Kent Mcmanigal

[Nico]

Even Raul Poll become President of the United States, problem will be the Congress. But he is the better Republican candidate

[Ash]

And who you prefer for Libertarian Candidate ?

[Roniberal]

And who you prefer for Libertarian Candidate ?

Since you are touching on the subject of the Libertarian debate, I am anxious to tell Kent McManigal that I am disappointed to see the presence of some candidates who have nothing to do with our ideas such as Daniel Imperato, Mike Jingozian, Bob Jackson or Georges Phillies.

What do you think of the evolution of the Party, Kent?

[A.B.]

Since you are touching on the subject of the Libertarian debate, I am anxious to tell Kent McManigal that I am disappointed to see the presence of some candidates who have nothing to do with our ideas such as Daniel Imperato, Mike Jingozian, Bob Jackson or Georges Phillies.

What do you think of the evolution of the Party, Kent?

I think that Kent is approved by the "Boston Tea" Party (pun intended) which is a more radical spinoff of the LP. I'd be glad to have your take on this as well.

[Sous-Commandant Marco]

Kent, thanks a lot for taking the time to visit us! You prove the greatness of the USA and you give us a lot of hope.

Next stop: Ron Paul! Ron Paul, Ron Paul, Ron Paul, please come visit us!

[Kent McManigal]

And who you prefer for Libertarian Candidate ?

I really don't have a favorite, since I don't feel any of the candidates are "libertarian enough" for me. I am a radical, and none of them are.

What do you think of the evolution of the Party, Kent?

I think the Libertarian Party has become more concerned with getting elected than with showing people why libertarians are different from other parties. I was trying to promote both the Libertarian Party and the Boston Tea Party. I would like to see the LP get back to its more radical roots. I did not like the "reforms" that the LP adopted last summer.

[A.B.]

I really don't have a favorite, since I don't feel any of the candidates are "libertarian enough" for me. I am a radical, and none of them are.

Come on you don't have a favorite prison warden ?

[Kent McManigal]

I think that Kent is approved by the "Boston Tea" Party (pun intended) which is a more radical spinoff of the LP. I'd be glad to have your take on this as well.

I'm not sure the BTP ever "approved" me. I do think I fit into their vision better than the new LP.

[Ash]

Since you are touching on the subject of the Libertarian debate, I am anxious to tell Kent McManigal that I am disappointed to see the presence of some candidates who have nothing to do with our ideas such as Daniel Imperato, Mike Jingozian, Bob Jackson or Georges Phillies.

Georges Phillies ? Why ?

[Roniberal]

I did not like the "reforms" that the LP adopted last summer.

Finally, you renounced the race for the Libertarian nomination because you knew that your views didn't agree with the ones of the Party any more, didn't you?

Georges Phillies ? Why ?

Read his profession of faith: Georges Phillies is an authentic progressive and, moreover, his solutions on education are "half one thing and half another"…

[Kent McManigal]

Finally, you renounced the race for the Libertarian nomination because you knew that your views didn't agree with the ones of the Party any more, didn't you?

The main reason I quit was because I did not want to accept donations. I felt very strongly about this. The problem was that without filing with the Federal Election Commission, forming a campaign committee, and opening a bank account for donations I was being "left out of the loop" as they say. I finally decided that since I knew I was too radical for the LP anyway, and the BTP wasn't really going anywhere, I could do just as much good by allowing myself to be used as a "write-in" candidate and to keep promoting radical libertarianism and anarchism.

[Jesrad]

Hi Kent, and Welcome !

May I ask what your opinion is on counter-economics as a method for advancing freedom ?

[Kent McManigal]

May I ask what your opinion is on counter-economics as a method for advancing freedom ?

Anything which takes control out of the hands of government, like counter-economics does, will help advance freedom. As much as possible we should ignore government and live our lives as we see fit. I see counter-economics as a way of ignoring the governments wishes to control our lives through regulation of trade.

