Streisand Comes Unglued at Concert

I admit that I have always loved Barbra Streisand's music. From the time I first heard her sing in the early 60s until today she has never disappointed the vocal critic in me. Very few singers of popular music have had the stamina, longevity, and vocal quality that Streisand exhibits. The only others that could be added to that elite group would be Perry Como, Bing Crosby, and Tony Bennett.

At a recent concert on her present tour she was being heckled by a member of the audience who was disgusted by her political skit during which an actor plays a bumbling George W. Bush--who, of course, comes across as a complete idiot--while Streisand peppers the skit with the usual anti-Bush rhetoric. A flustered Streisand then exclaimed, 'Shut the F*** up, if you can't take a joke.' No matter that people pay good money, big bucks in fact, to hear Streisand SING rather than use the stage as a platform to spout political rhetoric, ala the Dixie Chics. The fans be damned.

Talent aside, I have always loathed Streisand's politics. As an unabashed Leftist she has made no attempt to hide her affinity for socialistic programs, gun control, the need for big government to patrol and watch over our lives. Her present outright hatred for George W. Bush is curious given her long-standing support of the growth of big government...as long as big government does what SHE feels is right.

And this brings us to the heart of the matter. So-called 'civil libertarians' or 'libertarian democrats' do not really oppose big government. They oppose it only when someone takes it in a direction they don't want to go. For example, it is perfectly OK for big government to take away your gun rights, but it is not OK for that big government to declare a war on terror. It is quite politically correct for big government to squelch the free speech of Christian fundamentalists, but it is not OK for that government to wage war on Islamic Jihadists who wish to annihilate the West.

Thus, the hypocrisy of so-called 'libertarian democrats' is made clear. Libertarianism, as a political philosophy, has its foundation in the belief that big government is a danger to free people everywhere, including its own citizens. Small government is the ideal. However, today we are witnessing a very dangerous trend among those who claim the name of 'libertarian.' Streisand, for example, would be among the first to claim that she believes in liberty, personal freedom, civil rights, and all the appropriate catch-phrases that one associates with the Libertarian movement. But her philosophy is far from a belief in small government. Press her further, and one is sure to find severe limits in her support for 'personal rights.' As her how she feels about the 2nd Amendment, for example.

The crux of the matter is that we cannot allow Leftists to usurp the principles upon which Libertarianism is based. Many, many people, such as Streisand, talk a good game, but look deeper and you will find a big brother socialist.

Jefferson said it best, 'That government which governs best governs LEAST.' And this is the Libertarian ideal.