Insomaniacally Informaniac (sic), Media Dragon, is on the hunt, unmasking and honouring bloggers who are serving, for better or for worse, the virtual Antipodean world. The blogscroll was stolen in the middle of the day from t he local Parish.
My bohemian licence really just wanted to create something speculation-provoking and perhaps useful and fun.
Blogs on either side of the Australian Secret Libertarian Society (ALS) are in hiatus (as at August 2003), however, they are worth the historical visit. In particular, I urge all to invade Don's den as he has left labour of love in the virtual library:
Arthur, Don[hiatus]
bad analysis[hiatus]
Presenting Antipodean Bloggers: The Truth Laid Bear (#3 Aug 2003 AD)
What kinds of personae do we make? What relation do these have to what we have traditionally thought of as the 'whole' person? Are they experienced as an expanded self or as separate from the self? Do our real-life selves learn lessons from our virtual personae? Are these virtual personae fragments of a coherent real-life personality?
-Sherry Turkle
media & the net: Paging The Australian Libertarian Society (ALS) John Humphreys, Founder
I will get into real trouble for saying this, but Soon is my favourite blogger at the moment. Whole much smarter than the average blogger ...I'm more libertarian than you!
After much contemplation and research (smile), I came to the conclusion that there are currently eleven Guest Libertarian Bloggers & five Inside Insiders. That seems to make Darwinian group, Parish's honourable five, the second largest blogging force Down Under. Strong words, some coming from the fearless characters like Strawman, Professor, and Soon frequent posts make for a fascinating blog.
The value of blogs like ALS is that they understand too well how the truth can set you free but first it will piss you off. It's a bit of an irony I think, that many bloggers can use their own names and yet remain so anonymous:
· Australian Libertarians: [Multi-blogger blog White Convict Male Only Libertarian.org.au]
john.humphreys@libertarian.org.au.
Strawman strawman{at}libertarian.org.au
Alex Robson alex.robson{at}libertarian.org.au
24601 24601{at}libertarian.org.au
Mark Harrison mark.harrison{at}libertarian.org.au
Stephen Dawson stephen.dawson{at}libertarian.org.au
ALS Guest Bloggers
Whacking Day: Tex
Catallaxy Files: Jason Soon
Bunyip, Professor
Duncan Spender - duncan.spender{at}libertarian.org.au
Duncan Macfarlane - duncan.macfarlane{at}libertarian.org.au
Another Bloody Libertarian - another.bloody.libertarian{at}libertarian.org.au
Paul Bickford paul.bickford{at}libertarian.org.au
Steve Clancy steve.clancy{at}libertarian.org.au
Sid Marriss marriss{at}libertarian.org.au
Terje Petersen terje.peterson{at}libertarian.org.au
Rafe Champion rafe.champion{at}libertarian.org.au
The Australian Libertarian Society (ALS) was founded by John Humphreys in 2000 and is an organisation dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, free markets and small government.
Since 2000 the ALS has been involved in many activities, including media campaigns, discussion papers, producing a newsletter, dinners throughout Australia and counter-protests. In January 2003, on it's three year anniversary, the ALS moved to it's new home at libertarian.org.au and started a 'blog'. Monthly dinners are now hosted in Canberra and Brisbane and all libertarians are invited to attend.
The Good:
Musing Options
Author: John Humphreys
hey Bert,
What a pity the crazy and angry right of "Bovination" has seized control over the ALS website.
seized control?
no, no, no - though I can see how it would look like that at the moment.
The new ALS site (www.libertarian.org.au) includes a blog (like an internet version of the opinion pages from a newspaper) as well as a forum.
We will be having several bloggers and several more guest bloggers - including some of the best libertarian bloggers in Australia.
However, at the moment, only the blogs from Strawman are on the site (strawman is the blogger from bovination). Rest assured Mr Bert that there will be a diversity of libertarians on the blog.
Strawman is a libertarian, though admitedly (sic) he does have an angry streak in him. To be fair though, he does have a humorous streak too... :)
We will have other bloggers too. Alex Robson and Mark Harrison are both good Australian libertarian bloggers, though admitedly (sic) they are also economists and are pro-war.
Eddie Weston is a moral-based libertarian who opposes the war and isn't an economist and 24601 is a utilitarian anarchist (in the mold (sic) of David Friedman) who opposes the war.
Among the guest bloggers we have Tex from Wackingday, Jason Soon from Catallaxy, Duncan Spender - an economist who is anti-war, Professor Bunyip, Stephen Dawson from the IPA and myself, as well as others.
It's a good list and I think it's a good step forward for the ALS. The forum will still be as open as ever to the same debates...
I look forward to your continued involvement,
John Humphreys
The Bad:
The libertarian.org.au site has not been seized by anyone.
Feel free to put your own squishy leftie views on the site, and shout me down.
You can promote your open border compulsory jihad taxpayer funded rejectee
views as much as you like!
As for there being more to libertarianism than economics - very true, but
the two groups which annoy me the most in society are those who:
a) think it's their right to take my money to spent on those deemed more
'worthy'.
b) those who seek to control my life right down to how I was and defecate.
Lefties and Muslims feature highly in those two groups.
But feel free to disagree.
The Funny:
Fencing
Often annoying, always thought-provoking.
