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  • "The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they know about what they imagine they can design."

    - F.A. Hayek

Some Problems With the "Threepers"

Posted by The_Chef On 11:57 AM 5 comments

For those of you that are not aware of the existence of what some people call the "Three Percent" movement. They are, for lack of a better description, quasi-revolutionary. I wouldn't say fully, because while they may preach "keep your rifle ready and your powder dry", they aren't out looking to start assassinating public officials or waging open war against the government. Yet.

And I think that they serve a very good purpose. They are a fountain of information regarding gun laws, the abuse of police powers, and trying to gauge where politicians lie on certain issues. And , God forbid, a shooting war did start in this country between government agents and armed citizens, I'd probably be supporting them however I could. Politically speaking, they are either libertarians or "conservative republicans" (I still don't really understand what this means).

But there is another side to the 3% guys and gals that ... concerns me. In fact it is a concern that largely mirrors my concern with "libertarian" groups in general. While most of the "Threepers" I've come into contact with have been passionate, intelligent people. There are a few ... "moonbats" that exist.

Now those of you that are reading this that consider yourselves part of the 3% crowd, please hear me out.

I very much enjoy some of the financial and economic discussions. The work on gun rights and political activism for the Second Amendment is priceless. But get the raving loons out of your group! I don't mind people talking about how much the government sucks, I don't mind the discussion about rights. What I mind is people who:

  • Go flying off the hilt about the New World Order and all this other random conspiracy crap, that is a COMPLETE violation of Occam's Razor.
  • While I don't object to people holding their religious values. I'm frankly sick and tired hearing that "The END TIMES are nigh!" No one cares, people have been screaming that for ... millennia. I do mean millennia, since the early 100s AD certain Christian groups have been calling for the end times, you haven't gotten it right yet. Please stop treating the most confusing book in the Bible like you understand prophecy, no one's gotten it right yet.
I have seen several examples of BOTH of these points of view on blogs that are backing or sympathetic to the movement. (Hell, I'M sympathetic to the movement).

But this presents us with a problem. It's a problem that libertarians have struggled with: how do you get these people out of the party when one of your founding tenants is "free association"? The libertarians have their share of UFO chasing, NWO fighting, tinfoil hat wearing, conspiracy nut cases. And frankly it hurts the movement. It hurts the movement a lot because morons like that end up on TV and the American people go "What the hell? I don't want to be part of this group!"

So I pose the question to the Three Percenters: What are you all going to do? Please keep in mind that I'll back most of you. In fact, I do my best to try and provide a bit more economic education to some of the other blogs that support the 3% movement. But you all still have some kinks to work out. Please consider this constructive criticism.

5 Response for the "Some Problems With the "Threepers""

  1. tom says:

    You asked for a comment, I shall try to give a good response, rather than a quick one, be forthcoming.

    As for me, I kicked the NRA, the Republican Party, AND the Libertarian party to the curb, but I possibly am known as a threeper :-)

    Gimme some mull over time and I'll see what I can answer SPEAKING ONLY FOR ME and I own a BREN WITH FOUR SPARE BARRELS if anybody wants to argue...

    Cheers Matey!

  2. The_Chef says:

    Oh I am not a big "L" libertarian. I'm a philosophical libertarian. I don't support the party, but I do support the tenants of the school of thought, so I understand where you are coming from.

  3. tom says:

    I thought about it. Some of the "tin foil hat" folk I personally KNOW, as they are in my AO, are sorta the reverse of Lenin's "useful idiots". They spend god (or deity of your choice) knows how many hours a week triage nursing my news feeds and then I have other news feeds too.

    We're friendly. I don't insult them, they don't insult me. They could see me at the range, but I have my own...

    They are LOUD canaries in the mine and they are OFTEN wrong, but they also sometimes dig something up of value.

    Fair?

    I went for an Econ/History degree before I decided to smith.

    Moonbats and stupids inhabit the earth and there is a sliding scale there.

    I have family that are HIGHLY educated and well credentialed that are for all PRACTICAL purposes MOONBATS and I can say the inverse about a lot of moonbats I personally know.

  4. tom says:

    FWIW: I'm still with Lysander on the fact that a "Constitution" was written that I didn't sign being evidence of the fact I didn't sign on, as I wasn't hatched yet. :-)

  5. Anonymous says:

    I agree Tom. Spooner had it right.

    Pickdog
    III