[Nico]

You are a lucky guy because you live in America. Paris is not only the France, you can't realize the socialist level of this land. It is really terrible. You have people who are conviced that the residents of Cuba, and URSS in the past, live better than americans. They are totally idiots.

[Kent McManigal]

You are a lucky guy because you live in America.

I realize that. I also see how quickly things are becoming socialist here. I want to try to prevent it, because it is easier to prevent than to repair it once the damage is done. I am only one person. I feel powerless against the growing police-state. It frustrates me that Americans don't see the dangers of government. I write on my blog, but few people read it. I write to newspapers, but then I get angry letters saying I am insane. I thougt that by running for President I could spread my message better. I think it worked to some degree. I keep looking for ways to do more without getting arrested. Some day it may be that it is not possible to avoid arrest while opposing government. I wonder if I will keep speaking out, or if I will sit down and be quiet.

[Roniberal]

Paris is not only the France, you can't realize the socialist level of this land.

I think you labour under a very French failing: believing that grass is greener anywhere else…

I wonder if I will keep speaking out, or if I will sit down and be quiet.

Do you know that the French liberal party is going to organize internal elections? If you don't adhere to the ideals of the Libertarian Party any more, you can always try to "make a take over bid" for the French liberal party.

[Jesrad]

I thougt that by running for President I could spread my message better.

At the very least, it helped signal that not all sense was lost on the other shore of the Ocean

Do you think any significant spontaneous organisation among freedom-minded people is possible ? Here I'm thinking of a simple "constitution" of sorts, a protocol (in the diplomatic sense), that anyone can adhere to voluntarily, binding oneself to not report liberarian activity to the government fellow adherents might engage in, to respect the non-agression principle, to go out of one's way and protect other adherents in immediate danger, and to have one's disputes with another adherent arbitrated in private instead of mishandled by public institutions. Adherence and manifest obedience to these rules would be required in order to access goods and services from other adherents. I would be interested to hear if such protocols exist in the US.

[Kent McManigal]

Here I'm thinking of a simple "constitution" of sorts, a protocol (in the diplomatic sense), that anyone can adhere to voluntarily

I think the best thing of this sort out there is the Covenant of Unanimous Consent

Thinking that the grass is greener elsewhere is a universal human condition. We all suffer from that at one time or another, whether it is freedom, lovers, jobs, vehicles, or the way we look.

I don't need a political party to help me speak my mind. I just need other people who want freedom as much as I do. If some of them want to form or "take over" a political party as part of their strategy, then that is fine with me.

[Roniberal]

Thinking that the grass is greener elsewhere is a universal human condition.

I think that this "illness" is particularly an integral part of French liberals' behaviour.

I don't need a political party to help me speak my mind.

I was joking.

[Kent McManigal]

Do you easily find other people in France who believe in Freedom, or is it as difficult as it is in America?

[Roniberal]

Do you easily find other people in France who believe in Freedom, or is it as difficult as it is in America?

It depends.

In France, the liberal movement is sometimes comparable to the neo-conservative movement and I think that the consequences have been harmful.

Luckily, Internet is there to compensate the laziness of some liberals.

[Jesrad]

Do you easily find other people in France who believe in Freedom, or is it as difficult as it is in America?

Frankly, this is almost impossible You have to understand that bureaucracy and centralised government are everpresent in our lives from birth till death. The first reflex of the average french person, upon considering doing something out of the daily routine, is "is it authorised ? Do I need a permit ?". This is not even a caricature ! Something as simple as choosing one's healthcare plan is considered a crime, and people will resent it, sometimes violently (verbal violence up to explicit death threats and workplace harrassment, I'm not making this up) if you tell them you dislike being forced to contribute to public redistributive programs. Overall, in France, most people assume blindly that there should always be some political figure in charge, whatever the subject.

Fortunately, there is one thing that french people still have, it is defiance of arbitrary authority. For example, disguising oneself as a policeman and starting to demand outrageous or unusual things out of people in the street is the surest way to trigger this.

