ROTHBARD-ROCKWELL REPORT

The Religious tives are trying to fight back against a left-liberal elite that Right: Toward A used government to assault Coalit ion and virtually destroy Christian by Murray N. Rothbard values, principles and culture. I How is it that I, a pro-choice Breaking Down libertarian, stood up and Bedroom Doors? THE EAR cheered when the Reverend It is true that nineteenth- by Sarah Barton Falwell announced, after the century Protestanism, particu- election, that he might revive larly in Yankee territories of Congratulations to Jared the ; and was the North, was driven by post- Taylor for his wonderful book repelled when Cal Thomas, mdlennial evangelical pietism on race, Paved With Good Inten- former vice-president of that to use the government to stamp tions (Carroll & Graf), which organization, from his lofty out sin, a category that was managed to break through the post as one of the neocons’ very widely defined, to include Establishment’s Velvet Curtain. favorite Christian columnists, the outlawry of liquor, as well But boo to “libertarian” attor- urged Falwell not to do so? of gambling, dancing, and all ney and race specialist Clint (Nov. 12) Thomas counsels forms of Sabbath-breaking. Bolick, theoretician at the Koch- ”more compassion and less Sodomy was made illegal, but funded Institute for Justice, who confrontation,” warning that so too was heterosexual im- panned the book in the Wall we are in a “post-Christian morality, such as fornication Street Journal. Bolick claims that culture,” so that Christian and adultery. But old-fashioned we cannot get rid of the wel- conservatives should confine post-millennia1 pietism has fare state until every trace of themselves to such ”positive” been dead as a dodo since the racism has been stamped out, measures as spending their 1920s. While many Christian until blacks have full “access” money on scholarships for kids conservatives favor keeping to everything, etc. ”Libertar- to attend private schools, and some or all of the sex laws on ian,” or Left-liberal? on crisis pregnancy centers to (Cont. page 3, col. 1) (Cont. next page, col. 1) offer adoption services. In other words: to abandon polit- ical action, or any confrontation against evil. Most libertarians think of Ethnic Fury In The Caucasus, by Murray N.Rothbard ...... 6 Christian conservatives in the Never Say “IAP“!, by M.N.R...... c. .7 same lurid terms as the leftist Their Malcolm. . .And Mine, by M.N.R...... 10 media, if not more so: that their The Clintonians: “Looking Like America, ” by M.N.R...... ll aim is to impose a Christian The December Surprise, by M.N.R...... 15 theocracy, to outlaw liquor and Mr. First Nighter, by M.N.R...... 20 other means of hedonic enjoy- Corning Out Neoconservative, by Justin Raimondo ...... 21 ment, and to break down bed- Are Banks Racist?, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr...... 26 room doors to enforce a Morali- The Grave Robbers, by L.H.R., Jr...... 27 ty Police upon the country. Clinton‘s Leftists, by L.H.R., Jr...... 28 Nothing could be further from McRowanism, by L.H.R., Jr...... 29 the truth: Christian conserva- PC Watch, by L.H.R., Jr...... 30 (The Religious. . .cont. from R1) by people and institutionsthem- against the genuine rights of the books for symbolic reasons, selves, on the basis of what’s person and property, and are I know of no Christian group most convenient for the parti- uneconomic since they cripple that wants to embark on a cru- cular organization. ”Rights” efficient business decisions. sade of enforcing these laws, or have nothing to do with the case. This brings us to the first con- of having the police break down And third, the Constitution has troversial move of the Clinton- bedroom doors. For that matter, been systematically perverted elect pre-administration: elimi- there are very few conservative to abandon strictly limited mini- nating the ban on gays in the prohibitionist groups either; if mal government on behalf of military. The military should be and when prohibition comes to a crusade by the federal courts considered like any other busi- America, it will be a left-liberal to multiply and enforce such ness, organization, or service; measure, done to improve our phony rights to the hilt. its decisions should be based “health” and to cut down ac- On the phoniness of rights on what’s best for the military, cidents on the talk in these mat- and ”rights” have nothing to roads. There are ters: suppose I do with such decisions. The no Christian decide to open military’s long-standing ban on groups that want up a Chinese res- gays in the military has nothing to persecute gays, taurant. I make a to do with ”rights” or even or adulterers. conscious busi- ”homophobia”; rather it is the The battle now ness decision to result of long experience as well is on very differ- hire only Chinese as common sense. The military ent territory. The waiters who is not like