Judge Andrew Napolitano is an Excellent Libertarian

From: D
Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2019 2:39 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Napolitano’s no libertarian

I love these Trump years.  Something about this guy’s presidency that forces people to show who they really are.   You and Ron Paul, among others, remain as you have always been, very consistent Libertarians. Thanks!

Others, like Napolitano? Not so much.  His opinions on Trump and obstruction are very telling.  More on that in a sec.

First, let’s discuss the Libertarian credentials of someone who fashions himself as “Judge”.  If I had been appointed or elected as a Magistrate by an Authoritarian govt. and then later became a Libertarian I don’t think I’d find honor in having my fellow citizens (rather forcibly) encouraged to call me “honorable” or  “your honor”.   And if Judges are honorable, then whose definition of honor do we mean?   The government’s definition?   Ha.  There is no honor among thieves, as it’s said. Is it the same honor bestowed to John McCain, the bloodthirsty and peevish master of War?   I won’t belabor the point; you get my drift.  Regardless of any of his policy position or principles, Napolitano will need to ditch the Judge-for-a-criminal-cartel honor before he can seriously be thought of as a Libertarian.

And then there’s his opinion that Trump committed obstruction of justice.  That’d be a hard one to defend.  If Trump committed no crime, then how could anything he did have prevented justice from being served? Justice WAS served. You can’t obstruct when there’s nothing to obstruct. In our legal world, no charges I’d the very definition of “exoneration”. Pax ! D

From: Walter Block [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2019 6:53 PM
To: D
Subject: RE: Napolitano’s no libertarian

Dear D:

I agree with you on the obstruction business. But, my friend Andrew is still a libertarian, and a magnificent one. Just because I disagree with an eminent libertarian, doesn’t mean that they cease to be precisely that. Heck, I’ve disagreed with other leading libertarians, Rothbard, Hoppe, Kinsella, Paul, many more. If I followed your reasoning, I’d practically be the only libertarian in the world.

Further, according to the principle you laid out (don’t use statist honorifics), Ron Paul, too, is not a good libertarian, since he often signs off as Congressman Paul. Ditto for his son, Rand Paul, who, after all, is a US Senator.

No, not only is Judge Andrew Napolitano an excellent libertarian, he is one of our leading lights. I would hazard a guess that, next to Congressman Ron Paul, he is now the second most famous libertarian in our movement, well, maybe, tied with Senator Rand Paul.

Best regards,

Walter

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7:42 am on August 6, 2019