Question: What do the following libertarians, liberals, and conservatives have in common? The answer appears at the end of the list.
End Torture, Shut Down the CIA by Ron Paul (libertarian)
The CIA and Its Torturers by Andrew P. Napolitano (libertarian)
CIA Torturers by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. (libertarian)
Torture Revealed? by Karen Kwiatkowski (libertarian)
At Gitmo, Obama Tortures Too by John Glaser (libertarian)
The Authority to Wage War by Laurence M. Vance (libertarian)
Angela Keaton Interviews Scott Horton About Iraq, Syria, and the Old Days by Angela Keaton and Scott Horton (libertarian)
An Economist’s Case for a Non-Interventionist Foreign Policy by David R. Henderson (libertarian)
The United States of Torture by Justin Raimondo (libertarian)
How War Leads to Big Government by Robert Higgs (libertarian)
The US Needs to Recognize Russia’s Monroe Doctrine by Ted Galen Carpenter (libertarian)
Paying for the Neocon Moment: Sacrificing Lives, Liberty, and Wealth for Nothing by Doug Bandow (libertarian)
Some Anti-Memorial Day Remembrances by Thomas DiLorenzo (libertarian)
Coalition of the Killing by Ivan Eland (libertarian)
And the War Came by Ralph Raico (libertarian)
The Rise and Fall of Classical Liberalism by Richard M. Ebeling (libertarian)
Senate Torture Report – My Initial Two Cents by James Bovard (libertarian)
In Search of Libertarian Realism by Sheldon Richman (libertarian)
Make the CIA Release Its Torture Files by Jacob G. Hornberger (libertarian)
3 Reasons We Might Torture Again by Jonathan Turley (liberal)
Glenn Greenwald Unloads on Torture, CIA and Washington’s Rotten Soul by Glenn Greenwald (liberal)
Obama’s Orwellian War in Iraq: We Created the Very Threat We Claim to Be Fighting by Jeremy Scahill (liberal)
The Torture Report and the “Glomar Fig Leaf” by Jameel Jaffer (liberal)
CIA Apologists Deceived the Nation. Time To Put Them Under Oath by Joseph Margulies (liberal)
Torture Report Shows CIA Followed White House’s Lead by Stephen Kinzer (liberal)
Feinstein v. the CIA: A Moment of Truth by Robert Scheer (liberal)
Torture Report’s Big Bombshell: How a Glaring Double Standard Was Exposed by Jesselyn Radack (liberal)
Q&A: Daniel Ellsberg on US Surveillance by Sadie Luetmer and Daniel Ellsberg (liberal)
The Untold History of the United States by Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick (liberals)
CIA Oversight Needs Oversight by Bob Barr (conservative)
Torture Report Highlights Consequences of Permanent War by Andrew J. Bacevich (conservative)
The answer is this: Every one of these people has been a speaker at FFF conferences and events addressing foreign policy, civil liberties, torture, the war on terrorism, or the national-security state. All those articles have been published during 2014.
The question naturally arises: Since FFF’ s mission is to present an uncompromising case for libertarianism, what in the world are all those liberals and conservatives doing on the list?
The answer is this: All of these liberals and conservatives are among the most eloquent, passionate, and committed opponents of torture and the horrors associated with the U.S. government’s war on terrorism and interventionist foreign policy, and they are also among the most ardent defenders of civil liberties in the country.
In other words, when it comes to these specific issues, these particular liberals and conservatives are on the same page as libertarians. By making their case against torture and U.S. foreign interventionism and in favor of civil liberties from own individual ideological perspectives, they are, at the same time, making the libertarian case.
When we select speakers for our events, we do an extremely careful search into what a person has been publicly saying and writing about foreign policy, the war on terrorism, and civil liberties. That applies to not only to liberals and conservatives but also to libertarians.
What distinguishes every one of the people listed above — libertarians, liberals, and conservatives alike — is not only that they all make a principled case against foreign interventionism and torture and in defense of civil liberties but also that they have all have shown the courage to come out openly and publicly in defense of their principles. Oftentimes, that’s not an easy thing to do, especially during times of crisis, like the 9/11 attacks. That’s why we chose every one of them to speak at our events — because of their courageous and principled defense of civil liberties and their ardent opposition to the horrors associated with the war on terrorism and foreign interventionism, including torture.
Our broad array of speakers also goes to show that a principled case against foreign interventionism and torture and in favor of civil liberties transcends ideological differences. All the speakers know that we have differences on economic issues and social issues but what is great is that that hasn’t prevented us from getting together and sharing our common views with others.
Why do all these speakers speak out against the horrors of torture and foreign interventionism and why are they such ardent defenders of civil liberties?
Because every one of them knows that it’s the right thing to do. They know that unless America changes direction, the country will continue into a downward spiral into the dark side. And because they believe that by speaking out and making a principled case against torture and foreign interventionism and in favor of civil liberties, they can make a difference in moving America in a better direction.
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