GENERALLY SPEAKING

• I AM A PROPONENT OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM AS WELL AS POLITICAL FREEDOM.  I HAVE NEVER SUPPORTED MARXIST THEORIES (AND YES, I HAVE READ THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO AND DAS KAPTIAL). NOR DID I SEE MUCH GOOD COMING FROM THE ANTI-COMMUNIST WITCHHUNTS THAT HAPPENED IN THE UNITED STATES (AND EXTENDED TO ATTACKS ON THE GAY COMMUNITY).

• AMERICANS HAVE A FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT -- REGARDLESS OF WHAT I THINK -- TO FORM A POLITICAL PARTY (EVEN THE COMMUNIST PARTY) AND NOMINATED CANDIDATES FOR ELECTED OFFICE.  I ALSO DISCUSS MY THOUGHTS ON ELECTION LAW HERE.

• WHILE I WAS ONE OF THE MANY KIDS WHO FOOLISHLY DEVOURED AYN RAND NOVELS, I HAVE LONG SINCE REJECTED AYN RAND'S PHILOSOPHY.  THE STEPHEN COLBERT'S SHOW HAD A GREAT VIDEO ABOUT RAND THAT I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO WATCH.

• I AM OFTEN SURPRISED AT HOW SOME PEOPLE ON THE POLITICAL LEFT ARE TAKEN BY MARXIST IDEAS.   KARL MARX'S SOLUTION TO SOCIAL ILLS WAS A DICTATORSHIP.  HE WAS DEEPLY, DEEPLY PURITCANICAL ABOUT SEXUAL MATTERS AND, YES, HE ATTACKED THE EARLY GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT THAT WAS ARISING IN 19TH CENTURY GERMANY.

• WHILE I DO NOT CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE A SOCIALIST OR A COMMUNIST, SOCIALISM IS -- TECHNICALLY -- DIFFERENT FROM COMMUNISM.   I DO NOT LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE USE THESE TWO DIFFERENT IDEOLOGIES AS IF THEY WERE THE SAME.  SOCIALISM CAME BEFORE COMMUNISM, IT GENERALLY CALLS FOR GREATER DEMOCRACY, NOT A DICTATORSHIP AND LIBERTARIAN-SOCIALISTS (YES, THAT WAS A THINK BACK THEN) WERE SOME OF THE EARLY SUPPORTERS OF SEXUAL FREEDOM/FEMINIST/GAY RIGHTS CAUSES IN EUROPE.