Extremism In The Defense Of Liberty Is No Vice

[Seaworldexists]

Goldwater wanted to refight the 1932 election in 1964 he failed. The tea party wants to once again refight the 1932 election, third times the charm? Subsequent republicans from Nixon to Bush jr would understand that conservatism required a synthesis between the policies of the 1920s and those of the 1930s and 1960s.

[Enjoilongisland]

@ Ha! Obama wishes he was in the same situation as FDR in 1932. And too bad we don't have a Goldwater running now.

[Seaworldexists]

@Enjoilongisland Do you want Obama to win 44 states in November?

[losergrad]

Of course it is a vice. "Extremism in defense of liberty" defines exactly the reign of terror.

[feckingtediousgoogl]

@losergrad

Define extremism, if it means obeying the processes and procedures of our political constitution to promote and achieve certain policy proposals that intend to expand individual self-ownership, are you being extreme?

[DragonBallFights]

Goldwater was a war hawk and solid anti-communist. Ron Paul has nothing on Goldwater, stop the pretending.

[viletree]

@DragonBallFights Who the fuck cares if he was an anti-communist, he saw nothing wrong with going to war which was one of his deficiencies. He would've been a greater candidate if he wasn't a warmonger.

[DragonBallFights]

@viletree When you consider that this country was founded through war, it's not a shocker that some sane people recognize the need to fight for certain causes, as opposed to ignoring threats and cowering in fear. Goldwater was a great candidate because unlike LBJ he knew the point of war was victory not prolonged engagement.

[H1TMANactual]

@DragonBallFights Yeah ok. Goldwater's foreign policy were in line with Eisenhower and Robert Taft. Nice try.

[DragonBallFights]

@H1TMANactual Oh really? Because Goldwater wanted a war of attrition to collapse global communism. It's how Reagan, unlike Eisenhower, beat the Soviets.

[feckingtediousgoogl]

@DragonBallFights

Even accepting that as true, We cannot ignore that Raegan did not trying a reform the world, even the commie parts, in our image and likeness. He understood that, at best, the US can be a prime motivator for liberation in the Communist bloc, but never the angel of deliverance.

[DragonBallFights]

@feckingtediousgoogl Reagan supported contras in Nicaragua, Mujaideen in Afghanistan, Kampachean fighters in Cambodia, black ops in Africa, and Solidarity in Poland. He cut off their oil through the Saudis, sabotaged gas pipelines in Asia, invaded Grenada, initiated the space defense initiative, challenged the Berlin Wall, and Reagan was dedicated to destroying Communism through a war of attrition. Not policing the world, but not ignoring threats.

[feckingtediousgoogl]

@DragonBallFights

But today we do police the world. I admire Raegan's use of locals to fight asymmetric wars as a means to harass the USSR. But Reagan's goal was always the peace dividend, but when the opportunity presented itself HW Bush chose war over allowing an organic response. Legend is bin-Ladin offered a plan to beat the Iraqis but the Saudis preferred western option. Also Clinton dropped the ball on bin Ladin he could have been captured or killed in 1999.

[DragonBallFights]

@feckingtediousgoogl I don't disagree that Clinton fucked up, and I doubt seriously Osama who hated us in the 80's wanted to help us. HW Bush was an idiot as well.

[sarcip7x]

Thats a fucking leader right there!

[Rinifi]

Barry Goldwater and Ron Paul. What a ticket!

[Charliecomet82]

In your heart, you know he's right--but in your guts, you know he's nuts!

[sayanroy36]

thats what osama said

[DCUPtoejuice]

Can you imagine how much better this country would be if we had just one guy like Goldwater as President over the course of the 20th century!

[empemitheos]

@DCUPtoejuice we have a chance in the 21st century with Ron Paul.

[DCUPtoejuice]

@empemitheos Yeah, unfortunately, Ron may be the Goldwater precursor. "There is another" - Star Wars.

[Vacatino]

@DCUPtoejuice Who are you referring to? Goldwater died in 98.

[greventlv]

@empemitheos RP 2012, Au H2O

[thejobloshow]

lol, I love AuH2O.

[matvey21krlmtv]

My country needs men like Mr. Goldwater. With respect, from Brazil.

[sjdanthem]

@ddhsaclu If you are a true conservative, you know the difference between a contraction and a possessive adjective, but I digress. Anyone that thinks the ACLU really promotes liberty confuses liberty with forced equality. In my experience, causing this confusion has been a prime goal of the trial attorneys and left-wing academia for decades.

[morval99]

Would Barry have stood against JFK in the '64 election?

[ajgolfer1]

@morval99 jfk was dead by 1964

[morval99]

@ajgolfer1 Yeah, I been interested in the life of JFK for years, should have said 'If JFK had lived...'

