Angela Keaton Is Hilarious

It’s a slow news day, so I decided to reprint this for its humor value alone. I guess Angela Keaton’s gotten fed up with the Libertarian Party of California and released a letter saying as much.

From Freedom’s Phoenix:

No, I don’t mind that each and every member past and present of the LPC ExCom possesses a personality defect or some completely untoward eccentricity. What I mind is that every faction insists that its vision of the LPC is the true and only heaven. Meanwhile, I’m just some anarchist crank who gets elected merely because I possess a vagina.

Granted, I am developing a fondness for this collection of kooks, hence, I am issuing not so much a fatwa but a guide to how and why I will vote any goddamn way I want for the remainder of my term.

Please: No emails, no plaintive phone calls. I’m done with the plots, the therapy sessions, the tormented revelations. Like the rest of you, I am voting based on my values and if you don’t like it you can vote me out in 2008 when we have our convention in an efficiency off of Wilshire or a cargo ship off of Novaya Zemlya.

*snicker* That’s awesome.

1.) Operation Breakthrough–It is distasteful however well meaning to create a professional class of libertarian bureaucrats through elections to non-partisan administrative boards. While I maintain the deepest respect and affection for our chair, Operation Breakthrough is antithetical to the goals of a libertarian society and merely adopts the strategy of our oppressors.

Finally, as we slide toward a moderate platform with an increasing reluctance to stand by our radical principles, we demonstrate no understanding of the Hegelian dialectic, human psychology or recent political history. Those yet unknown fellow travelers among us crave, “a choice, not an echo.”

This… is a different type of funny. Anytime we take power anywhere, we’re clearly betraying our long-held principle of never actually holding any political power. The voters are going to feel hurt and betrayed, especially the mighty, um, Hegelian dialectic lobby. Oh, they’re going to hate us.

Major props to Angela Keaton for a few minutes of hilarity.

posted Aug 17th, 2006 by Stuart Richards
  • Timothy West

    Ya know, I used to enjoy threads like this one’s going to wind up being ( like the Sheehan-Rockwell thread ) but now I avoid em.

    not fun anymore. just wasted time.

  • http://www.pnar.org Tom Blanton

    I didn’t think Angela’s article was funny at all. In fact, I think she speaks for a number of people in the libertarian movement. I would urge others to read her entire article.

    Maybe she will wind up over at the Boston Tea Party with the rest of us radicals, purists, absolutists, and anarchists (did I leave out any labels the neolibertarians consider to be perjoratives?).

    Stuart, you seem to be a good kid. Maybe after you’ve lived a little longer you’ll understand what Angela and a lot of others are talking about.

  • artusregister

    Her frustration may mot be funny, but she was clearly being funny in the presentation of her position.

    “Granted, I am developing a fondness for this collection of kooks”

    “I am voting based on my values and if you don’t like it you can vote me out in 2008 when we have our convention in an efficiency off of Wilshire or a cargo ship off of Novaya Zemlya.”

    Come on, that is an attempt at humor (which succeeded, by the way).

  • Stuart Richards

    She did get in a few zingers, it was cool.

  • Devious David

    Yeah, the zingers were fun and effective. But I hope she knows her use of “fatwa” just got her on the “special” watch lists.

  • Stuart Richards

    She’s on those lists just by being a registered Libertarian, we all are. *shrugs*

  • http://knappster.blogspot.com Thomas L. Knapp

    Stu,

    I think Angela was making a subtler point than you give her credit for in the second instance. Yes, she does generally oppose the “will to power” (all anarchists do — duh), but she was being very specific here: Even if elections are or could be a route to freedom, there’s a certain danger involved in a concentration on “non-partisan administrative boards.”

    More than one party has found any incentive it had to make real changes strangled by the fact that its rank and file had become entrenched bureaucrats either during or after its “revolution” … entrenched bureaucrats who didn’t want to lose their jobs or attendant powers. It may seem like the LP is a long way from having to worry about that kind of internal atrophy, but it’s not as absurd per se as you seem to think (think: Tammany Hall; think: PRI).

