Blue NC Thread

From Anglico's Blog at Blue NC, a shot at Locke, and FAN. It appears that FAN is not a favorite group of our guy Anglico. In discussing the "faculty" (their quote marks), BNC claims:

...One of the Dukies, Mr. Michael Munger, is mounting a run for governor in the Libertarian Party in 2008.

I first learned about Munger at Ed Cone a while ago, and since then I've spent a fair amount of time on his website. He's obviously a bright-but-misguided guy who cherry picks the best of Libertarian philosophy and packages it up into creative sound-bites reminiscent of George Bush gushing about all the happy people in Iraq.

Basically a fair presentation, I'd say. Anglico lists several of my issue claims, and mocks them, but he is at least focusing on stuff I really did say. And since some of the mocking is actually funny, I have to give him credit: good on ya, man!

I have to take issue with one of the comments (which are otherwise also generally quite clever, and funny. The one about "The Greatest American Hero", with picture, is particularly good).

The one comment I would take issue with is:

You forgot one thing about brother Mike. He is a Pope neo-con type of libertarian and jumps with the strings. Those Dookiee stick together. Brother Pope is a Duke law Grad..... When Brother Mike says to get the hell out of Iraq now and loads up the C-130s for instant exit. Than we might take him for real......After all, politics is a contact sport and when the other side says how nice you are and the mainstream media does not knock you, than you know it is simply a academic excise outside of the classroom. Socrates had this same problem until some Greek farmer said if you don't like it, run for Mayor of Athens and we academics know how that ended up in the name of Democracy.

Well, now, pumpkin, I'll try to use short words. The war is a F*E*D*E*R*A*L issue. (Sorry, a big word, but I spelled it slowly). That is the sort of thing the President, and the Congress, and all those really smart men and women we send to WASHINGTON work on. As Governor, I really wouldn't have much to do with that. Governors are in charge of S*T*A*T*E*S.

But, if it matters, here you go: Fly in the C-130s, and bring the troops home. Now. All of them. That has been my position for more than a year, and I have expressed it in a number of public forums and rallies. You are welcome to mock my real positions, but why attribute to me the OPPOSITE of my real views? You should try working a little bit; it can be VERY rewarding. You are just certain you disagree with me, and you don't even NEED to bother to find out. You say you are an academic; I assume you are in a "humanities" department, where the whole idea of truth is a little fuzzier.

You can say I was wrong, and came to this position too late. And you'd be right! But that is not what you said. Your claim was: When Brother Mike says to get the hell out of Iraq now and loads up the C-130s for instant exit. Than we might take him for real...... I have done what you asked, a year ago, and pretty much coninuously since. I assume you will now change your story, and come up with some OTHER reason why you shouldn't take me seriously. And that's fine. But try to focus on things I actually believe....

Here's the photo that another commenter linked, comparing hairstyles. Pretty funny.


However, let me say again, as I have blogged several times before. (1) My wife had breast cancer. Five operations. I saw lots of people without hair. (2) I decided to grow my hair out, and donate it to "Locks of Love." (3) The harvest is in January, and I will go back to having "normal hair."

Thanks to Anglico, though, for the ink, and the link to the petition drive. Perfectly fair to say "I would never vote for you, but you should be on the ballot," even if the reasons are politically instrumental.

ATSRTWT