If you've ever wondered why the Libertarian party never caught on, you can get a clear picture over at Q&O. Let me explain.

A week or so ago one of the authors, Dale Franks, served on a jury where the bustee was caught smuggling over 1100 pounds of dope over the border from Mexico. Said gentleman was duly found guilty and sentenced to 10 years.

Seems pretty clear cut to me. Took a chance, did the crime, got caught, do the time.

I had no idea that that post would stir up an absolute whirlwind of batshit crazy. If you want to read the comments to that post, plus the followup posts here, here and here, it will prove to be an education.

For those not so inclined, my version reads thus (and I am *not* overstating this for effect):

A "true" libertarian wouldn't have allowed that conviction since the man was not doing anything morally wrong. He wasn't being aggressive, and no one was going to be hurt, therefore Dale Franks is personally responsible for that poor man being raped in prison for the next 10 years.

The only moral recourse for Dale Franks is to kill himself for the high crime of falsely claiming to be libertarian.

Dale Franks is also guilty of not thinking exactly like all the rest of the superior individualists who collectively call themselves libertarians.

I'm sure they'll be pleased to hear it, but after that display of utter nitwittery, there's no way in hell I would ever vote for a candidate who attracts support from that crowd.

Please note that I'm not slamming the guys at Q&O. They're a daily read, and I find them to be reasonable and interesting. They also managed to stay above the slime, despite the dreadful behavior of the swarm that descended and attempted to drag all down to their level.

Update: Dale Franks asks the question that bothered me most about the whole thing. Namely, what makes the smuggler "morally innocent"? Like Dale says, it's probably just going to stir it up again, but I think that it's an important question and needed to be asked.

Posted by: Ted at 05:47 AM | category: Politics
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