Plain Dealer Reporter Commits Libel; Conservative Ideologue Scores A Point

Recently, I’ve had some disagreements with a fellow blogger friend of mine, Speedothebrief, over at The Conservatorium of Conservatism on the issue of media bias. I've taken Speedo to task for making the non-statement that (duh!) the media is “biased” – in his view, a “liberal” bias – and that his time would be better spent pursuing more substantive issues.

Of course, as a libertarian, whose views are all but ignored by the “mainstream” media, its easy for me to sit back on my high horse and scoff at the incessant whining of him and his kind.

That is, until I see an article like this, in which the libertarian label is so blatantly slandered, one can only marvel at the sheer audacity - not to mention complete ignorance - of the author.

Here we have a former Geauga County Commissioner who advocates sterilization and castration of welfare mothers and deadbeat dads described as a “Republican-turned-Libertarian”.

Before I even had the chance to soundly scold this writer for spreading such vicious libel, I was told that Libertarian Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Peirce wrote a letter to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, asserting that Mr. Albert most certainly was NOT anything close to resembling a libertarian. While libertarians do believe in holding people accountable for their actions, no libertarian would ever agree that such cruel and unusual, not to mention barbaric, punishments would ever be suitable.

In the next few days, the following letter is expected to be published in that paper:

Michael O'Malley's article about Geauga County Commissioner Craig Albert (P.D., 27 April 2006) describes him as "Republican-turned-Libertarian." I object. Nothing in libertarian philosophy and no plank of the Libertarian Party platform could be construed to defend sterilization of welfare mothers or castration of fathers who fail to pay child support. Libertarians believe in individual freedom and responsibility and object to violence by government and efforts by government to control the bodies and lives of its citizens.

Call Mr. Albert any names you like, but don't call him Libertarian.

Bill Peirce
Libertarian Candidate for Governor of Ohio

Dr. Peirce was much more civil than I would have been, that’s for sure.

But in the humble spirit so admirably displayed by Dr. Peirce, let me offer this olive branch:

Speedo…you may be right. Media bias is a real bitch.