9/11 "Truth" and selling out your Libertarian principles

For the moment I don't really care whether or not 9/11 was an inside job, or whether a jumbo jet could have managed to impact the Pentagon.

Let's just assume it's all correct, just for the sake of argument.

Now here is a selection of calls by Libertarians 4 Justice and its fellow travelers here and on Third Party Watch over the past few days:

"The Libertarian Party has Congressional, Senatorial, and Presidential candidates on the ballot in 2008 who are all calling for a new investigation into the attacks on 9/11 until we are sure beyond a reasonable doubt that the terrorists have been brought to justice."

"We want justice. Simple as that. We want the truth. We want those responsible to pay. The families deserve no less. The only way to provide this is to hold an open and public Congressional inquiry with full subpoena powers."

"Libertarians For Justice want an open and public congressional inquiry."

[Referring to the Popular Mechanics investigation] "How many of the people on your list were under oath?"

"An investigation is needed to get to the facts. Those responsible for the events of the day, and the eyewitnesses, need to be put under oath and their statements proven. Then we will have the truth. I believe that only Congress has the power to put President Bush and Vice President Cheney under oath. Wouldn’t you like to know why Dick Cheney did not follow the order to shoot down the plane headed for the Pentagon?"

"An investigation that, asks questions, and demands answers until We the People are sure beyond a reasonable doubt that the terrorists have been brought to justice.

"Put them under oath!"

"We should welcome and face all the hard questions until they are answered truthfully and factually by our government."

Notice a trend here?

What we have are presumed Libertarians--many of them radicals bordering on anarchists--who bristle at the thought of government power and abuse. Many of them even argue that the 6th Amendment is an example of governmental coercion because it empowers the courts to subpoena witnesses against their will. Most of them routinely disbelieve anything that the government says.

So what we have are presumed Libertarians, champions of free enterprise, advocating that Congress use its coercive subpoena power, and the tax dollars ripped off from those who don't agree with such a process to conduct a bureaucratic investigation of the government itself.

Hey, I've got an idea. Instead of Libertarians for Justice, let's rename the group that Mary Ruwart, Steve Kubby, and Mike Gravel have signed on to support with a title that more accurately reflects its purpose.

How about Libertarians for Congressional Subpoena powers?

Maybe Libertarians for Using Your Tax Dollars to Pursue Their Agenda?

Or perhaps Libertarians Who Trust the Government to Empower and Support a Self-Investigation?

My personal favorite would be Libertarians Who Have Lost Both Their Minds and Their Principles.

If you are a Libertarian and a believer in a 9/11 conspiracy, then why not pursue a Libertarian rather than a Statist investigation?

Here are a few suggestions:

1) Pay for it yourself, in the form of a private foundation (called, oh, say, Libertarians for Justice). That way you are not coercing anyone else into paying for it, and you have complete control.

2) Use the funds you've gathered to (a) support a massive, private independent investigation. Overcome the lack of subpoena power and classified access by offering a $1 million dollar bounty and guaranteed legal representation to any whistle-blowers or leakers who bring forward the information.

3) Once you have established credible information regarding the culpability of individuals in the conspiracy, file a series of high-profile "wrongful death" civil suits against these individuals, as well as publicizing and turning over all materials to local and state prosecutorial officials.

In other words: prove that you can live up to your Libertarian principles when the issue is serious, or shut the hell up.

I am astounded and saddened, not that fellow Libertarians believe in the conspiracy theory (hell, they may have a point), but that exactly like the Republicans and the Democrats they are running for President in order to use the coercive power of the Federal government to pursue their own agenda, NOT to reduce or dismantle it.

Any Libertarian presidential candidate--and that list specifically includes Mary Ruwart, Steve Kubby, and Mike Gravel--who either sells out their principles to support this style of investigation, or panders just to get the votes of people who genuinely believe in a 9/11 conspiracy, are not running on Libertarian principles.

Again, I commend Dr George Phillies, as well as Bob Barr and Wayne Allyn Root, for refusing to sign the pledge.