[Sous-Commandant Marco]

Do you easily find other people in France who believe in Freedom, or is it as difficult as it is in America?

I will give you a provocative answer. Many people believe in freedom, the same way as many people believe in God. However, when it is a matter or acting the same way as they preech, then it becomes another story.

What is difficult is to find people who believe in responsibility or true freedom, which means to respect the freedom and the rights of others.

[Nico]

I think you labour under a very French failing: believing that grass is greener anywhere else…

I know that, but France is a communist country compare to the United States. In France, it's simple :

- 50 % of your salary go to the State with high regulations

- And then, you have taxes ( 71 % of your income when you are rich, before the Sarkozy election ).

- You can't create a business, because you have a lot of idiots rules : it's forbidden to work at syndays, it's forbidden to work after seven o'clock at night, it's forbidden to fire employees whenever you want, even they have done a big mistake ( I have see a case more terrible with this ).

- The future for french young is not to create business, to know sucess, they want to become fonctionnaries, work for State.

More terrible.

Do you know that the French liberal party is going to organize internal elections? If you don't adhere to the ideals of the Libertarian Party any more, you can always try to "make a take over bid" for the French liberal party.

[Kent McManigal]

Many people believe in freedom, the same way as many people believe in God. However, when it is a matter or acting the same way as they preech, then it becomes another story.

That is the same everywhere. It is easy to follow others who have paved the way, but hard to be the first.

[Kent McManigal]

You have to understand that bureaucracy and centralised government are everpresent in our lives from birth till death. The first reflex of the average french person, upon considering doing something out of the daily routine, is "is it authorised ? Do I need a permit ?".

I saw that when I was talking to the Forum 21 posters. The very idea that they should be responsible for their own lives was incomprehensible to some of them. I think the person I was talking to was actually from Quebec, though.

Yet that attitude is more common in some places in America than other places. When I moved to Pennsylvania I was shocked at the way people seemed to bow to the government here. When I said something about owning guns, the first question was always "are they registered?" Yet, Pennsylvania does not require guns to be registered. You can go to the police station and tell them what guns you own if you want. To me that is equal to insanity. No one in rural Colorado would have imagined asking if a gun was "registered", nor would they volunteer to tell police what guns they own. The people around here seem to take their cues from New York City (a pit of socialist thinking) even though it is over 100 miles (3 hours driving) away.

[Roniberal]

- 50 % of your salary go to the State with high regulations

Euh… it is also the case in several countries…

[Jesrad]

I saw that when I was talking to the Forum 21 posters. The very idea that they should be responsible for their own lives was incomprehensible to some of them.

I think the biggest challenge we're facing is to make people distrustful of those "in charge". As long as people believe the government is here to protect them foremost, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they'll still cling to it out of fear from "losing" a security blanket. Stefen Molyneux likened this to the way people defend their parents against any criticism and blind themselves of any wrongdoing they may have done out of fear from being abandoned.

In order for people to take responsibility for themselves, the image of government as an idealised parental figure must be destroyed.

[A.B.]

Roniberal, would you please stop translating 'libéral' as liberal… it's probably confusing for our guest. To make sure, "libéral" in France kept its original meaning, classical liberal. ( Although in recent years it has been mostly used to label neocons, nationalists, and anything that supposedly kills baby for their blood. )

[Kent McManigal]

please stop translating 'libéral' as liberal… it's probably confusing for our guest.

I do keep reminding myself that the word has a different meaning in different places. That is why I normally call American "liberals" socialists. It is more honest. I rarely use the words "liberal" or "conservative" because of that. If an American "conservative" believes in government, then he is also a socialist, although many people think of them as "fascists". They all fall under the term "authoritarian".

I recommend you look at my "Political Hierarchy Chart"

I "allow" for some "liberalism" and "conservatism" that lie outside "socialism" and "fascism" to more clearly illustrate the relationships.

I apologize for the size of the illustration.