Regarding the subject, Q.E.D. On Tue, 22 Jul 1997, Jeff Barber wrote:
Grover Norquist has coined the term "The Leave-us-alone Coalition" that simply wants the government out of everything they have no constitutional authority to be in. They perceive government as an intrinsic evil and the only thing that should be done is to slay the dragon. I would number Eagle Forum and the Progress and Freedom Foundation in this group.
Sure, *they* want to be left alone, but I wouldn't trust these groups to leave the rest of us alone. They'll want to make sure that we're not ingesting any controlled substances, and that we're not shacking up with an unmarried partner, and that we're not peeking at porn or engaging in "abnormal" sexual practices, and that we pray to the right god at the right time, and so forth. These groups are not friends of liberty. Like the traditional "liberals", they seek not so much to slay the dragon as to replace it with their own. If they currently happen to agree with "us" on net issues, fine. Otherwise, give me true libertarians anyday.
You either missed or paraphrased my second paragraph. My point is precisely that the rift is between those who want to use government to regulate the things you mention, and those who don't think it is the government's business, whether they consider them good or bad. The organizations I mentioned here specifically don't want the federal government trying to control these things. In general, sacrificing one's own liberty in an attempt to limit someone else's behavior when it doesn't affect anyone else, even if it is self-destructive, is silly. Both France and the United States had revolutions at about the same time. One eventually established liberty and the other a reign of terror, but both thought they were "true libertarians".
The first group are deserting the Republican party as such in droves (look for a Libertarian party pickup if the party avoids being too libertine).
Hah! Can anyone imagine the Libertarians supporting an Anti-abortion amendment, or a school prayer amendment or a flag-burning amendment? No, I don't think these folks will be joining the Libertarian party anytime soon.
Political parties are defined by their members and a membership change would result in a policy change. I can imagine a 10th ammendment style anti-abortion ammendment which would overturn Roe v. Wade and remove the federal government from the debate. I can also imagine a similar ammendment returning us to "public schools" instead of the current "government schools" which would have prayers or not as part of their local policy. And I have heard many "conservative Republicans" say that they should trivially alter the constitution for something like flag descration. But I will even go further. There is such an organization as Libertarians for Life - where you stand on the abortion question is dependent on when you think a human life becomes a person with constitutional protections, not on whether you think there should be laws against murder, or whether people who want medical procedures should be able to have them, which there is almost unanimous agreement on. The rift in the Republican party will cause a similar one in the Libertarian party, between the Actonite and Libertine and even the anarchical wings. Even libertarinaism is not a point, but a continuum. True libertarians all agree that my rights end where yours begin, but not on exactly where that line is, and rights are only one side of the equation. Liberty is precious and a delicate balance which is why it is so rare. Liberty has a cost of personal responsibility. Ingesting controlled substances can affect me if they drive or work for me. Remember that the other side of this is that I would be able to personally evaluate all these things when deciding to hire someone I intend for a long term position - they can have all their privacy but no job, or would have to act under my definition of responsibility - and you would be equally free to hire people who met your standards. Or to update the old joke, A socialist is a libertarian who has overdosed or injured someone during a blackout, had a child out of wedlock, or has contracted a STD. They probably start praying too :).