Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Sticks, Stones & Words Can Get Your a Thrashing at FreedomFest
Mark Skousen has a strange conception of libertarianism. He believes that a person may express his outrage physically against anyone who merely offends him, say, by writing an article that doesn't regard war vets as saints. Read the horrifying details at Roderick Long's Austro-Athenian Empire here.
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I'm not sure I understand what happened. The story says Mr. Skousen "insisted" on a physical confrontation. Does that mean he simply proposed the wrestling match and persuaded Mr. Casey to participate? Was it all done in the spirit of good, clean fun? Or did Mark Skousen hold a gun to Doug Casey's head? Or what?
No one says Skousen forced Casey to wrestle. Knowing Doug, I doubt Skousen could have done that. The point is that Skousen thinks a physical confrontation is justified as a matter of honor.
I wasn't there, but it sounds to me like he was just joking around. Notice the part about the jester's cap.
What does Doug Casey have to say about all this?
But he said the jester cap was a dunce cap. His statement to Davidson doesn't sound like a joke. I only know what was in Roderick's post. Maybe there's an explanation. If so, I hope Mark offers it.
We have only Mr. Davidson's paraphrase of what Mr. Skousen said to him, plus one out-of-context quote that could just be Mark Skousen saying speakers should be prepared to take harsh criticism.
Mr. Davidson strikes me as someone with an axe to grind.
I don't know Mark Skousen, but I've met him two or three times, and he struck me as an unusually nice guy. (Surely you know him better than I, Sheldon--am I not right, regardless of what you might think of his tenure as president of FEE?) His writings are pretty solidly libertarian, as far as I can tell--especially his essay "Persuasion vs. Force" (he sides with persuasion).
Despite all that, I know he's managed to offend a number of libertarians. This Klingonesque portrait of him smells more like a smear than an accurate rendering.
But yeah, I'd like to hear him respond to what Mr. Davidson is saying about him.
Russell, I hope you are right and that the story is not true. I was shocked when I heard it; that should give you some idea of my opinion of Skousen's commitment to liberty.
I too am very skeptical of this version. For me the main issue is how Doug Casey perceives the whole thing. And Doug is speaking at Freedom Fest again this year and has done so regularly. This includes "reasoned debates" he has had with other people.
While Mr. Skousen and I have our differences I have a difficult time with this story as it doesn't jive with what I know.
May I suggest a simple solution; why doesn't anyone ask Doug for his take before spreading this possibly distorted story?
Fair point. I don't have an email address or other contact for Casey. But I have written to Mark.
According to articles he wrote for LRC, Doug Casey's email is info@caseyresearch.com
Thanks. Stay tuned. I will have reaction from Skousen shortly.
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