For those who don't know, Minerva was an artificial island near Fiji, briefly populated by Libertarians in the early 1970's. It was to be the utopian nation for adherents to Libertarian philosophy.
The dream however quickly died, not only because Fiji sent in armed soldiers to reclaim the island. But also because Libertarianism is a self defeating philosophy that undermines it's own beliefs. Let me explain.
The Fijians were organized and willing to fight and die for the claim to that Island. The Libertarians weren't. The strong overcame the weak. It was the natural order, the efficient outcome. Minerva dies and it's citizens are cast back into the darkness of a civilized country.
And this is the reason why, a Libertarian lives to make his argument today. Because he does so from a country constrained in the confines of reality. A society. And not hollering from the shores of Minerva.
A friend of mine, tonight voiced his support of a Ron Paul presidency. To augment his case, he produced a card with a quote and picture of Abraham Lincoln, stating "America's first Libertarian President". I gave him a multitude of examples, of how historically incorrect it would be to ever consider Lincoln, a Libertarian. It was the flowery quote from Lincoln, and that in itself, was what held sway in the mind of my friend.
But wasn't the South itself, a Minerva of the civil war era? Should Lincoln, have followed a Libertarian orthodoxy and simply allowed the south to secede? Would humans still be bought and sold in open markets, today?
Would the Union, 80 years later have been able to defeat the axis, while the Confederacy sat it out or perhaps even sided with the Nazis?
If we're to follow the Libertarian viewpoint, an axis victory against a divided union would have been the natural outcome. A Nazi victory. What a profoundly different world, would we live in today?
The strong always kicks the ass of the weak. This is why we have as a society, a generally accepted view of fairness and decency. That together, we're stronger when we all follow some simple rules to make a more equitable society. And not be bitch slapped, ad infinitum at the mercy of an unregulated, opaque and unfair "free" market.
Keep at it, Libertarians. Shout it loud, tucked away in the safety of your gated communities. You certainly won't be doing it from the shores of Minerva.