Re: [Salon] Freedom Conservatism: A Statement of Principles



You are not just making it about Warren, but about a great many conservatives who do not fit into your neat little characterization of all conservatves as Fascists and your blatant distortion of the political theory of leading American thinkers such as Willmoore Kendall and George Carey. Tom Pauken



Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone


-------- Original message --------
From: Todd Pierce via Salon <salon@listserve.com>
Date: 8/2/23 11:53 AM (GMT-06:00)
To: Warren Coats <wcoats@gmail.com>
Cc: SALON Admin <salon@committeefortherepublic.org>
Subject: Re: [Salon] Freedom Conservatism: A Statement of Principles

Why do you keep making this about yourself personally Warren, when I’m criticizing the people and ideology that served the fascists of the Operation Condor countries who supported them, to especially include Friedman? I’m not saying that because you share his economic theory, that you’re “indicted” for the consequences Friedman’s political activities. Though not denying that I vigorously disagree with presenting Friedman as standing for “Freedom,” for reasons I’ve explained in the past (see Bolivia, Indonesia, Brazil, . . . ).

On Aug 2, 2023, at 11:45 AM, Warren Coats <wcoats@gmail.com> wrote:

Todd,

The Chicago Boys (some were my classmates at Chicago) were students of Arnold Harberger (whose wife was Chilean) not Friedman’s. They may well of had something to do with Pinochet’s voluntary giving up rule. I have also visited countries with bad rulers (e.g., Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, Kosovo, Serbia, South Sudan) in an effort to move them in a freer direction not to support or strengthen bad governments. Should I not have tried? 


Warren Coats
1211 S Eads St. #2101
Arlington VA 22202
Mobile 703 608-2975
http://wcoats.blog/  http://works.bepress.com/warren_coats/ https://twitter.com/wcoats2



On Aug 2, 2023, at 12:20 PM, Todd Pierce <todd.e.pierce@icloud.com> wrote:

A friend of mine, a former high-ranking DOD and State Department official whom I’d shared this with, shared this with me: 
"A list of enemies of the state, many of whom I know and can assure you that is the right appellation.”

In regard to my comment of the other day of warmongering Southern Republicans whom I’d said were “Batshit Crazy,” he pointed out: "We used just call them SRMM's (Stark-Raving Mental Midgets)."

As to Friedman, "I suppose that you think my dissertation advisor, Milton Friedman, is a fascist too.” Certainly he supported fascists of Chile and through his apostles/acolytes, the other fascist countries allied with Pinochet making up Operation Condor, which we’ve discussed in the past. So yes, I do. You can’t support fascists, and not be allied with them as in a coalition. 

Here’s just one example of the literature on Friedman’s support for “internal war” in the form of extreme government repression"

"Friedrich Hayek visited Chile in 1977 and 1981, and he had a favorable opinion of Pinochet: “Sometimes it is necessary for a country to have, for a time, some form of dictatorial power. As you will understand, it is possible for a dictator to govern in a liberal way. And it is also possible for a democracy to govern with a total lack of liberalism,” Hayek said in 1981. 

The effective freedom of a person is only guaranteed by an authoritarian government,”Sergio de Castro said in 1976. At the end of the dictatorship, De Castro would repeat this idea even more brutally: “con una metralleta en la raja, todo Chile trabaja.” (That is, “with a machine gun up their asses, all Chileans work.”) 

. . . .

"The social crisis led to massive protests that put the dictatorship at risk. Pinochet asked for De Castro’s resignation, “marking the end of the Chicago Boys’ ‘naive’ phase in power”, said Valdés. The course of the dictatorship’s final phase was set by more pragmatic neoliberals, such as Treasury Minister Hernán Büchi (1985-1989).”

If I had the time, I know that I could show that virtually everyone of the people on that list (you excepted Warren:-) of so-called “Freedom Lovers” have supported every US war as long as I can remember. Which is quite a while!

So if you line yourself up with Karl Rove and Daniele Pletka, and AEI and Heritage, etc., don’t blame me for calling your "mates “ warmongerers! Because they are!

And let me point out that your previous acknowledgement that you either don’t read what I write, or if you do, you can’t understand it, seems continued, as I didn’t call you a "warmongering militarist??” 

I called your co-signing colleagues that! And if you’re going to tell me that they’re not, then I’m going to ask for some evidence of that. As it is overwhelming to the contrary that they are!


On Aug 2, 2023, at 10:45 AM, Warren Coats <wcoats@gmail.com> wrote:

Todd,

I am a warmongering militarist??? Do you ever actually read anything by the very diverse group of us you keep lumping together. Try my condemnation of the Iraq War https://www.amazon.com/Iraq-American-Tragedy-My-Travels-Baghdad-ebook/dp/B08GQKDNGF/ref=sr_1_5?crid=10ON15E99H8X6&keywords=Warren+Coats&qid=1690821244&s=books&sprefix=warren+coats%2Cstripbooks%2C63&sr=1-5 

I suppose that you think my dissertation advisor, Milton Friedman, is a fascist too.
 
Warren Coats
1211 S Eads St. #2101
Arlington VA 22202
Mobile 703 608-2975
http://wcoats.blog/  http://works.bepress.com/warren_coats/ https://twitter.com/wcoats2



On Aug 2, 2023, at 10:00 AM, Todd Pierce via Salon <salon@listserve.com> wrote:







This archive was generated by a fusion of Pipermail (Mailman edition) and MHonArc.