From: higgins@fnalf.fnal.gov (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.misc
Subject: LP convention 1991(was Re: SF fans show libertarian inclination)
Date: 11 Jan 93 17:42:16 -0600
Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
NNTP-Posting-Host: fnalf.fnal.gov

In article <1i9mnnINNgvn@transfer.stratus.com>, jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com (Jim Mann) writes:
> In article <725750803snz@keris.demon.co.uk> chris@keris.demon.co.uk  
> (Chris Croughton) writes:
>> Also, fandom in general tends to be a "live and let live" society -
>> possibly because most of us are aware that by mundane standards  
>> we're
>> non-normal, and we'd *better* be tolerant of each other or we won't  
>> have
>> *anyone* who accepts us.  There are, of course, exceptions...
> 
> But of course live and let live is not all there is to 
> libertarianism. If that's all it was, a lot more of us would
> probably fall into the category.  Too much of libertarianism
> is also "if they can't work, let them starve, but don't make
> me spend my tax money on them."  

Wish I could remember who said this on the Net:  "Libertarians believe
it's okay to kill and eat the poor, as long as you pay a fair price
for them."

Reminds me of an exchange last winter (rummage, rummage... here it is...)
when  Jim Mann and James Nicoll were discussing more or less this same
subject.  I've added my own remarks.

In article <915@transfer.stratus.com>, jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com (Jim Mann) writes:
> In article <1992Feb25.013416.21999@watdragon.waterloo.edu>  
> jdnicoll@watyew.uwaterloo.ca (James Davis Nicoll) writes:
JDN>> ([Ursula Le Guin's] failure to bow at the altar of the One True 
JDN>> Libertarian Way) no doubt will limit her success among certain 
JDN>> segments of the SF community...
> 
JM> By the way, most SF writers are NOT libertarian. Thus, not bowing
JM> to the "One True Libertarian Way" is not a reason authors get
JM> criticized, either by other authors or by fans in general. 

In planning for the Worldcon in Chicago in 1991 (where Jim Mann,
incidentally, performed reasonably heroic services on fandom's behalf)
I learned that the Libertarian Party was holding its national
convention the very same week in the very same town!

Then I learned that this was not done by accident.

In my opinion, a political party that schedules its national
convention so delegates can conveniently attend the World Science
Fiction Convention is not yet ready to be taken seriously on the
American scene.  (-:

> (Yes, fandom
> probably has a higher percentage of libertarians than society as
> a whole, though the percentage is still small. I always thought
> talking to libertarians at SF convenetions was a good way to
> cure someone of libertarian tendencies.)

Hey, it worked for me.

     O~~*           /_) ' / /   /_/ '  ,   ,  ' ,_  _           \|/
   - ~ -~~~~~~~~~~~/_) / / /   / / / (_) (_) / / / _\~~~~~~~~~~~zap!
 /       \                          (_) (_)                    / | \
 |       |     Bill Higgins   Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
 \       /     Bitnet:     HIGGINS@FNAL.BITNET
   -   -       Internet:  HIGGINS@FNAL.FNAL.GOV
     ~         SPAN/Hepnet:      43011::HIGGINS