[wintertime]

The cosmos of the libertarian is an arid loveless realm, a “round prison.” “I am, and none else beside me,” says the libertarian. “We are made for cooperation, like the hands, like the feet,” replies the conservative, in the phrases of Marcus Aurelius.

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The author is confusing Ayn Rand's atheistic Objectivism with Libertarianism.

I am a long time member of the Libertarian Party, yet I am very religious and very active in my church. Obviously, I have found a way to resolve the "made for cooperation" aspect of the Conservative with the "I am me.." philosophy of the Libertarian.

It begins with God.

God has granted us free will to do good or evil. Each freely made choice has consequences. God does not FORCE anyone to be either good or bad.

So...as a Libertarian, and in contrast to the Conservative, I choose to advocate for a government that does not force citizens to be good or bad. I choose not to force other people to fit my anointed image of goodness.

My religious belief drives my cooperation and feeling of charity. My personal behavior has had enormously beneficial consequences for me and my family. I attempt to persuade others that a testimony in the Lord will reward them and their families, but I will not advocate government force.

If I could persuade others that God lives and to adopt the beliefs of my religion, we would see less single motherhood, drug addicted parents, gambling bankruptcies, sexually transmitted diseases would disappear, and many other social ills.

But,,,just as God allows us to feel the full consequences of our personal behavior, so should government. That does mean that single moms would be putting their kids in charitable orphanages and not living on the dole. Those without insurance would be getting medical care at charity clinics and hospitals. It does mean that drunks and drug addicts might find themselves living on the street because they have totally worn out any social capital they have had with their families. Sexually transmitted diseases would not get any research funds from the government, and neither would cancer...etc.

What about abortion?

Well....as a religious Libertarian, I believe that we all have a fundamental right to life. If life begins at conception, then that life has a fundamental right to protection from the moment of conception. That means that if there is an abortion, it is because the pregnancy could mean a **serious** threat of death, or very **serious** disability for the mother. Only at this point would the life of the mother be granted more rights than that of the unborn.

[steve-b]

"We are made for cooperation, like the hands, like the feet," replies the conservative, in the phrases of Marcus Aurelius.

VOLUNTARY cooperation is, of course, basic to libertarian society. As for the other kind, the quote needs a slight correction:

"We are made for cooperation, like the hands, like the feet," replies the conservative collectivist, in the phrases of Marcus Aurelius Hillary Clinton.

Really, much of Kirk's other writings reveal him to be much too intelligent to write this sort of twaddle. I wish I knew what motivated him to prostitute his mind in this manner, or what psychological quirk impelled him to shut down his intellect when the subject turned to libertarianism.