This past Sunday, January 26, 2014, The New York Times had a front page article about Rand Paul. My take:
-The article had lots of useful information. It reminds us to not idealize politicians. Libertarians are more likely than most to avoid placing faith in politicians, although we obviously like some more than others.
-People learn from their mistakes. I’m thinking of people mentioned in the article who had racially charged views who later realized they were wrong.
-The article reflected typical Times bias, although at times the author seemed to admire Rand Paul. The article mentioned people who call themselves libertarian who praised the assassination of Lincoln. Later it pointed out this view is outside the mainstream of libertarian thinking.
-The article should have pointed out that libertarians have been among the strongest opponents of government-enforced racial discrimination. Some libertarians support the right of private parties to engage in forms of discrimination that are odious simply because libertarians value individual rights so highly.
Rick Miller