Palin Derangement Syndrome Alive and Well

With the launch of Sarah Palin's book tour, a brand-new strain of the incurable disorder we came to know as Palin Derangement Syndrome during the 2008 campaign has emerged. And unlike the swine flu, this particular affliction appears to be a fatal (at least in terms of rational, cognitive abilities), permanent condition from which the patient has no desire to recover. And I'm not just talking about the lamestream media elites and other assorted liberals -- from whom we've come to expect the most vicious, reprehensible character assassination -- but also from libertarians and Ron Paul nuts.

Several months ago, I wrote this piece after encountering a multitude of foaming-at-the-mouth libertarians while participating in the weekly Tea Party protests in Fort Lauderdale. (Side note: I am proud to say this is the longest running Tea Party in the country, in spite of a local conservative talk radio host's regular attacks on the dedicated, patriotic effort back in March. Kudos to all of my intrepid South Florida freedom-lovers!)

As most readers know, I've built up an impressive list of friends on Facebook, most of whom share my belief in individual liberty, limited government, strong national defense and the sanctity of life. In many cases, I've accepted individuals as friends who consider themselves libertarians, because we overlapped on enough of the issues to find some common ground and engage in reasoned debate on those areas in which we disagreed. Or so I thought.

I don't know if Ron Paul is proud of his following, and I certainly can't hold him fully responsible for the actions of his supporters. However, in my Facebook experience these so-called libertarians have demonstrated that they are quite capable of rivaling any liberal when it comes to the most vitriolic, offensive and fraudulent attacks on any politician or private citizen who rightly believes that Global Jihad is a dangerous reality that threatens western civilization and demands the use of military force when appropriate.

But just like any true-believing liberal, these Ron Paulnuts bury their heads in the sand (you know, the very same heads every Allah-loving Jihadist would ecstatically chop off if given the opportunity), and cling to the erroneous belief that if we just mind our own business, somehow the problem, assuming it exists at all, will simply disappear.

So rather than place the blame for 9/11 where it squarely belongs -- on the 19 radical Muslim hijackers and their ideology of death to infidels -- they attack the very people who helped keep up safe in the pre-Obama age. From "Darth" Cheney to "Bushitler" libertarians have shown they are incapable of understanding the existential battle facing us in the modern world. Yes, radical Islam has been attempting to take over the world for many centuries; but the sophisticated technology of the 21st century has made their goal that much more achievable. To the extent that libertarians refuse to accept the need for legislation like FISA and the Patriot Act, they demonstrate the same juvenile willfulness as their liberal counterparts.

But back to Sarah Palin.

With the kick-off of her Going Rogue tour, libertarians on Facebook have gone into convulsions, branding her and anyone who supports her a "moron", "a woman I wouldn't trust to run a 1st grade picnic, let alone a country", and a "bimbo". And those are the mild insults. There have also been incredibly misogynistic and offensive remarks involving the female anatomy and Palin's youngest child, Trig, that have rivaled anything I wrote about in my piece, Photoshopping Trig: The Left's Latest Descent into Depravity.

The irony of course, is that Palin actually governed as a libertarian, and passed along a fiscally solvent state to her successor Sean Parnell and her fellow Alaskans when she resigned back in July. In order to become governor in the first place, she boldly took on RINO corruption and the good old boy network within her own party and won, without the help of a politically connected spouse or family -- a feat for which I have tremendous respect. Then there's the matter of the pipeline deal, an accomplishment conventional wisdom dictated would never come to pass. And yet, principled, determined Palin rolled up her sleeves and made it happen. The lamestream media, to no surprise, yawned. And libertarians on Facebook, for all their derision of the Republican establishment, refused to credit this woman for being a true "maverick".

Why exactly is that?

Sarah Palin, in Reagan-like manner, is also unafraid to call out evil, and thus acknowledges Global Jihad as a threat to our existence. To that end, she supports a robust national defense, expresses a fervent desire to win in Iraq and Afghanistan, and upholds Israel's right to exist. These are all fatal flaws, not just to liberals, but to civil rights absolutists everywhere who call themselves libertarians.

And just like liberals, instead of dealing with the issues, they attempt to marginalize her by engaging in smear tactics and repugnant insults that betray a regrettable lack of moral character and integrity. Lately it has become an epidemic with libertarians on Facebook: As more and more Americans get to know and like Palin via her media interviews with people like Oprah, Rush, Hannity and O'Reilly, as well as through her personal appearances at book stores throughout the country, their attacks increase in intensity and frequency. Along with their liberal brethren, libertarians' fear and loathing of the hockey mom from Alaska knows no bounds.

So while I respect their right to be stupid in terms of understanding the world we live in, I cannot abide having any association (even an electronic one via social media) with those who possess such flawed character traits. And no, I am not infringing on their First Amendment rights (as some have accused me of) when I delete and block them. As I wrote on a status update a few weeks ago regarding 9/11 truthers (many of whom are libertarians), they are entitled to their misguided opinions, but not my friendship. Therefore, when I delete and block them, I am simply exercising my right as an American not to have to put up with their nonsense. It's the same philosophy that enables me to boycott liberal Hollywood and their anti-American films.

My advice to libertarians and liberals: like it or not, Sarah Palin is here to stay. Perhaps a visit to the psychiatrist is in order before Obamacare denies your right to the meds you so desperately need.