Thanks.

[sjdanthem]

@morval99 It's true that JFK was dead, but you ask a good hypothetical question. Goldwater was the victim of the first really nasty tv commercial assassination (so to speak.) Also, the republican party changed after that. Goldwater was the vanguard of the libertarian wing of the party, which in my view, is re-emerging in the present day Tea Party candidates.

[morval99]

@sjdanthem OK thanks for that. You will have to forgive my feeble grasp of American politics, but the TEA PARTY are a far right faction, and not liberal at all? Please correct me if I got it all wrong!

[sjdanthem]

@morval99 The confusion is in the names." Liberal" used to be the word for libertarian, and today they sometimes say "classical liberal" in order to differentiate from modern liberals who are the exact opposite politically. To me, the Tea Party is made up of libertarian-conservatives similar to Goldwater. It's ironic that they are both called "right wing," when they are both just people that believe in a smaller federal government and more individual liberty.

[morval99]

@sjdanthem Thanks, good insight.

[suzukibeane]

@morval99 -- yes, that is correct. they are VERY right wing and radical in their rhetoric. But they are being used as tools by the exceedingly wealthy corporate CEOs as fodder to protect those CEO's fiscal profits. They deny this, but it is blatantly obvious to all of the rest of us.

[DCUPtoejuice]

@morval99 origin of Tea Party was limited government libertarianism and it got annexed by the Republican Party and in so was greatly expanded in size and reduced in focus, now moderated in its message to include social conservatives while at least maintaining it's staunch anti-big government core.

[morval99]

@DCUPtoejuice OK thanks for a further insight.

[wotnwabbit]

@DCUPtoejuice Well, that's your opinion. Mine is that the Tea party MODIFIED the Republican party. The Republican party was chosen because it more closely coincides with TEA party objectives. A compromise is being reached.

[ABisopht]

I dunno! But I know I am not a "democrat." Maybe I am an "(Anthony) Weiner Democrat," but he is no longer a model for the democratic party. I think I am a liberal with conservative ideas.

[ProfessorOfPoorTaste]

If only Reagan could have lived up to the standard of Goldwater.

[pitdoug1998]

@ProfessorOfPoorTaste I may kick myself later for asking you this but exactly what do you mean in this confusing sentence?

[loyaldude10]

A great, principled, honest, sensible politician and man. Wish we had a few more like him today (coming from a lifelong Democrat)

[tonyteb]

WOW PEOPLE USED TO CHEER FOR LIBERTY ? RON PAUL WHOULD HAVE HAD CHEERS SO LOUD HE WOULD HAVE BEEN BLOWN OF THE STAGE

[tonyteb]

HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD PRESIDENT

[stk931]

what does this quote mean?

[ABisopht]

@stk931 it basically means that- being a dickhead in order to give people the freedoms they deserve is not a bad thing at all! It is a fallacious argument and unfortunately Barry Goldwater is WRONG. Yes, I am a Rockefeller Republican.

[pitdoug1998]

@ABisopht "Yes, I am a Rockefeller Republican." So your a demoncrat........ Right?

[DG3744]

bARRY gOLDWATER WAS A jew!!!!!!!!!

[doglin82]

@DG3744 and the problem is....???

[TheKaffeeKlatsch]

@DG3744 And you would be an asshat.

[DG3744]

@TheKaffeeKlatsch IT just proves my point!!! Lets not label eachother! We are all people!! Americans!!

[TheKaffeeKlatsch]

@DG3744 Then one group represents freedom & liberty while the other is hellbent on oppression of the masses........ I label immorality when I see it...... the same way we put pedophiles on web pages to protect our children....... I do the same in exposing liberals that suffer the same immoral behavior of forcing people to do things against their will.

[pbasinge]

If you want to have fun, call the Goldwater Institute and ask them to explain the extremism speech. These code words are to rally the white vote, plain and simple. Extremism - read resistance to federal intervention - read segregation - in the defense of liberty-who you, as a business owner have the Constitutional right to discriminate for any reason you want - is no vice - should've read "Extreme violence in the pursuit of maintaining segregation is a guaranteed right under the Constitution."

[CarbonBlonde]

@pbasinge your so primitive 

[TheKaffeeKlatsch]

@pbasinge I guess you don't know Barry Goldwater then.

[TikofTok]

@pbasinge

And why is is OK to tell people who they or cant hire and who they can or cant trade with? It is not the governments business to force companies and business to adhere to these rules.

Any business has the right to stop ANYONE from entering their property and refuse trade to whomever they wish. An race, religon or evne personal engagements. It is a PRIVATE business and a PRIVATE matter.

They are the ones losing out on business but refusing people and someone else wil ALWAYS cater.

