The American Guesser

Professor Glenn Reynolds says he wants a party that combines “GOP economic-libertarian strands with the Dems’ social-libertarian strands.” I want a party that does that too, but that pays attention to immigration issues, doesn’t blame America for what’s wrong with the world and recognizes that there are times you fight back, even if you have to strike the first blow. Oh, and he bitchslaps Trent Lott and his ilk wanting to destroy on talk radio for gettin’ the public all riled over the amnesty bill. Lott should be dead to any GOPer with the slightest libertarian bent.

Hat Tip: JAWA Report.

Does this count as initiating force?

Libertarian Greg Graziani isn’t worried about being politically correct.

His campaign commercial for the state [South Carolina] Senate District 46 seat is a testament to that. It features him tackling a young man on Folly Field Beach.

Not a big deal if he was playing football or rugby.

But the commercial implies Graziani is knocking over an illegal immigrant.

Graziani then walks away from the man, who is belly-down in the sand and appears to be handcuffed, and addresses the camera:

“I’m Greg Graziani, and I’m tackling tough issues like illegal immigration.”

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Graziani believes one way the state could curb the flow of illegal immigrants is by cutting off the public aid they receive, such as not paying for emergency room visits or schooling. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that approach unconstitutional.

Graziani’s response? Amend the Constitution. And if that fails, he said in a recent interview, do it anyway.

“Another good thing about our system is that you can just do something and wait for the courts to rule on it because they are very slow,” he said, “and, in that time, you can see where you can get going.”

I am convinced that illegal immigration is going to be a hot button issue in the 2008 elections. Politicians from any party (except the Greens, who eat this stuff up) who tell voters that amnesty (or amnesty by any other name) is a good thing are going to lose votes. Middle America just ain’t buying it, for various reasons.

At my job, I work right next to people who weren’t born here. All of them entered the nation legally. I have absolutely no problem competing with them for jobs. I reject the bigots who say immigration (not just illegal immigration) is poluting our nation’s culture. Our nation’s culture is derived from the things immigrants brought here.

But illegal immigration is bad for the nation’s security. It also drives down wages, takes money out of the nation, props up the nation’s entitlement programs so the problems are not addressed and is unfair to those peoeple who follow the law.

And I’m glad to see Libertarian Party candidates ignoring all this silly open borders nonsense.

My mind isn’t quite made up about [tag]Ron Paul[/tag], the libertarian-minded fellow who’s running for the Republican nomination. He’s stronger on border security than most libertarians, which I like, but he’s also one of the folks who tends to blame America’s “alliances” on the War on Terror. I think that’s bullshit, since American is the natural enemy of Islamofascists whether we are friends with Israel or not. I would argue that being a friend of liberty automaticall requires us to be friends of Israel anway. And he’s a right-to-lifer, which n my mind, tells me he thinks the Nanny State out to be in control of women’s bodies, which is an un-libertarian stance to take.

Anyway, here’s Paul’s Vox Popoli is here.