The Headlines We Feared Most

Those of us who were worried about the long-term implications of Ron Paul's past (and present) on libertarianism now seem to be seeing our worst fears come true. Headlines like this show exactly the problem with permitting one man with some very questionable frineds to become the most prominent spokesman for the libertarian philosophy:

"Grandfatherly libertarian cult leader to be grilled about race war at tomorrow night’s debate"

The words "libertarian," "cult," and "race war" are not words that libertarians want to see in the same sentence. But the insistence on orthodoxy amongst certain elements of the Ron Paul movement, combined with Paul's now quite-public newsletters (written it seems by the head of the Orthodox Church of Ron Paul) make the above headline far too accurate a description of the Rockwell Brigades. Unfortunately, the prominence of the Rockwell Brigades has led to the somewhat justifiable belief by too many people that the Rockwell Brigades actually ARE the libertarian movement rather than just shameful (though all too powerful) part of it.