any civilian organiza- battle is over speak both Chi- tion. Not only are its men in ”anti-discrimina- nese and English, combat situations (which it par- tion” laws, to since I want to tially shares with civilian outfits make it illegal to attract a largely like the police) but the military hire, fire, or asso- Chinese clientele. commander has virtual total ciate, in accor- Shouldn’t I have control over his subordinate’s dance with sex- the right to use person and life, especially in ual preference or my property to combat situations. In such anti-preference. hire only Chinese situations, open homosexuals In the case of waiters? The same could engage in favoritism gays, as in the sort of business toward loved ones, and engage case of blacks, decision should in sexual exploitation and abuse - -. women, Hispan- be right and re- of subordinates under their ics, “the handicapped,” and main unchallenged if I should command. Add the discomfort countless other victomological wish to hire only men, only wom- of many in close and intimate groups targeted for ”anti-dis- en, only blacks, only whites, situations, and you get destruc- crimination” measures, new only gays, only straights, etc. in tion of the morale and efficien- egalitarian “rights” are discov- making my business decision. cy of combat units. ered that are supposed to be But what if my business deci- The standard answer of gays enforced by majesty of the law. sion should turn out to be is interesting for being both In the first place, these ”rights” wrong, and I lose a lot of non- abstract and unresponsive to are concocted at the expense Chinese customers? In that the point. Namely: all sexual of the genuine rights of every case, my business will suffer, activities are and should be il- person over his own property; and I will either change or go legal in the military, much less secondly, all this “rights” talk out of business. Once again, it sexual abuse of subordinates. is irrelevant, since the problem should be my decision, period. Make only actions illegal say the of hiring, firing, associating, etc. In sum: anti-discrimination advocates of gays in the mili- is something to be decided on laws of any sort are evil, aggress tary, and make any orientation 3 February 1993 -licit and legitimate. out secret gays. The whole point been dumbed down so that One problem with this liber- is that, with gays necessarily in most women can pass them; tarian-soundinganswer is that the closet, the problem of fa- and this includes such essential it confuses what should be il- voritism, sexual abuse, etc. is combat skills as carrying wea- legal per se from what should be greatly minimized. Allow open pons and throwing grenades! illegal as a voluntary member of gaydom in the Finally, liber- an organization (e.g. the mili- military, however, tarians will fall tary) which can and should and the problems, back on their have its own rules of member- and the suffering standard argu- ship, let alone its own hiring of morale, will ment that while and promoting and firing. In escalate. all these stric- criminal law, only actions (such The same stric- tures do apply to as robbery and murder) should tures apply a for- private organiza- be illegal, and not mental orien- tiori to women in tions, and that tation. But who should or should the military, es- ”rights” do not not be a member of the military pecially to inte- apply to such should depend on military rules, grated close- organizations, and not simply include anyone contact and in- egalitarian rights who is not a criminal. Thus, timate units such do apply to such frail types who are half-blind as exist in com- governmental are clearly not in a perse state of bat. (The old outfits as the criminality; but surely, the mili- mlethod of segre- military. But, as I tary has the right to bar such gated female have written in people from membership. units for typing, the case of Secondly, the standard pro- jeep-driving, etc. whether someone gay answer ignores the facts did not pose such has ”the right” of human nature. Surely, liber- problems.) Since to stink up a tarians in particular should be there are far more heterosexual public library just because it is alive to the absurdity of making than homosexual males, and public, this sort of nihilism has sex illegal and then declaring since there is no question of a to be abandoned. I’m in favor an end to the matter. The point ”closet” here, favoritism and of privatizing everything, but is that the military understands abuse will be far more rampant. short of thalt glorious day, ex- that, while sex in the military Once again, illegalizing sex isting government services should indeed be outlawed, within the military would be should be operated as efficiently that this is not going to settle even more difficult to enforce. as possible. Surely, the postal the matter, because human This is especially true in the service should be privatized, nature