[ChipsShot]

"Unthinking and Stupid Labels" that the treasonous idiots still use today. "Extremism" in their midget minds is supposed to apply to the loyal Americans of our country. The traitors pretend to think they're smarter than our Founding Fathers with new and "Progressive" ideas...Ha! As if the human race began the day before the planet was cursed with their birth and history had not already long since tried and discarded them in their complete and utter failure. The insults of the psychotic traitors.

[SniperMaske]

Haha, I love the "AuH2O" thing! :)

[ToxicOdiousOne]

Extremeism in defense of liberty? That includes anarchy and terrorism. Extremeism involves criminal acts how can criminality be in defense of liberty?

[manmanguy]

@ToxicOdiousOne Yes it's in the Declaration. The founding fathers were called terrorists and anarchists. To rebel against tyranny is never criminal in the eyes of a true patriot.

[thehotshirtguy2008]

@ToxicOdiousOne Extremism is a term used to describe the actions or ideologies of individuals or groups outside the perceived political center of a society. Anarchy has nothing to do with this...

[indylaw06]

@ToxicOdiousOne That's ONE definition of extremism. That's YOUR definition of extremism. I guarantee you that Barry Goldwater was no anarchist.

[fntime]

@ToxicOdiousOne The Nazi had many laws, they legally sent people to

concentration camps, some acts might be criminal, stealing or murdering,

but if the only way you can defend liberty is by being a 'criminal' then

let the heavens fall. We then need a government that isn't criminal.

We have all the rights, the government doesn't. If you defend

government attempts to abridge liberty,then you are a criminal

& the enemy of sane men!

Progressives will have you & your family building

pyramids.

[ToxicOdiousOne]

Civil Rights was not about equality it was about forcing progressive liberal policies on us. They change behavior through social engineering usually tied to controlling the purse strings. It costs you money to violate progressive policies. They simply codify progressivism into law.

[ToxicOdiousOne]

The ninth amendment limits the 14th amendment. The 14th amendment is not an absolute right it has limits. Special protections for special interest groups like homosexuals, women, racial minorities, and illegals violate the 14th and ninth amendments.

[bonfirejovi]

This is a quote from Thomas Paine, every leftists favourite founding father (why, I don't know) and yet Goldwater got so much shit for it.

[verbod]

major idiot

[bonfirejovi]

@verbod Yes LBJ was obviously a huge success. Guns and butter my ass. LBJ was a warmonger and a racist.

[stephenwinkler]

@bonfirejovi I liked LBJ, except much of his civil rights legislation was against the tenth amendment to our constitution. I like LBJ, but he should have invaded and bombed Cambodia, like Nixon did. I like LBJ, however, he wasted a lot of money on the War on Poverty Program, money that could have been better used on the Rover Program.

[helvis66]

Now all we need is Joe McCarthy and we'll all be set.

[Scottcom36]

His opponents seemed to use this statement to paint Goldwater as an extremist, but I don't see how any American can disagree with it.

[butchieman]

America began its long, slow slide toward the trash heap of history in 1964.

[ChrisDutch]

@butchieman Largely because of those who0 expropriated his words and turned the American conservative movement into the group of fascists he was so concerned about.

[Khurzan72]

@butchieman I would argue it was in 1901

[GettinInTune]

To quote Thomas Paine who Barry bellowing.

"Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice. "

Barry had both temper and principle. He was a great man.

[Serotonergic]

Liberty for who though? Extremism, for whatever cause, is dangerous and these days is in most cases just a tool for advancing one group's "liberties" over another's.

[dbmcmillan]

I think, by definition, liberty must be universal. So for everyone. A free society would be one in which all people live free of the coercion of other people. Extremism in the pursuit of a free society is not wrong, it is in fact necessary, because real freedom is never appealing to the very powerful.

[bonfirejovi]

@Serotonergic Your comment makes no sense as liberty is universal and are negative and not positive in nature. You think of people as groups, Goldwater thought of them as individuals.

[croissantanyone]

What is this "Liberty" he speaks of? I'll ask Obama. he should know.

[cpblackangel88]

He would of been one of our best presidents.

[Jane1620]

@cpblackangel88

That is so true. He would have made a great president.

[cope21995]

At some point "by any means necessary" may be necessary so yes I am serious...obviously you don't understand the seriousness of the current situation in this country....

[jackthewatchman]

Obamawill, STFU.

[cope21995]

A lesson that is timeless and a message that especially this moment in history we need to adhere to...Our liberties have been stripped from us and replaced with dependence on the government and we must fight tooth and nail by any means necessary to get them back.....

[turdferguson9725]

"any means necessary "

I hope you are serious about that, I am.

[obamawill2008]

and extremism in the pursuit of ANYTHING nowadays is no virtue

[mr357]

Slave.