Letters

A "conservative" journal of opinion? God-dammit, I thought you guys were libertarians! What a bunch of mealy-mouthed frauds. Conservatives don't believe in liberty any more than liberals do - you just want to outlaw different activities. Yes, liberty includes the freedom to roll a joint or poke your best boy up the butt. It includes the freedom to not be coerced into reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the freedom to sit on one's ass and fart while some schmuck is caterwauling the national anthem. It also includes the freedom to not have to remain silent while state authorities sponsor a prayer to the god of the majority. If you really believe in liberty and limits on government, you can't be conservative. And if you think Rand and Hayek were conservatives instead of libertarians, well that explains why you "forgave" Goldwater his later years. It was only in his later years that people began to recognize what you haven't figured out yet - he never was a Reagan-type conservative, eager to liberate your pocketbook and entrap your soul, but a libertarian whose only concern about soldiers was whether they could shoot straight.

Damn, you've disappointed me. But on the plus side, it's the first issue this year where you talked about something besides drinking. I guess that counts for something.

-James E. Hanley, Political Science

To Mr. Hanley:

Your disillusion in the face of our perceived abandonment of our libertarian principles is unfounded to say the least. The concern you've so eloquently expressed regarding our treatment of certain individuals (Barry Goldwater) and historical facts (Manifest Destiny) would be fair, were the tone of the Timeline not tongue-in-cheek. On the other hand, it's nice to get an intelligent email every now and then.

To the rest of our readership:

We are a conservative journal of opinion. And don't you forget it.

-Ed.