Raimondo on Barr’s New World Imperialism
Justin Raimondo often serves to remind that there was once, in the distant past, a time when conservatives were deserving of respect, because they spoke what they believed to be the truth, and stuck to their guns about it. Raimondo has not self-referenced himself as a conservative for quite a while now, but his political world view is rooted in classical conservatism, and he has not cast himself adrift with contemporary conservatism’s armada to wander upon the effluent seas of relativism in a Machiavellian quest for electoral wins, the truth notwithstanding.
This is a lesson that many who presently call themselves Libertarians should take to heart. Expending core values in search of political victories is not reaching for the golden mean, it is compromising truth for material gain, and even if the method were successful in getting LP candidates elected, it would result in the same status quo, only it would have an orbit affected with tri-polarity. Even though compromised libertarianism’s first impression has a warm and fuzzy bunny glow, it leads only to the exportation of Delusive Libertarianism at the end of a rifle barrel, justified with phantasms.
Justin Raimondo is able to cut through the neo-cowchips, and will speak honestly about the deceits, irrespective of where the chips fall. Here is an excerpt of Raimondo’s take on Bob Barr’s support for New World imperialism down Columbia way:
Quite aside from the issue of drugs and their illegality, the consequences of U.S. intervention in Latin America have been similar to the “blowback” we’ve suffered on account of our Middle Eastern meddling, albeit less intense and less newsworthy. In Latin America, as in the Middle East, we have engendered anti-Americanism by supporting local despots and standing futilely against the rising tide of nationalism. U.S. support for various right-wing generals, caudillos, and paramilitary death squads has created a backlash, which left-nationalists like Hugo Chavez ? and, while we’re on the subject, Fidel Castro ? have ridden to power.
The U.S. government has made a point of humiliating Chavez and makes no secret of its plans for “regime change” ? openly funding groups to promote the American version of “democracy” and using the good offices of the U.S. State Department as a propaganda sounding board for Chavez’s weak, divided, and disorganized internal opposition. Yet fulsome U.S. support for the Colombian invasion of neighboring Ecuador fatally undermines the opposition, which has been valiantly fighting the authoritarian socialism ? really, national socialism, with an emphasis on the nationalist aspect ? represented by Chavez and his “Bolivarian” movement. Chavez can now mobilize the Venezuelan nation against the very real threat of Colombian aggression, using war hysteria as a club against his political opponents much as George W. Bush and the Republicans have maligned the patriotism of antiwar Democrats (as well as antiwar Republicans, notably Ron Paul).
Justin Raimondo, “Bob Barr: Wrong About Colombia Right about Iraq: the perils of hemispheric interventionism“, Antiwar dot com – April 14, 2008
There are places where I find myself in disagreement with Raimondo, but they are not also reasons to disrespect him. He wills to hold the high ground he has staked out upon his perception of immutable truth, and in this there is honour, a quality conservatism shed as too onerous a burden, a long time ago.
