=>Ex-Mo=>Liberal or Libertarian?

[_sock puppet]

Often with the transition out of Mormonism, there is a concurrent transition from being a 'conservative' Republican.

I am one of those that probably realized, as I emerged from my suffocating Mormon cocoon, that I was and had been at core libertarian. Others seem to be liberal. And yet others retain their Republican leanings.

I note that many here that are liberal ex-mos are vocal towards TBMs that are Republican firebrands like bcspace and Droopy, but pretty much leave us libertarians alone.

I am curious why the 'hands off' towards libertarians. Is it because we at least share liberal values on social issues despite the fact we think less government is better overall?

[_Kishkumen]

I note that many here that are liberal ex-mos are vocal towards TBMs that are Republican firebrands like bcspace and Droopy, but pretty much leave us libertarians alone.

bcspace and Droopy aren't "Republican firebrands"; they are crypto-fascist crazies and conspiracy theorists.

They are the kinds of lunatics who countenance Birther crap.

These guys give Republicans a bad name.

We have Republicans on this board. I may disagree with them, but they are not out of their gourds like bcspace and Droopy.

[_Blixa]

I note that many here that are liberal ex-mos are vocal towards TBMs that are Republican firebrands like bcspace and Droopy, but pretty much leave us libertarians alone.

bcspace and Droopy aren't "Republican firebrands"; they are crypto-fascist crazies and conspiracy theorists.

They are the kinds of lunatics who countenance Birther crap.

These guys give Republicans a bad name.

We have Republicans on this board. I may disagree with them, but they are not out of their gourds like bcspace and Droopy.

Word.

[_sock puppet]

I note that many here that are liberal ex-mos are vocal towards TBMs that are Republican firebrands like bcspace and Droopy, but pretty much leave us libertarians alone.

bcspace and Droopy aren't "Republican firebrands"; they are crypto-fascist crazies and conspiracy theorists.

They are the kinds of lunatics who countenance Birther crap.

These guys give Republicans a bad name.

We have Republicans on this board. I may disagree with them, but they are not out of their gourds like bcspace and Droopy.

Your post sort of drives home one of my points.

[_Kishkumen]

Your post sort of drives home one of my points.

No, because your point includes the premise that somehow bcspace and Droopy are representative of the Republican Party, but are merely a spirited element within it, and you treat them as though they were sane.

If you want to see how Republican, libertarian, and liberal ex-Mos or never-Mos align, find some folks who actually inhabit reality instead of some fringe Beckian nightmare.

I am tired of being admonished to treat verifiable nut jobs like people whom one should respect or take seriously. I take MsJack seriously. I take Jason Bourne seriously. I take Stak seriously. I take Runtu seriously.

Why in the name of all that is good and rational should I take these characters the least bit seriously?

[_Sethbag]

Sock Puppet, I'm one of those who is decidedly more liberal now than I was as a TBM. As a TBM I was a pretty staunch Republican with some Libertarian leanings. Now I'm probably more center/left.

I think as a TBM who believes that all of life is a big test, that spilled over to my political ideas. Everyone's being tested, and if they fail, it's their fault. I'm probably not expressing this quite the way I feel it. Now I realize there's not this big huge test going on, there's probably no afterlife. I'm not really Saturday's Warrior, some really damned awesome spirit God held in reserve to come down here and show everyone else how it's done. I'm just a guy, pretty good at some things, pretty crappy at other things. I'm a very small part of what's going on in this world.

I do, however, now see myself firmly as a part of what's going on in this world, rather than as a member of the church, in the world but not of the world, etc. My identity has changed, from member of God's own secret fanboy club, to citizen of planet Earth, in common with every other human being who lives here. I guess I could say I now know that we're all in this together. This is the only life we're likely to have. If we aren't there for each other, literally nobody will be. Not God, not the Holy Ghost, not the Three Nephites, not John the Beloved, not angels, devils, demons, etc. It's just we people. That outlook has changed my political viewpoint, definitely.

[_sock puppet]

Your post sort of drives home one of my points.

No, because your point includes the premise that somehow bcspace and Droopy are representative of the Republican Party, but are merely a spirited element within it, and you treat them as though they were sane.

If you want to see how Republican, libertarian, and liberal ex-Mos or never-Mos align, find some folks who actually inhabit reality instead of some fringe Beckian nightmare.

I am tired of being admonished to treat verifiable nut jobs like people whom one should respect or take seriously.

Then don't misread my OP to be such an admonishment. It was not such.

I take MsJack seriously. I take Jason Bourne seriously. I take Stak seriously. I take Runtu seriously.

Why in the name of all that is good and rational should I take these characters the least bit seriously?

I don't think you should. That was not what was being asked in the OP. I do not think that they have been mistreated here, by you or any other poster.

[_Cinnamon Bear Head]

Libertarians (real ones not right wing Bob Barr douches) have so much in common with the Left and the Right. We get along with both because our common values are so vast.

We talk to the left about the hazards of corporations, gay rights, drug liberalization, free speech, the evil of war and American imperialism, about how dangerous Romney and Ryan are.

We talk to the right about gun rights, the fraud of the Federal Reserve, the economic poison that taxes represent towards the economy, and more.

My personal belief is that they both sense that we are the only folks in the room not reaching for the gun. We are not a threat to anyone. We represent total freedom, pure inclusiveness. What other political ideology puts foaming Christians on the same side as committed atheist anarcho-communists?

[_Gadianton]

I don't feel "mistreated" by anyone, but:

that are Republican firebrands like bcspace and Droopy, but pretty much leave us libertarians alone.

Droopy does not leave EA alone and he is a libertarian. He does on occasion go after me as well, but I'm not a democrat nor do i believe in socialism.

but to the extent you are correct, the answer is that a man's politics directly reveals the contents of his soul.

[_MrStakhanovite]

Hi Sock,

Often with the transition out of Mormonism, there is a concurrent transition from being a 'conservative' Republican.

I’ve noticed this trend as well. I attribute it to the way politics and religion typically get crammed together on the pulpit so fiercely that their boundaries become so vague that you can’t demarcate them.

I note that many here that are liberal ex-mos are vocal towards TBMs that are Republican firebrands like bcspace and Droopy, but pretty much leave us libertarians alone.

My guess is that Space reminds them of so many uber TBMs that they can’t help but speak up. Droopy’s case is different, I’d wager most of the attention he gets is due to the fact he is such an easy target.

Politics is one of those arenas of discourse that get polarized so quickly, that it is hard not to get sucked into it. To riff off of C. Wright Mills here, the political becomes personal. That is to say, people are often quick to equate their political ideas as personal extensions of themselves that to be critical of a person’s politics is to be critical of their being.