Language

I'll Begin by Stating Where Baylen & I Agree

Submitted August 27, 2004 - 7:31 pm by Al Giordano
Jeff,

I'm not pulling out the KY on this one. There is good in Baylen and, in between other pressing tasks today, I have been trying to formulate in my mind a strategy not merely to destroy his arguments, but, rather, to bring him along... to educate the youngster... And to put on a good show here, of course, for the rest of the copublishers and readers, because a good debate is good for business (to use a term to which that "economic libertarians" can relate)!

So let me start with the points on which I think there is common ground:

We both oppose drug prohibition.

We both oppose it with a passion.

We both believe in democracy (although I've thought about, practiced, and lived the topic for a few more years than Baylen... I practically knew Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine! And I think my views on "authentic democracy," in which the Economic State must be democratized as much as the Governmental State, are just plain things that Baylen hasn't thought enough about.)

We both believe that The State should leave us all the hell alone.

We disagree, clearly, in how we define "The State." He seems to think The State is only government. My experience is that The State encompasses the "private sector" too. This is where this debate is going to rock. I believe in freedom from ALL the States. He believes in freedom from just one of them.

But since I believe that he really believes in freedom, per se, I think he can be brought along with reason and facts.

Okay, more tasks in daily life before launching my side of this debate... But here I come, shortly, to a computer screen near you and him, to pull my load in this long overdue debate...

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