Libertarian Commentary #16-10B, by Nathan Barton

In breaking news on Friday, Freedom’s Phoenix (publisher Libertarian Ernest Haycock) announced that Romney has declared to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that he is running for president, despite his claim (during his attack on Donald Trump on Wednesday) that he is not doing so. “After stating he is “not running for president,” lo and behold, what do we find? That, in fact, he has filed papers to run for president with Paul Ryan as VP.” As proof, the Phoenix cited an FEC document [pdf]. But when I read that document, I see that it was filed with the FEC on 30 January 2016, more than a month ago. How is this breaking news? According to the committee number, this is the same committee that ran his election campaign in 2012, and before this, was updated most recently in October of 2015. And yes, I checked. Paul Ryan, now Speaker of the House, was the running mate in 2012. Gee, do you suppose this is NOT breaking news at all, and that maybe Romney was flat-out lying about not running in 2016? And do you suppose this helps the cause of liberty how?

Meanwhile, there are big subject lines and headlines reporting that Cruz whumped Trump in Kansas and Maine. An example is the New York Times. But when you read the stories, you find that these were caucuses on Saturday, and that Trump beat out Cruz in two OTHER states: Louisiana and Kentucky. You also learn that Sanders won in both Nebraska and Kansas, while Clinton won a bunch of delegates in Louisiana. Sounds to me like the shouts of triumph about the fall of Trump are a wee bit premature. I DO note what a number of liberty-lovers have written: NONE of the four will make a president who will restore liberty and sanity. None will significantly roll back ANY of big government. None will solve the problems that are facing us, and for which the first step is admitting that government can NOT solve them. (Neither will Romney, of course.)

Any more than our government or any other can solve the problem of the epidemic of war in the Muslim World, the Ummah. In addition to the usual weekly massacres of other Muslims and the less-frequent Jew or Christian (all so-called), we find this story from Yemen in World Net Daily. A homeless shelter charity established by none other than Mother Teresa herself was attacked by “rebel” Islamist gunmen who killed nuns and those receiving care alike, although some nuns hid and were spared. People, these nuns and their patients and helpers had no ability to defend themselves. They claim to put their trust in God, while ignoring His own teachings and commands. No doubt, they are being praised in Catholic parishes around the world as martyrs for their faith, but their faith was NOT in the God of the Bible, and they were NOT killed because they were believers in God and followers of Christ Jesus, but because they were easy, convenient, unarmed, unprotected targets. Several stories used this as support for their theme that the West must “restore” legitimate, good government to 25-million people in Yemen, but it is government (indeed, too much government) that has created the mess there. Too much faith in government, and too little in God.

Which brings me back to both the Fifty States’ 2016 campaign for who gets to be Massa next, and religion. Fire-Breathing Christian, normally a pretty interesting religious website, got involved in politics this week. “Donald Trump’s brand of Christianity is the natural product of Max Lucado’s, and until we deal honestly with that hard truth, it’ll only get worse from here.” The article attacks Max Lucado as a “pastor” who exemplifies “evangelical Christian” pastors who are more concerned about civility and “Decency” than truth and moral rightness. FBC is right to attack Lucado, who long ago abandoned Biblical truth for popularity, joining hundreds of other money- and praise-grubbing preachers who teach what people want to hear (See 2^nd Timothy 4:8 [biblehub.com/2_timothy/4-3.htm]) and not what they are supposed to be doing. And FBC is right to attack “evangelical Christians” in general for selling out their faith for the pottage of government promises and claims and help. But the cause of this sell-out is missed completely: the idea that government is anything that is GOOD and GODLY, and a complete failure to follow Scripture in organizing and living their lives as His supposed disciples, had led to this mess and the “horror” of Donald Trump being supported by so many who CLAIM to be followers and supporters of Jesus. Unless FBC and other advocates identify the root cause: in day-to-day practice, replacing GOD with government; they cannot change the situation, and indeed will just let it get worse.

A quick side note to Politics 2016. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan died Sunday, March 6, in Southern California at age 94, according to NBC News, marking yet another end to the Reagan legacy that the GOP worships nearly as much as the Dems worship “Camelot” (the Kennedy era) and a lot more than most of them worship God. Was this also Nancy Reagan’s attitude? Reports are mixed, but she is now in God’s court, not human ones.

Back to other news about how government (and faith in government) solves nothing and creates horrible misery and worse: The WaPo tells a sordid tale of how District of Columbia police run not only a police state, but one in which terror is a vital element of their wars on guns and some drugs, how 14% of warrants for searches do NOT meet constitutional requirements, let alone requirements of “decency” and ethics and morals. Of how peaceful and innocent people are terrorized and attacked by cops with the aid of courts and elected officials, with no recourse, while supposedly the lawmakers and Executive Branch mandarins a few blocks away are “protecting freedom” around the world. With some recent reviews of history, I wonder if the squatter there at 1600 PA is doing his version of Nero fiddling while Rome burned?