I know there are stereotypes about libertarians being a bunch of dorks.
Conservatives think we’re potheads. Liberals think we’re heartless.
And many other people simply think we’re a bit weird.
These stereotypes can be amusing, but I also think they’re wrong.
And regardless, I think there’s much to admire in the libertarian ideals of small government, personal liberty, free markets, non-intervention, and individual responsibility
Moreover, we have other redeeming features.
For instance, we’re actually the last of the great romantics.
Don’t believe me? Well, check out this collection of libertarian valentines.
My two favorites include this one mocking Obamacare.
And I also think the valentine mocking the National Security Agency is in the running to be my favorite.
But they’re all good and worth sharing.
So remember that libertarians are cuddly and loving!
P.S. There’s no policy angle in this postscript, but I feel compelled to offer apublic service announcement for any men in the audience.
If your significant other tells you she doesn’t want you to do anything for Valentine’s Day, don’t believe her.
Sort of reminds me of the famous Dave Barry column about men and women that I linked at the end of this post.
P.P.S. Let’s close with a serious point about public policy.
I’ve mocked the Transportation Security Agency for its empty “security theater.”
And I’ve shared horror stories of utterly pointless harassment of travelers.
But nothing will be more compelling and convincing than this article by a former TSA bureaucrat. Here’s an excerpt, but you really need to read the whole article.
It was a job that had me patting down the crotches of children, the elderly and even infants as part of the post-9/11 airport security show. I confiscated jars of homemade apple butter on the pretense that they could pose threats to national security. I was even required to confiscate nail clippers from airline pilots—the implied logic being that pilots could use the nail clippers to hijack the very planes they were flying. Once, in 2008, I had to confiscate a bottle of alcohol from a group of Marines coming home from Afghanistan. It was celebration champagne intended for one of the men in the group—a young, decorated soldier. He was in a wheelchair, both legs lost to an I.E.D., and it fell to me to tell this kid who would never walk again that his homecoming champagne had to be taken away in the name of national security.
And here’s another example of the TSA in action.
A bureaucrat confiscated a tiny toy gun that was part of a sock monkey’s outfit.
I’m not kidding. Here are some passages from anews report on the incident.
May and her husband were going through the screening process when she noticed that one of her bags was missing. “And the (TSA agent) held it up and said ‘whose is this?’” she said. “I realized oh, my God this is my bag.” May said the TSA agent went through the bag, through the sewing supplies and found the two-inch long pistol. “She said ‘this is a gun,’” said May. “I said no, it’s not a gun it’s a prop for my monkey.” “She said ‘If I held it up to your neck, you wouldn’t know if it was real or not,’ and I said ‘really?’” said May. The TSA agent told May she would have to confiscate the tiny gun and was supposed to call the police. “I said well go ahead,” said May. “And I said really? You’re kidding me right, and she said no it looks like a gun.” “She took my monkey’s gun,” said May, who has retained her sense of humor. “Rooster Monkburn has been disarmed so I’m sure everyone on the plane was safe,” she said.
Let’s end with some humor about the Keystone Cops of airport security. If you want some TSA laughs, see this, this, and this.