“Unlibertarian”
Timothy Sandefur on Jan 9th 2006
The sad thing about discussions like the one I’m trying to have with regard to Matt Welch’s questions is the name calling. Welch, unlike Kuznicki, was at lesat “not necessarily to criticize supporters of George Bush’s Executive-Power grabs, nor to play quien es mas libertarian.” How unfortunate that Kuznicki has chosen not to follow this lead.
An hour after answering yes to the waterboarding question, I updated my answer, but Kuznicki has not bothered to read that. My answer was precisely, in Kuznicki’s words, that “I could imagine situations where, with appropriate ex ante knowledge firmly in place, waterboarding might be expedient.” Nothing more. But in his haste to label me a war-mongering non-libertarian, he does not note these things.
I’m leaving for San Francisco right now, so I don’t have time to respond, and won’t until tomorrow night. But I would ask that others please abide by the respectful limits I’ve tried to follow. We’re trying to at least understand each other’s perspectives here—not change people’s minds, not call them names; just understand.
Filed in The Barracks
[...] var site=”s15kuznicki” « “Unlibertarian” [...]
[...] Oh, and one more thing: Didn’t Sandefur charge me with making ad hominem attacks not long ago — based solely on the fact that I’d called certain of his opinions “unlibertarian?” Am I to conclude that “unlibertarian” is ad hominem, and that “childish” is not? How the standards have fallen around here. Positive Liberty, it’s getting so I hardly recognize you anymore. Trackback URL: http://positiveliberty.com/2006/02/dont-assume-that-i-assume.html/trackback/ [...]