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Nick Gillespie is the host of The Reason Interview podcast and editor-at-large at Reason Magazine. He and Bridget discuss the need to create meaning in our lives and why this has driven a lot of American culture insane, how he became a libertarian, Burning Man, his time working for a teen magazine, and why we need a government that does fewer things, but does them well. He shares how attending high school graduations and zoning board meetings radicalized him, the difference between liberals and progressives, how we can build a robust culture by having more arguments, and how he learned almost anything is possible. He and Bridget cover their hope for the future, why Walter Kronkite sucked, the consequences of growing up comfortable, and the truth behind our political parties’ ideologies.
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Published in: General
Good (but long) interview
First item: I looked at the length and thought “crap, 2.5 hours, I don’t have time for that! Well, I’ll listen and see how far I get.” Of course, as usual, Ms. Phetasy does a great job with the interview, and Mr. Gillespie is smart, interesting and engaging. So I listened to the whole thing, straight through. Curse you, Bridget!
Second item: Regarding Breonna Taylor – police did have a “no knock” warrant issued originally, but it was verbally rescinded before the raid, becoming a “knock and announce” warrant. Thus, they did knock, and loudly. In fact, everyone agrees they knocked, because even the boyfriend in the apartment indicated that they were awakened by loud pounding at the door. The debate is now only about whether the officers verbally identified themselves while knocking. They say yes, the boyfriend says he did not hear it. So there you go, who knows the truth. But the rabid debate this sparked about “no knock” warrants was moot as far as this incident was concerned: in fact and in practice it was NOT a no knock entry. That said, I think we both agree that the raid was ill conceived and very likely unnecessary, so it is a tragedy that was totally avoidable.
Third (and final) item: I agree with probably 90% of Gillespie’s points, but he suffers from a blind spot that many (but by no means all) libertarians share: believing abortion is consistent with any political philosophy of “live and let live”. Under no concept of freedom can your rights include the “freedom” to take an innocent human life. Any more than we can say “folks, you are free to join a club (freedom of assembly and association), and if your club becomes a gang, you are free to practice drive by shootings to take out any inconvenient enemy gang members.” The only difference here is the age of the deceased. Sorry, you have freedom to live your life, not to deny life to others without just cause. We went through a similar moral battle over the enslavement of other humans, eventually coming out on the right side on that matter. Seems we still have a way to go “to make the world a better place”.