The Liberty When We Feel Like It Film Festival

Some time ago the misnamed Liberty Film Festival was started by Right-wing statists in California. Every year it promotes anti-liberty, pro-war, pro government films. And they call this liberty.

With the rabid David Horowitz being one of their head cheerleaders this year they are focusing on scaring Americans to death with the “alien menace”. Of course they are always big on the Islamic menance. Conservatives always have a menace to worry about. That’s how they terrify people into supporting big government while paying lip service to liberty.

These year’s big “scare” film is Border by Chris Burgard which is being pushed by the “David Horowitz Freedom Center”. I’m glad they have a center for freedom. I was wondering where they were putting it when they keep taking it away from the rest of us. If Mr. Horowitz would let me know where it is I’d like to get some back.

If you want to get an idea of the sort of rhetoric to expect from this film consider the conversation between Burgard and Lou-ny Dobbs of CNN. Dobbs has turned into one the most misinformed ignorant advocates of anti-libertarian views in the major media today. So he and Burgard were having a love fest -- or is it a hate fest? -- or perhaps its a fear fest?. Take your pick.

Dobbs stated that his problem with the Bush administration is that they don’t have enough enforcement. We need more police agents enforcing more laws. He wants Homeland Security beefed up not abolished. Hey Lou, maybe we need an Enabling Act?

Burgard describes immigration as “a war going on down there and the Americans are losing.” A war! Oh, boy. Conservatives want to give us another war. We had the wonderfully successful and liberty-enhancing war on drugs. Then they gave us that other successful, freedom-loving war on terror. And the war in Iraq, another smashing success. Now they want a war on fruit pickers, waiters and gardeners.

Raise the flag. Start singing God Bless America, here come the conservatives with another war. If they can come up with a couple more wars to fight Americans won’t have any freedom left.

Of course this is all the pro-war crowd. If you wonder who are the morons that still give Bush the sliver of an approval rating, these would be them.

The premier of the film will not only have the silly Mr. Horowtiz but that “libertarian” Larry Elders. Elders is one of these new breed of libertarians who love the label but not the principles. A jihad against Mexicans is a small step for Elder really. After all once he wanted to march into Iraq based on the say-so of the Imperial President. After that there isn’t any anti-liberty view he couldn’t embrace.

I did meet the founders of this film festival once. I asked them about some really great films with a pro-liberty theme such as Rabbit Proof Fences and East/West. I got a blank look and the confession that neither of them had ever heard of these films. I rattled off a few more to equally blank responses.

There is no real liberty film festival being held anywhere. This is just a Right-wing confab shrouded in the garb of liberty but which frequently, though not always, endorses big government. And “securing the borders” is big on the Right-wing “pro-liberty” agenda.

Consider what this will do for liberty. First, it will cost American taxpayers billions which has to be paid for in taxes. More taxes, more spend, that enchances liberty. And the wall they want will also require the confiscation of private homes, businesses and property. Another pro-liberty perspective. In the name of securing the borders Americans will need passports to re-enter the US from Canada or Mexico -- a new requirement. Even a bus trip I took in the US was stopped in the middle of nowhere by border brownshirts who demanded that everyone on the bus produce their papers -- I’ve seen that in old films but it was always the Nazis doing it. This is what securing the border means. You tell me what that does to liberty.

Of course the reason people cross in the desert and the middle of nowhere is because legal crossings are closed to them. Close people’s legal venues to enhance their life and they will take illegal actions instead. The film apparently worries about drug smuggling again ignoring the role that pharmaceutical Prohibitionism plays is worsening the prolems associated with drugs. And it hints that terrorists -- oh, you knew that conservatives would have to smuggle that in somewhere -- might be crossing the border. They aren’t interested in the issue of blowback in foreign policy. It’s all because them there Arabs follow the wrong deity.

Meanwhile this film lover waits patiently for a real liberty film festival. One that promotes free markets, social equality and tolerance, with a pro-peace foreign policy (free trade and non-interventionism). This isn’t that festival. It’s the Sometimes Liberty Festival or maybe the Liberty When We Feel Like It Festival.