On January 28, I was invited by AustinPost to the annual Torch of Liberty award banquet hosted by the Austin branch of the Anti Defamation League (ADL). I was very impressed by the turnout of approximately 600, including many very influential people. 

You may know that AustinPost is asking you to sign a petition in support of the ADL's "Austin is No Place for Hate" campaign. If you sign this petition, AustinPost will make a $5 contribution to ADL.

So what is the ADL?

The ADL began in 1913 "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all."  It has grown to support causes against defamation of any kind, whether religious, racial, sexual or other.  They have educational programs to teach and promote tolerance and acceptance of individual differences.  They also work as a type of private CIA to inform police of threats of violence. They defend separation of church and state, which I have previously supported (1, 2, 3).  They oppose government laws aimed to deny rights to homosexuals.  These are all principles I, as a Libertarian, support.

The highlight of the evening was presenting the Torch of Liberty award to Amy and Kirk Rudy.  Kirk Rudy is founder and boss of Endeavor Real Estate, made famous in this town as receivers of the Domain subsidies.  The key word I heard repeated throughout the evening and in Kirk's acceptance speech was "TOLERANCE."  This is a key principle that we Libertarians adhere to.  About two minutes into this speech, he discussed how intolerance and extremism is used in the media and both political parties to vilify whoever they are targeting.  He didn't mention my political party, so I guess we are innocent of such charges. He remarked how presidents from both political parties have been compared to Hitler. His remarks were nearly identical to a previous treatise of mine on the subject of intolerance and Hitler.

I took particular note of the presence of Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo in audience.  He was recognized during the ceremony as one of the advocates for the ADL:

It drew my particular attention because at the same time, Chief Acevedo was embroiled in a protest at the police station headquarters.  His department closed down a gun show (1, 2) which drew the ire of Texans for Accountable Government (TAG), among others.  TAG employed its first amendment rights to organize a protest of an abridgment of second amendment rights.

It should be noted at this point that I as a Libertarian support the second amendment and oppose gun control.  The ADL supports gun control and opposed the Supreme Court's Heller decision.

Now is when this laborious prose hopefully draws more interest.  TAG planned to have a peaceful, orderly and effective protest.  That didn't happen because of one man:

Alex Jones.

Witness what happens when the esteemed Alex Jones enters the fray:

Of course Alex couldn't stop there and had to go further over the top:

So he took it upon himself to disrupt this peaceful assembly, accuse a volunteer of having a "hard on" for him, suggested that my executive director was "a gay lawyer", and generally marginalized himself.  TAG is distancing themselves from Alex in both voice and words.

Alex Jones is exactly the kind of person Kirk Rudy refers to.  If you want to speak and deliberate on an issue, fine.  If you want to throw intolerant bombs and appeal to the extreme elements in order to call attention to yourself, you don't help your cause.

Regarding the ADL, I have not signed their petition.  In addition to their support of gun control, they also support laws for "hate crimes" which punish people for the thoughts in their head. There are those who believe such laws to be unconstitutional.  Do we really need a "thought police?"

Apparently we already have a "green police," so why not?

Additionally, the ADL maintains a list of people and groups they label as "extreme." From their website:

"Today, ADL’s Center on Extremism continues our mission to expose and document the groups and individuals whose ideologies and activities perpetuate hatred and extremism.  To this end, the Center on Extremism has created an online resource, Extremism in America, which serves as a guide to prominent extreme movements, groups, and leaders in the United States."

So would you believe that if you are a tax protestor, that you "perpetuate hatred and extremism?"  The ADL does.

Perhaps you think this is too reactionary and defensive.  Certainly the ADL would not support labeling the Libertarian Party and Ron Paul as perpetrators of "hatred and extremism," would they?  Of course, that has already happened in Missouri.  I guess if you are considered a "fringe" group it must be OK to pass laws against you and shut you down.

In conclusion, let me make the following points:
- It is precisely when words are most distasteful that freedom of speech is most meaningful
- It is entirely appropriate and encouraged to teach and practice tolerance
- It is appropriate for private organizations to monitor public information and advise government of threats
- It is inappropriate to punish people for thoughts
- It is appropriate to punish people for actions
- It is appropriate for Alex Jones to be marginalized

P.S. The graphic in the title of this article of longtime national director of the ADL Abraham Foxman in an caricature which perfectly conveys the message Kirk Rudy and I delivered.