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Ben Swann’s Speech for the Colorado Libertarian Convention 2014

The convention for the Libertarian Party of Colorado was held at the Marriott Denver West in Golden, Colorado, the weekend of March 28 to 30, 2014.  Here is Ben Swann’s talk.

http://youtu.be/duSdCwXwCyQ

28 Comments

  1. paulie April 14, 2014

    I haven’t really heard of anyone from Young Americans for Liberty whitewashing Ronald Reagan

    Have you seen their modified OPH poster that they are sending all the YAL chapters with pictures of various politicians and their supposed places on the chart which shows Reagan to have been a libertarian? There are other distortions in that chart as far as where they place various politicians.

    or really engaging in what I’d call promoting a socially conservative agenda (and note that I attended YAL meetings a two colleges within the last couple of weeks),

    A number of the speakers at the regional YAL event in Auburn that I went to last year were doing that. I haven’t seen too much of that at the local chapter meetings of YAL that I have been to, so that kind of stuff seems to be coming from the top with the paid staffers and national organization, but the grassroots local chapters seem much more solidly libertarian, at least the ones I have seen in action personally.

    but I have seen them pushing the “libertarians should run as Republicans” a bit more than I’d like to see, and I’ve also seen them doing a bit more cozying up to Republicans than I’d like to see.

    Yep.

    Having said this, Young Americans for Liberty is officially a non-partisan organization, and they support people who have a pro-liberty ideology regardless of party affiliation or lack thereof. I’ve interacted with Young Americans for Liberty in several states and overall they are a great organization.

    I agree. But there is a bit of a conservative-libertarian fusionist element at the top of the organization.

  2. paulie April 14, 2014

    Exactly.

  3. Andy April 14, 2014

    A lot of the biggest government conspiracies that take place happen right out in the open. Remember, a conspiracy is when more than one person plots to commit a crime. I’d say that a conspiracy happens pretty much every time a legislative body meets.

    Also, there are lots of conspiracies that happen in government that most of the public never hears about. One example of this is that it is pretty common for the police to lie and trump up charges against people.

  4. Andy April 14, 2014

    Paul said: “‘I’d much rather take YAL over SFL anyway.’

    I like both groups, but YAL is too geared towards promoting Republicans and social conservatism, whitewashing Reagan, etc.”

    I haven’t really heard of anyone from Young Americans for Liberty whitewashing Ronald Reagan or really engaging in what I’d call promoting a socially conservative agenda (and note that I attended YAL meetings a two colleges within the last couple of weeks), but I have seen them pushing the “libertarians should run as Republicans” a bit more than I’d like to see, and I’ve also seen them doing a bit more cozying up to Republicans than I’d like to see. Having said this, Young Americans for Liberty is officially a non-partisan organization, and they support people who have a pro-liberty ideology regardless of party affiliation or lack thereof. I’ve interacted with Young Americans for Liberty in several states and overall they are a great organization.

    “Who is this guy,

    Heads up Students for Liberty and a top notch liberty activist.”

    I can’t say that I agree with a couple of comments that I’ve heard that he’s made.

  5. paulie April 14, 2014

    A lot of government official accounts are wacky too!

  6. Jill Pyeatt Post author | April 14, 2014

    David said: “A critical thinker evaluates claims by examining evidence and using common sense tools to attempt to find the truth.”

    Sometimes, a critical thinker evaluates claims by examining evidence and using common sense tools to attempt to find the truth, and realizes the conspiracy theory was correct.

  7. paulie April 14, 2014

    Government attorneys advance conspiracy theories all the time. Conspiracies, big and small, do exist, and a theory about one is just that. Some of the ones that actually exist may seem implausible. Others are wildly strung together bunk, or things which may seem plausible but are not based in reality. It does take critical thinking to sort through them.

    The term conspiracy theory is indeed a form of hate speech, since it is used to categorically label and dismiss theories which may or may not be valid as a substitute for thinking about them critically and as a bludgeon to bully others into immediately ignoring or ridiculing those theories as opposed to examining them critically. Granted, some of them deserve exactly that, for example “alien reptiles” and Obama “foreign birth” wacko nonsense, but not all do and the term “conspiracy theory” paints with far too wide a brush.

  8. David Cox April 14, 2014

    “Conspiracy theorists,” at least as the label is commonly used, are people who build a narrative, no matter how implausible it may be, to fit a desired conclusion. A critical thinker evaluates claims by examining evidence and using common sense tools to attempt to find the truth.

    Conspiracy theorism is just another form of hate speech, making accusations with no proof other than “hunches” and “feelings.”

  9. paulie April 14, 2014

    There would be no “conspiracy theories” if there were no conspiracies.

    Some conspiracy theories are valid, others are garbage, some in between.

    I’d much rather take YAL over SFL anyway.

