Yes, agreed on all counts (is that a first?).

I watched Krem's video, and while it was entertaining, it was not illuminating. The two interviewers came across as smug ironists. Naive cynics with a limited grasp of points they have the false assumption they know absolutely.

In regards to Rush, it was Neil Peart that wrote the lyrics and was an Ayn Rand fan. Getty Lee and Alex Lifeson wrote the music mostly. Lee early on distanced himself from Peart's Ayn Rand fixation. So, to state the band were Ayn Rand fans is not exactly correct.

I like the band Rush, but found Peart's initial embrace of Ayn Rand repugnant and utimately incoherent. Rush's singles "Subdivisions", "Limelight", and "Tom Sawyer" are incompatible as philosophy. You either accept being an outsider and embrace it or you wallow in self-pity. I still enjoy the songs, even though I detest some of the ideas behind them. I find some of the lyrics worthwhile and the music moving. I think Neil Pert who wrote the songs has changed over the years. What he thought in his mid 20s was different when he reached his early 30s. I am sure he thinks much differently now than he did back then. He might still be a Libertarian in certain aspects, but his lyrics show a change in attitude about many issues that are not aligned with traditional Libertarianism or Objectivism.

Yes, smart ass you can go deeper into debt to correct fundementals like infrastructure that will ultimately allow you to get yourself out of debt. Cutting spending can be more harmful or dangerous than going deeper into debt, because it leaves the country weaker. It is easy for someone that does not have any skin in the game to offer solutions that don't ultimately affect the person proposing those solutions, because the oracle Libertarian has a safety net that those impacted by the budget cuts do not have.

False equivalencies espoused in this video:

1. Comparing Bush or Obama to Hitler. Bush took the U.S. under false pretenses into a war with Iraq that was similar to Hitler's invasion into Poland. Hitler fought two wars at the same time as did Bush. Hitler trashed the traditions of the German democracy, as Bush trampled on the US traditions like the instituting the Patriot Act and failing to adhere to the Geneva Convention, etc. It may be exagerated hyperbole, but it has a foundation in similar acts. I do not understand the similarity of Obama to Hitler.

2. Obama has been in the White House the last two years, so this is his mess. Well technically it has been 1 year and 9.5 months. Bush was President for 8 years, much of the mess was created and excaberated by Bush and his policies. It would be like a patient blaming their new doctor for not curing their cancer immediately, when their previous doctor misdiagnosed their condition and made it worse. The new doctor may have the patient improving from their initial near death existence, but the patient is not where he or she would like to be. No blame is given to the malpractice of the previous doctor in making the patient as sick as he was and still is.

I find Libertarians to be not even immature, but infantile in their world view. Self-absorbed pricks that have no idea how destructive their policies would be if every actually enacted. I can accept it in 20-30 year old guys. However, "men" pushing or over 40 and wearing it like a badge of honor are just ultimately sad.

I don't think so, but I could be wrong. We agree on very many points. It is the implementation that we diverge quite often.

mdana, to be fair, Reason very often puts the blame on Bush for spending like a drunken sailor and for starting the war - and yes, that happened even during his presidency. I don't think it's fair to portray them as Bush apologists. To me it's just a fun way to poke fun at the rallygoers inconsistencies, but they're not trying to be too righteous about it.

I liked the video mostly for the mood it showed at the rally - nothing too over the top, and very different from both tea party and regular liberal rallies.

For comparison, here's reason.tv's coverage of Glenn Beck's rally (including a pretty creepy shot of a teenager's chest):

SO MANY WHITE PEOPLE!

Honestly, the Beck rally looks like a cult.

Get that broad brush out...

My favorite sign from the rally.

I like this one




and

It was the only sign that I had no idea what it meant or what it was in reference. Does anyone know what it means?

I was incommunicado for like two weeks this fall, so I must have missed it. Thanks for the information, because it was driving me crazy.