suspected of terrorism without charge or trial.

WHAT: News Conference on New Law Authorizing Military Detention of U.S. Citizens "Without Charge or Trial"

WHEN: Tuesday, January 3, 11 a.m.

WHERE: Des Moines Marriott Downtown, Sioux City Meeting Room, 700
Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

CONTACT: AMT National Director Muhammad Salim Akhtar (773-507-5335)

AMT is an umbrella organization that includes:

Member Organizations:

American Muslim Alliance (AMA)
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA)
Muslim American Society (MAS)
Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA)
Muslim Students Association-National (MSA-N)
Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA)
North America Imams Federation (NAIF)
United Muslims of America (UMA)

Observer Organizations:

American Muslims for Civic Engagement (AMCE)
Islamic Educational Council of Orange County (IECOC)
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)


This move by the Libertarian Party is especially interesting given Wayne Allyn Root's opposition toward Muslim outreach.

Wayne Allyn Root vs. Glenn Greenwald

Wayne Allyn Root often brags this his articles are widely distributed. Yet it's always the same brainless boilerplate: "I'm so great, Obama is Satan, I'm so famous, I never saw Obama at Columbia, etc."

But how widely read an article is does not benefit Truth or Liberty if that article is a mindless rant.

Today I read a brilliant piece from Glenn Greenwald (a progressive), contrasting the respective moral merits of Ron Paul vs. Barak Obama. Greenwald's article is nuanced, intelligent, informed, and thoughtful, emphasizing understanding and insight over sledgehammer partisanship. It's the exact opposite of Root's moronic screeds.

Reading Glennwald's article about Ron Paul, one can only feel shame and grief that the LP is represented by the idiot scribblings of Root.

Secret Service Investigates Libertarian Candidate Jules Manson

The good news for "Sesame Street Libertarians" is that "The L Word" is all over the news -- from the internet to talk radio. The bad news is, it's not for any positive reason.

Last spring, Jules Manson ran for Carson City Council as the candidate for the Libertarian Party of California. Now the Secret Service is investigating Manson for allegedly making racist death threats against President Obama.

Dennis Romero reports for the L.A. Weekly (December 20 2011):


"Jules Manson, a nutter who once ran as a Libertarian for Carson City Council, is getting (wanted?) attention today after he called President Obama the N-world and suggested that someone 'assassinate the f----n n----- and his monkey children.' "


This story has national legs. Nancy Dillon reports for the New York Daily News (December 20, 2011):


"...Manson described himself as a mechanical engineer bent on fiscal conservatism as he scraped together just 550 votes -- less than 4% -- in his Carson City Council loss last spring.

"He claimed Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Dale Ogden had endorsed him, but Ogden said he did not recall giving a formal endorsement when he met Manson while handing out Libertarian party literature at a street fair.

" 'He might have been, perhaps, a bit more hard-core than most Libertarians, but I am surprised and puzzled by his specific advocacy of an assassination,' Odgen told the Daily News in an email.

"Ogden said he did not consider Manson 'a serious threat' after obtaining an oath of non-violence from him via Facebook Monday."


Manson is also a hot topic on talk radio (and, I assume, on cable TV). Tonight I heard the nationally syndicated Mike Malloy discuss Manson -- and Los Angeles's top-ranked John and Ken Show on KFI-AM interview Manson. Listen to this excerpt from the show.

While there are valid reasons to criticize Obama, it remains true that a foul stench permeates much of libertarianism. Regrettably, since 9/11, many libertarians' rhetoric have crossed over into racist lunacy.

Wayne Allyn Root is a leading source of Birther conspiracies, not to mention his Muslim bashing and innuendos in Reason magazine that Obama only got into Harvard because of affirmative action. Then there's Kentucky Libertarian Party candidate Sonny Landham's racist remarks.

I've also heard rank & file LP members make bigoted remarks over this past decade -- something that wasn't true prior to 9/11.

Ever more regrettably, Manson is a Ron Paul supporter, which makes Manson a good talking point for Paul bashers.

I don't believe Paul is a racist, but that's not enough. Paul must play to his strength -- his appeal to both sides of the spectrum. If Paul ends up on the November ballot -- whether it's on the GOP, a third party, or as an independent -- it's vital that Paul pick a running mate from the peacenik left. Perhaps Dennis Kucinich, Ralph Nadar, or Mike Gravel.

Wayne Allyn Root Endorses Gary Johnson ... for President?

Wayne Allyn Root has endorsed former New Mexico governor, Republican Gary Johnson, for president. Root wants Johnson to quit the GOP and run for president on the Libertarian Party.

Writing at Independent Political Report, Root posted (comment 8):


”I’ve been heavily recruiting Gary Johnson to LP for weeks. I had dinner with him in Baltimore a month ago. Spent much time with his campaign senior adviser in the past few days. I think it’s pretty clear I support Gary to be our Presidential nominee....

“I am heavily invested in my businesses and multiple careers right now ... I’m hoping to recruit a Libertarian-conservative candidate that I can support to LP, so I can wait until 2016.

“Gary is the perfect candidate. Answer to my recruiting efforts.

“The most fiscally conservative governor in America. Mr. Veto. Never allowed a spending or tax increase in 8 years as Governor.

“Simpatico with me on almost every issue.

“A Libertarian in every way -- yet still a huge supporter of Israel.

“The perfect LP candidate.

“I’ll be going 'all in' to help Gary.”


By any real world definition, that's an endorsement of a Johnson LP candidacy. It can even be taken as an endorsement of a Johnson presidency. Why would an LP official endorse an LP candidate, unless he wanted (even if he didn't expect) that candidate to actually win?

Yet in America's slippery political culture (“It depends on the meaning of the word 'is'.”), even the most supportive words are not considered an endorsement unless one says the magic words: “I officially endorse Thee!”

Thus, Root may claim that the hasn't actually “endorsed” Johnson for president.

Why would the Clintonesque Root want enough “wiggle room” to support a Johnson candidacy, without “officially” endorsing him?

Root's part of the pro-war/Reform takeover of the LP. As such, Root (and his supporters) care less about winning (no LP candidate will win) than about denying the candidacy to an antiwar firebrand. Nomination battles are really about “branding” the LP with one's preferred Public Face.

Will the LP's 2012 presidential candidate be a Republican Lite/Pro-Foreign Aid for “Friends” Face -- or an Uncompromisingly Antiwar/Anti-Foreign Entanglements Face?

At best, Johnson strikes me as the former, but with a dash of Antiwar Lite. He's certainly no Ron Paul.

Yet while Root wants to deny the LP's Public Face to a radical antiwar candidate, neither can he seriously endorse any LP candidate to the extent of actually urging people to vote for that candidate -- especially in swing states. Root's talk radio/Fox News supporters expect Root (and all of their "friendly guests") to rally behind the GOP in November. This election is “too important to lose” and the “most important election history.”

Root's career as an aspiring media pundit requires that he maintain his LP base as long as possible (by denying its leadership to his antiwar opponents), while simultaneously placating his Neocon media sponsors by preventing the LP from offering serious opposition to the GOP at the voting booth.

And so while Root is endorsing Gary Johnson for the LP's presidential nomination, I expect that Root will use his "wiggle room" (not an "official" endorsement) to hold back on supporting Johnson too loudly, should Johnson get the nomination.