Dictionary:
The libertarian political philosophy, also known as classical liberalism, has existed in some form for several centuries. It is not possible to give a good introduction to libertarianism is only a few paragraphs, but plenty of information is available on the Internet. A good starting point is www.libertarian.org
Idiosyncrasies:
Libertarians believe in individual liberty, small government and free markets. Often libertarians are described as 'economically right-wing' and 'socially left-wing'. While this isn't a perfect explanation, it's a helpful shortcut and one that has been used by www.self-gov.org in their 'world's smallest political quiz'.
Libertarian blogger can be considered right-wing of "zero tolerance" ... in one discussion group, but in another parts of the bloggosphere he'd be considered a lefty pinko.
Most bloggers seems to be taking a leaf out of Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds, who writes one of the best known and most influential blogs, the archetype of a libertarian blog,
Others lean towards ideas expressed by Andrew Sullivan who is British-born, gay Irish Catholic conservative/libertarian providing political and cultural commentary. There is whole Tex's View - Democracy, Beer, Sport! thing... discussing politics, culture, beer, science, movies, and descriptions of incomprehensible Footbal & Cricket matches.
Marxists aren't going to get much support on this Libertarian blog, as the Sydney Morning Herald readers don't expect a lot of political similarity with those who read The Telegraph.
There is no reader in Australia, however, who is advocating that some particular group of our children should not be educated, and instead should be maintained as a class of servants. It is universally accepted that all of our children should be educated; the disagreement is over the means to be used to achieve that goal. If one favours the public sector, the public school system, as the proper means for education, then one belongs on the left end of the spectrum, favouring that individuals not have choice and determination over the education of their children. Conversely, if one feels the best method for educating children is private sector ownership of the means of education, one belongs on the right end of the political spectrum, believing that individuals should exercise sovereignty over this issue rather than government. The content of that education may be a subject of debate, but the relevant issue is who has the power to determine that content, parents choosing providers in a free market or government bureaucrats making those decisions according to a politically determined agenda. In the ALS camp there seems to be pendulum swinging in right direction twisted to the right to home based schooling.
Character Strengths:
Some people are confused by what appear to be contradictory positions in libertarianism. Free trade is considered to be right-wing, but drug legalisation is left-wing. Cutting tax is right-wing, but defending civil liberties and gay rights is left-wing. However, all of these libertarian positions share the common principle of decreasing the role of government. In contrast, "left-wing" people often want to have the government control the economy, but not to control our social lives, and "right-wing" people often want to have the government control our social lives, but not the economy.
(Stephen Dawson:) The latest Motor magazine features a column complaining about the NSW Parliament's Staysafe committee. Excerpt:
In short, Staysafe wants the NSW government to introduce speed limiters on every motorised vehicle sold there. And if that happens, it will try, by political and emotional means, to convince other states (or the federal government) to follow. If it doesn't, nobody will buy a car in NSW and all the car dealers them will go broke lickety-split.
It gets worse. Never mind that a car travelling at 10Okm/h will take 1.5km (!) of straight, clear road to overtake a 25m semi-trailer doing 95 ...
The nanny state isn't just coming. In Staysafe's mind, it should have been here years ago.
Speed of Light
Now that could only have been written by a libertarian. Watching out for control freaks like Staysafe committee director, Ian Faulks.
Weaknesses:
Jason Soon noted that Tim Dunlop is the only leftish blogger to be included in the links for the new Australian libertarian group blog.
Challenges:
It's more freedom, not less, that generates more security. Ideas that haven't even been thought of yet may be the best ideas of all.
Using the traditional left/right continuum, what defines the political spectrum is not the position one holds on whether one feels that government should help the workingman or corporate Australia. The locus of political power, whether vested in the state or the individual is the criteria the separates the totalitarian left from the anarchistic right. If one advocates using government power to achieve democracy, i.e. "forcing people to be free," such as Bush is doing in Iraq, then whatever political name or title one adopts, one is nevertheless a statist and ultimately a totalitarian. If instead one advocates using market forces to achieve social change or moral improvement, one is a respecter of liberty and the rights of individuals and is only then more correctly placed on the right end of the political spectrum.
Opportunities:
If our representation proves to be less than satisfactory, we must use our political clout to restore honour to the hallowed halls of Parliament. Our votes are our weapons and should be wielded as a great collective sword to battle and even slay the beast Bureaucracy.
We must remember that not only governments, but corporate structures as well, derive their strengths and fortunes from we the people. If either fail to serve our needs and no longer fulfil their purpose or become oppressive, it is up to us and us alone to hold them accountable. Using votes and dollars the people can control both big business and government.
Image:
· Guess Who? [Suggestion came via email]
Quote & Link:
When liberty is taken away by force it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered.
- American newspaper columnist Dorothy Thompson
· Liberty for All [libertyforal.net ]
Doing:
Reading
Reading:·
· Sydney Libertarianism and Intercourse Without Orgasm [Aussie Push ]
Loving:
Privacy
Watching:
· Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself [Screening now]
Bias:
It's straight up with libertarian neoconservative views, straight discussions
of anarchist thought.
Temper:
Most Lovers of Liberty appear to have friendlish temper streak in them.
However, love and hate, like success and failure, are part of the same coin.