often triumphs over the current climate where ”sexual but, pending that happy day, law. Prostitution has been il- harassment” has been expand- should we advocate allowing legal from time immemorial, ed to touching and even ogling. postal workers to toss all the but it has scarcely disappeared. Think of sex-integrated showers mail into the dumpster, in the [t is precisely because of its and think of Tailhook maximiz- name of making that service as shrewd understanding of ed to the nth degree! terrible as possible? Apart from human nature that the military The problem of women in the the horrors such a position wants to keep the ban on gays inilitary has been further ag- would impose upon the poor in the military. The military gravated by the sex-normingof consumers (that’s us), there is doesn’t naively assume that physical requirements in the another grave error to this stan- khere are no gays in the army or military. Since it proved almost dard libertarian position (which navy now. On the other hand, impossible for women to pass I confess I once held), that it it has no intention of going on the standard tests for strength besmirches and confuses the 3 ”witch hunt” to try to ferret and speed, these tests have fair concept of ”rights,” and -transmutes it from a strict de- commit abortions, or else. egalitarian redistributionist fense of an ’s person But even apart from the fund- argument. Aren’t the poor and property, to a confused, ing issue, there are other argu- “deprived” of vacation travel egalitarian mishmash. Hence, ments for a rapprochemenf with now? Again, it demonstrates ”anti- discrimination” or even pro-lifers. There is a prudential the hidden agenda of the pro- affirmative action ”rights” in consideration: a ban on some- abortionists in favor of socializ- public services sets the con- thing as murder is not going to ed medicine and collectivism ditions for their admittedly be enforceable if only a minority generally. monstrous expansion into the considers it as murder. A na- A commitment to radical de- private realm. tional prohibition is simply not centralization means that pro- going to work, in addition to choicers should give up the The Abortion being politically impossible to Freedom of Choice Act, which Question and Radical get through in the first place. would impose abortion rights Pro-choice paleolibertarians by the federal government upon The abortion issue is a more can tell the pro-lifers: ”Look, a the entire country. It means difficult one. Since the anti- national prohibition is hopeless. that libertarians should cease abortion people hold abortion Stop trying to pass a human life putting all their judicial eggs in to be murder of a human being, amendment to the Constitution. the basket of hoping to get breaking down the bedroom Instead, for this and many other good guys, like doors to stop murder would reasons, we should radically or Alex Kozinski, on the Su- not then be an anti-libertarian decentralize political and judicial preme Court. Far more impor- position. And moreover, it decisions in this country; we tant is getting rid of federal would obviously be in a very must end the despotism of the judicial tyranny altogether, and different category from police Supreme Court and the federal to decentralize our polity radi- enforcement of laws against judiciary, and return political de- cally-to return to the forgotten sexual activity. cisions to state and local levels.” Tenth Amendment. But even here there is consi- Pro-choice paleos should An unfortunate act of Presi- derable room for coalition be- therefore hope that Roe v. Wade dent-elect Clinton was to re- tween pro-choice libertarians is someday overthrown, and verse the Bush policy of not and the pro-life religious Right. abortion questions go back to funding physicians who counsel In the first place, as I have writ- the state and local levels-the abortions. Leftists cleverly dis- ten about libertarian Republican more decentralized the better. torted this action as an “inva- Congressional candidate Henry Let Oklahoma and Missouri sion of the free speech of physi- Butler, his pro-choice position restrict or outlaw abortions, cians.” But no ”freedom of did not spare him the calumny while and speech” was involved. People of the pro-abortion crowd, since retain abortion rights. Hope- should be free to speak, but this he opposed taxpayer funding fully, some day we will have does not mean they must be of abortions, not just because localities within each state mak- shielded from the consequences we are against all taxpayer ing such decisions. Conflict will of such speech. No person, and funding of medical care, but then be largely defused. those hence no physician, has a also because it is peculiarly who want to have, or to practice, ”right” to receive taxpayer fun- monstrous to force those who abortions can move or travel to ding. Everyone may have the abhor abortion as murder to California (or Marin County) or right to say whatever they like, pay for such murders. Further- New York (or the West Side of but not the right to say what- more, pro-choicers can join Manhattan). The standard re- ever they like and sfill be fund- with pro-lifers in upholding the buttal of the pro-abortionists ed by the taxpayers. And just freedom to choose of tax- that “poor women’’ who haven’t as taxpayers should not be forc- payers, and of gynecologists, got the money to travel would ed to fund abortions, neither who are under increasing be deprived of abortions of should they be forced to fund pressure by pro-abortionists to course reverts back to a general people who counsel abortions. 