    As far as the dialectic is concerned, its lobby is huge and powerful. That lobby is called “the universe and everything in it.”

  • ianbernard

    Angela should give up on California and move to the Free State:
    http://freestateproject.org

  • Sandra Kallander

    I don’t see what her problem is. Our success does not rely on any one approach. And it’s temporary, even if we do succeed. Freedom and slavery are on a cycle, and the only hope we have is of cycling higher and living as free as we can while we’re here.

    I’m eternally grateful Thomas Jefferson and the other folks did not abandon politics. Much as hate politics, I’d have had more of it to deal with if they hadn’t.

    I learned a great deal running a city tax reduction measure campaign. That experience would be very helpful if I did it again or applied it to a statewide measure. Electing libertarians to any political office serves to prepare them for higher office (Operation Breakthrough).

    By the way, this involves calling registered libertarians and asking them to run for office. It’s great fun when you leave the message with their parents or spouses (“you want him to what?”). You never know who will be inspired to step up.

    Time is on our side. We’re coming around again.

  • http://www.cleanleon.org/ Gabe J

    I like the name “operation breakthrough” I have been pitching a similar plan here in florida, and I am going to start using that name.

  • http://www.ilovephysics.com Chris Moore

    Rather than simply belittling Angela, how about addressing the issue?

    Unfortunately, some libertarians have learned too much from the Democrats and Republicans: rather than address the actual issue, you belittle, insult, and put words into the mounths of your opponents.

    What benefit do you see in electing bureaucrats who will have no power? How is this better than active community involvement in issues near-and-dear? How do you run for an office that you do not believe should even exist without making the central issue of your campaign the abolition of the office you seek?

    My proposal for a statewide “Operation Breakthrough”: recruit hundreds of candidates for low-level bureaucratic positions across the state. Make the central theme for each campaign the abolition of the office. Have each candidate certify that they will do nothing once in office if elected. Turn it into one huge statewide campaign instead of hundreds of little campaigns.

  • http://freelibertarian.blogspot.com Mike Renzulli

    Deep down I think you know that Angela is right and I think she is. Not only do I echo the sentiments of Chris but would also outline the Arizona LP’s experience with pragmatic politics.

    A man named Scott Stewart is serving on the Pima County (Tucson) Community College District board. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, what should be of interest is the fact that Stewart has voted to raise the district’s property tax rates SIX TIMES and has also campaigned FOR bond and budget overrides.

    I believe Stewart contends he did not get elected to see his office or the district he serves abolished. Therefore, he does things that are anti-liberty despite being a Libertarian.

    Does it do any good for Libertarians to support some rights violations in order to hold power or be popular? I think not. Meantime, I will eagerly await your retraction of ridiculing Angela.

  • Devious David

    Mike and Chris might as well give it up. You aren’t going to convince a LRC pragmatist with logic, reason and most importantly voluminous quantities of experiential evidence. They don’t fall for things like that, because they are smarter than reality and filled with hubris.

  • http://www.ilovephysics.com Chris Moore

    “I learned a great deal running a city tax reduction measure campaign. That experience would be very helpful if I did it again or applied it to a statewide measure. Electing libertarians to any political office serves to prepare them for higher office (Operation Breakthrough).”

    Sandra does make a good argument. Campaign experience is definitely a good thing to have. But working on a campaign to reduce city taxes is different than running for a bureaucrat office. Having a record as a tax-reducer is good. Having a record as a bureaucrat is not.

  • Sandra Kallander

    The biggest advantages to getting in there and working are the networking oportunities and building up a reputation. You start making the connections that will help you get libertarian goals achieved.

    As a student of Myers/Briggs personality types, I’ve come to accept that the pragmatists outnumber us. I believe 75% of the population are “sensates” who deal with “reality.” Since they’re rowing the boat, cooking, mending sails and inventorying the cargo, those of us in the crow’s nest yelling, “Watch out!” really don’t have a chance of getting anywhere without them. Rocking the boat only makes them toss us overboard.

