The Road Goes On

It’s been a long time since I posted here.

I’m not coming back, at least not in the same capacity.  After some time away, and some soul-searching, I found that I hadn’t actually been a libertarian Catholic.  I had been a strong libertarian doing my best to use Catholicism to confirm my political beliefs.

A lot has changed for me, though it may not seem that way.  In the last few years, I have met the true and living God in many real and substantial ways.  I realized that my identity was not wrapped up in a political philosophy, but started and ended as a Son of God.

I don’t want to bore you with my story (maybe another post on another day).  I still hold many of the same beliefs that I did before, so, as I said, it may not seem that much has changed.   However, my approach, perspective, and priorities have completely reshuffled.  I’m not concerned with being right anymore.  I’m concerned with searching, finding, and living in service of the truth (or should I say the Truth).

I promise I am still political!  I don’t really know how to identity myself anymore, with the modern libertarian movement drifting further and further left (socially at least).  I am an amateur (literally lover) and a disciple (literally learner).  The walls have come down.  I have leapt the fence that separated ideological servitude and true freedom.

If you are still interested in what I have to say, mosey on over to my new (and hopefully my last) blog: Leaky Catholic.

God bless you all!

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wonder are lost;
The old that is strong does not whither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”

Why Can’t Catholics Vote Libertarian?

In an article published on Catholic Exchange, the author, Joe Fulwiler, makes some claims about libertarians and libertarianism that I find offensive, but that I also realize may be shared by many other Catholics.  In musing about a perfect “Catholic Party,” which he says would combine the pro-life aspects of the Republican party and the social justice and poverty relief programs of the Democrats, Fulwiler actually describes the Libertarian Party as the opposite of a Catholic Party.

Why Romney Got Spanked

George W. Bush was president from 2000-2008.  He was a Republican, so consequently, he ran on “small government” principles, at least initially.  However, in those 8 years alone, he almost doubled our national debt.  He started (and prolonged) two wars, and neither war was executed with a declaration from Congress.  He ballooned Medicare and the Department of Education.  He brushed aside the fourth amendment with his passing of the Patriot Act.  He paid hundreds of billions to bailed out companies that should have failed.  By all accounts, Bush was not a small government president.  He was a moderate at best, a Teddy Roosevelt progressive at worst.

Away with the Welfare State! A Catholic Argument for Replacing the State Safety Net

A criticism often heard of libertarians is that we are advocates of the individual, and therefore don’t care about the poor, needy, disabled, sick, etc.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  Like most people, I feel it is my moral obligation to do what I can to help anybody who I encounter who needs help.  It is helping the poor by means of a state safety net that libertarians oppose.  Why?  Well, to use an old cliché, “What the government gives, it must first take away.”

Just War and The War on Terror

Someone said to me recently that Just War is not a subject that comes out with clear-cut answers.  I would say that war is a sticky matter.  I would also say that it is hard to make definitive statements regarding the wars fought in the last decade, because obviously, you and I do not have all the information.  I would argue, however, that the Just War Theory is very clear-cut, though complex, and that it should be obvious to every Catholic, as it is obvious to every libertarian, that the War on Terror is anything but just.

Free is Beautiful – a Review and Recommendation

The problem with being a 20 year old, self-proclaimed political commentator is that a lot of people, consciously or not, will dismiss me as “young,” “inexperienced,” “immature,” or “going through a phase.”  Regardless of the truth that may or may not be in these descriptions, some of the stuff I say here either doesn’t get read at all or may be dismissed by skeptics.

So don’t take it from me.  Take it from this guy, Randy England, a Catholic writer and criminal defense lawyer.  His most recent book is called Free is Beautiful: Why Catholics should be libertarian.  I devoured this book; it had everything.  England uses Papal encyclicals, teaching of the Saints, Catholic doctrine, the Bible, and, something that we see very little in American politics today, pure logic, to support the claim that he makes in the title of the work.

I will strongly recommend this book to two groups of people.  Firstly, and most importantly, I recommend this book to politically inclined Catholics.  Aristotle said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”  Put your biases aside (everybody has them) and give this book a read.  It deserves it.

Why I am Not a Libertarian – A Libertarian Response

Catholic philosopher Nathan Schlueter recently published an article called Why I am Not a Libertarian.  I would advise reading that article and then reading this one, although you don’t have to.  Also, when I start addressing his numbered arguments, you should read his argument first, then read my response.  I am going to shed some light on some of his arguments from a libertarian perspective, and do my best to convince the reader of my position over his.

The Disparity Among American Catholics

I hate the word politics. It comes with so many disgusting connotations; I’d much rather people (including myself)  be talking about economics and philosophy than about politics.  Unfortunately, in my study and discussion of economics and philosophy, there comes a time where these economic and philosophical principles have to be put into action as policy.  So politics is virtually unavoidable.

Not If We Kill You First (=-P)

In the most recent example of American mishap on foreign land, a US soldier decided to go Rambo on some Afghan citizens in the middle of the night.  Reports suggest he may have had brain trauma, but this is irrelevant, because that individual is not to blame for the surge of anger coming from Afghanistan.  If you believe this,  you’ve probably been watching too much msnbc.  And you probably wouldn’t even see the truth if it slapped you in the face and called you a liberal.

The Real Existential Threat

When asked if he believed there was a vital threat coming from Iran, Pat Buchanan answered:

“No.  Look, during the Cold War, the Soviet Union had thousands of weapons and could have destroyed us in an afternoon, and we could have done the same thing.  I was around during the Cuban Missile Crisis; that was genuinely terrifying.  But Iran doesn’t frighten me, and I don’t think it should frighten the American people.  They don’t have a bomb, they haven’t made a decision to build one, they don’t have the means to deliver one, and the Israeli’s have 300 atomic bombs.  I mean, who presents the existential threat to whom?” (emphasis added).