5 February1993 ”Establishing” Religion the American Republic. Con- blows against the pietist and Christians have, for decades, necticut, for example, continued pervasive Christian Left, the suffered an organized assault the establishment of the Pres- treacly, egalitarian, socialistic that has driven expressions of byterian Church past 1789, and “We Shall (3vercome” Left. Christianity out of the public yet we hear no stories of Con- Secondly, it rnust enter the real school, the public square, and necticut groaning under intol- world by inveighing against the almost out of public life alto- erable despotism. So that if even dispensationalists and their gether. The rationale has been an established church in one or predictions and yearnings for an absurd twisting and overin- two states need not be met with an imminent Armageddon. Not flation of the First Amendment hysteria, what are we to think only do their repeated predic- prohibition on establishing a of all the fuss and feathers tions of Armageddon subject religion. Establishing a religion attout a creche, or voluntary them to justifiable ridicule, but has a specific meaning: paying prayer or “In God We Trust” concentration on Armageddon for ministers and churches out on American coins? fatally weakens their ,will to of taxpayer funds. To ban even Restoring prayer, however, participate in political action voluntary prayer from the public will scarcely at this date solve and confrontation. In addition, schools, or to ban the teaching the grievous public school prob- their interpretation of the Book of religion, is a pettifogging lem. Public schools are expen- of Revelation makes the dispen- willful misconstruction of the sive and massive centers for sationalists even more fanatical text and of the intent of the cultural and ideological brain- Zionists than Yitzhak Shamir framers, in order to replace our washing, at which they are un- and the Likudniks. former Christian culture with a fortunately far more effective In sum, the task of paleolib- left-secular one. The banning of t’han in teaching the 3R’s or in ertarians is to break out of the creches in front of local town keeping simple order within sectarian libertarian hole, and halls demonstrates how far the schools. Any plan to begin to forge alliances with cultural the secularists will go-indeed dismantling the public school and social, as well as - shows how totalitarian they are monstrosity is met with effec- economic, ”’reactionaries.”The in their drive to ban religion tive opposition by the teachers‘ end of the Cold War, as well from public institutions. and educators’ unions. Truly as the rise of ”political correct- Hence, in the competition of radical change is needed to ness,” has made totally obso- world-views, Christians have shift education from public to lete the standard libertarian had to function with both hands unregulated private schooling, view that libertarians are either tied behind their back. Since religious and secular, as well as half-way between, or ”above,” the competition, left-secularist home schooling by parents. both Right and Left. Once again, world-view is not called a ”reli- as before the late 1950’s, liber- gion,” the ouster of the Chris- Agenda for the tarians should consider them- tian world-view from the schools selves people of the Right. has left the path clear for left- These are just some of the secularism to conquer the field issues that invite an alliance of ideas unchallenged. between paleolibertarians and Obviously, no libertarian can the Christian Right. While the favor a genuine establishment Christian Right contains many of a church. Yet, it must be wonderful people, it too needs Ethnic Fury In pointed out that the First to get its own act together. It The Caucasus: Amendment was only suppos- must take on two vital and ed to apply to Congress, and necessary intra-Christian tasks, Sorting It Out not to the several states, and for which it needs a lot more by M.N.R. that some states continued to spirit of confrontation and a lot have an established church less ”compassion.” In the first The Caucasus, as usual, is well past the establishment of place, it must level hammer aflame, and we are in danger of 6 February 1993