    By working with them, learning how they do things, and proving our ability to predict where the rocks and monsters are a few times, we can earn their respect and assistance.

    To switch analogies, it took a few seasons before Scully followed Mulder because she believed in him. At first, it was only traditional paramilitary loyalty. Government is full of Scullys

  • Michael H. Wilson

    Tom Blanton has a point. Read the entire article.
    Angela seems to be a bit pissed at the LPC over a number of issues. I like this:”Please: No emails, no plaintive phone calls. I’m done with the plots, the therapy sessions, the tormented revelations. Like the rest of you, I am voting based on my values and if you don’t like it you can vote me out in 2008 when we have our convention in an efficiency off of Wilshire or a cargo ship off of Novaya Zemlya.”
    I read that she is tired of the plots and poor tunrout at convention, or the location. Last time it was on a cruise ship off the coast and had a turnout of about 90 people. Not the best for a state with about 30 million. Some felt it was done to keep a group out. Others said it was done to attrack new people. Regardless the turnout was low.
    Just one of a number of good points she makes.
    M.H.W. in exile from Oregon. Another state with more excuses than actions.

  • http://www.lpcolorado.org/constitution.html Daniel Ong

    The “povertarian” reference probably came from the elitist plan to have the LP-California’s convention and business sessions aboard a cruise ship, eliminating those who couldn’t or chose not to pay for the added cruise costs.

    From LP-Colorado’s Constitution, Article VI Conventions, Section IV: “No fee may be required of any Party member to participate in the business sessions of any Party Convention; however, fees may be required for participation in other convention events.” This seems like an egalitarian way to deal with convention business sessions. Costs are borne by convention attendees and the party through fees charged for extraneous events and by membership fees and donations.

    The LP convention in Portland could probably have been attended without paying even the $49 delegate materials fee (the materials didn’t even included a promised copy of the platform anyway). A la carte breakfast was $50, lunch $30, banquet $140. I wanted to hear the breakfast speeches but couldn’t.

  • Stuart Richards

    A man named Scott Stewart is serving on the Pima County (Tucson) Community College District board. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, what should be of interest is the fact that Stewart has voted to raise the district’s property tax rates SIX TIMES and has also campaigned FOR bond and budget overrides.

    I believe Stewart contends he did not get elected to see his office or the district he serves abolished. Therefore, he does things that are anti-liberty despite being a Libertarian.

    Well, that’s clearly no good… we need to get him out of there.

    Does it do any good for Libertarians to support some rights violations in order to hold power or be popular? I think not. Meantime, I will eagerly await your retraction of ridiculing Angela.

    I wasn’t ridiculing her, I was ridiculing one part of what she said.

    We can’t have Libertarians voting to raise taxes but we need Libertarians in power too. There’s obviously a balance there.

  • Stuart Richards

    Also, the whole “Hegelian dialectic” thing was, well, not quite apropos. Name the last politician that came to power by giving a damn about the “Hegelian dialectic.”

  • http://www.freewebs.com/globalliberty Nick Wilson

    Tangentially…

    Call me weird but I kind of like Hegel. His dialectical philosophy is the core of Marxism – except for the fact that he felt the best way to end the power struggle between weak and the powerful was – surprise! – market capitalism, not centralized state socialism. Marxists who followed took warmly to his dialectical clash between the rich and the poor, using it as the reason to centralize the state, while ignoring his proposed solution.

    Hegel’s dialectic and solution actually makes sense in the context of real economic history. When a developing country first liberalizes trade, typically the cycle starts out with patterns of exploitation. As capital starts to come into the country and spread and regulation is cut, a middle class rises up as the balance between the rich and poor, and the country ends up with a longterm higher level of wealth and economic equality and stability. Note Taiwan as a perfect example.