    I like both groups, but YAL is too geared towards promoting Republicans and social conservatism, whitewashing Reagan, etc.

    Who is this guy,

    Heads up Students for Liberty and a top notch liberty activist.

  10. Andy April 14, 2014

    Krzysztof Lesiak April 14, 2014 at 1:38 pm said: “McCobin had a pathethic performance at CPAC anyway, he got his ass handed to him by two neocons (that’s saying something).”

    Who is this guy, and what did he do at CPAC?

  11. Krzysztof Lesiak April 14, 2014

    McCobin first comments on Crimea, bashing Dr. Paul and taking the neocon position. Now he’s attacking Swann, one of the best investigative journalists in the country. Strike two. He’s showing his true colors. I’d much rather take YAL over SFL anyway. McCobin had a pathethic performance at CPAC anyway, he got his ass handed to him by two neocons (that’s saying something).

    The libertarian movement without so-called “conspiracy theorists” is like a chocolate cake without chocolate.

  12. Charlie Earl April 14, 2014

    There would be no “conspiracy theories” if there were no conspiracies.

  13. Andy April 13, 2014

    “paulie April 13, 2014 at 11:13 pm

    ‘Ben Swann is going to be speaking at the LP National Convention this year? If so, this is the first I’ve heard of this, and also if so, this is very good news.’

    I was mistaken. Either he was taken off the list or it was mentioned as a possibility that fell through or has not come together yet.”

    It would be great if Ben Swann were to speak at the LP National Convention this year.

  14. paulie April 13, 2014

    My interpretation is that Ben is simply saying not to brush these folks off. In some cases they may be right. In some cases I am convinced the “conspiracy theorists” are right.

    Exactly.

  15. paulie April 13, 2014

    Ben Swann is going to be speaking at the LP National Convention this year? If so, this is the first I’ve heard of this, and also if so, this is very good news.

    I was mistaken. Either he was taken off the list or it was mentioned as a possibility that fell through or has not come together yet.

  16. Bondurant April 13, 2014

    My interpretation is that Ben is simply saying not to brush these folks off. In some cases they may be right. In some cases I am convinced the “conspiracy theorists” are right.

  17. Andy April 13, 2014

    “paulie April 13, 2014 at 9:31 pm
    Ben Swann’s speech made a lot of sense to me. I missed McCobin’s, but I have heard him speak before and highly recommend both. Dunno for sure but just guessing they are out of the price range of most state LPs though. They will both be speaking at national.”

    Ben Swann is going to be speaking at the LP National Convention this year? If so, this is the first I’ve heard of this, and also if so, this is very good news.

  18. Richard Winger April 13, 2014

    Anyone who thinks that conspiracies don’t exist in the real world should read the Douglass book “JFK and the Unspeakable”.

  19. Jill Pyeatt Post author | April 13, 2014

    Mr. Swann will be speaking at the United We Stand Fest that I have a press pass to. I really like what he says, and believe he is very valuable to our Liberty movement.

  20. paulie April 13, 2014

    Ben Swann’s speech made a lot of sense to me. I missed McCobin’s, but I have heard him speak before and highly recommend both. Dunno for sure but just guessing they are out of the price range of most state LPs though. They will both be speaking at national.

  21. Jed Ziggler April 13, 2014

    I tend to agree with Mr. McCobin.

  22. paulie April 13, 2014

    However, libertarianism is not based on a crazy idea that the government is the cause of everything bad in people’s lives. There are other bad actors other than the US government.

    Conspiracy theorists don’t necessarily disagree with that.

  23. Chuck Moulton April 13, 2014

    Interesting reply to Ben Swann at the Texas convention…

    Alexander McCobin wrote:
    https://www.facebook.com/mccobin/posts/10101187589253417

    So last night, during his dinner speech at the TXLP Convention, Ben Swann argued for libertarians to embrace “conspiracy theorists” as part of the liberty movement (literally, he said “conspiracy theorists” were our allies). I have been going back and forth about posting about this, but have decided to write in public condemnation of such calls because I think it is incredibly disappointing given how far the libertarian movement has come that such comments can draw applause at libertarian conferences. Yes, we are skeptical of government action in many areas. Yes, we support individual liberty. Yes, we have a history of counter-cultural thought. However, libertarianism is not based on a crazy idea that the government is the cause of everything bad in people’s lives. There are other bad actors other than the US government. Here is just one article that addresses this, but there are many more:
    http://studentsforliberty.org/blog/2010/09/09/conspiracy-theories-hurt-the-liberty-movement/

  24. paulie April 13, 2014

    Just saw him again in Texas. The other time was in Texas also. Great speaker and a cool guy to hang out with.

  25. Kevin Knedler April 13, 2014

    Bingo. He also spoke at the Ohio convention in early March. He was at the Texas convention this past weekend.

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