Why can't we have U.K.'s Tony Benns representing America *FOR THE PEOPLE*?
"The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults."
Alexis de Tocqueville
French Historian & political scientist 1805-1859
Only two American politicians come to mind when it's about intellectual enunciation and truthfulness on par with the retired Labour Party parliament member (U.K.) Tony Benn - Ron Paul and Mike Gravel.
Mike Gravel disappeared off the radar when he lost the re-election bid to remain in Senatorial seat in Alaska in 1980. 26 years later, he returned with concerned outrage astonishingly similar to Tony Benn's complaining about the depravity of power in Washington -- "absolute power corrupt absolutely". YouTube video of Mike Gravel: A Leader.
Tony Benn is amazing for his lucid view of the world in philosophical terms -- not only for his brilliant analysis of the modern world, particularly America, but also his vigorous energy in never stopping to explain and debate considering his advanced age like a political sage wiser than his younger and ignorant peers susceptible to the sphere of corrupted favors and greed (excepting George Galloway - YouTube video of Mr. Galloway kicking the cowardly, bottom-feeding US Senate's ass).
I had told some people I'm a socialist and they recoil in horror and ridicule at that mention. They assume I'm a godless communist. Far from it. Tony Benn is a "committed socialist" (as he calls himself on the political campaign poster back in the 50's). Because of Tony Benn's timeless wisdom, he has reaffirmed my position as a "socialist libertarian" (however bizarre and confounding the description may be). This despite my support for Ron Paul's campaign to become president of the United States.
The following videos are excerpts from the documentary movie Sicko and the longer version (probably 15 minutes at least) "More with Mike & Tony Benn" in special features section on DVD. I have not found the longer version cut available on Google Video or YouTube because of copyright restriction, so rent Sicko and check out the interview with Tony Benn after the movie.
Trust me, Tony Benn is f*cking awesome.
Kick Them All Out project -- take back the Congress in 2008!
YouTube playlist - "Big Ideas that Changed the World - Democracy" with Tony Benn
(50 sec)
(2:40 min)
(1:40 min)
(5 min)
That description is far from bizarre and confounding. Indeed Libertarianism was originally an idea of the left, espoused to varying degrees by George, Proudhon, Kropotkin, Bakunin and many others.
If I had to classify myself politically, I would describe myself as a libertarian socialist.
Although I oppose statism and I believe the life of the individual should be as free as possible from interference from governments, I can not endorse what is commonly considered 'libertarian' (actually libertarian capitalism) and its attendant belief that private ownership of resources is sacrosanct.
I believe that due to the elite privilege held by the few over the many that is inherent in a 'pure' capitalist system, by extension 'libertarian' capitalism is fundamentally undemocratic and essentially anti-libertarian.
Whether you agree with socialism or some variant of socialism or not, you simply cannot apply the label libertarian to any form of socialism. Be honest with your terms and then I might grant that your ideas have a valid place in a debate (where it will be shot down rather quickly).
Socialism is the use of force to take something from one person and give it to another. The core of libertarianism is opposition to that idea.
You cannot reconcile the two. Perhaps what you want is a superficially 'mild' form of socialism in which some individual liberties are protected, but not the right to the products of one's own labor. At the core of this, as with any socialism, is the use of force. If an individual opposed the taking of his property to give to another, any form of socialism would support the use of force on that individual, whether to shoot him, lock him in jail, or keep him out of the way while his property is removed.