Forums of the Libertarian Left

For some time, I've been mulling over the idea of trying to start some sort of group effort coordinated online (via email, say, or maybe via services like delicious) to write libertarian-point-of-view letters to the editor responding to news pieces that deserve a libertarian response (not necessarily explicitly using the term or overtly pushing a libertarian agenda, but offering the ideas from the POV). It so happens that I'm often able to spot news articles that could use a letter to the editor response, but am hopelessly bad at actually writing letters myself. Even given the strict limitations of the format, the likelihood of editorial interference, and the fact that the newspaper medium as a whole is steadily declining in importance, I think it might be worth doing.

Anyway, I was thinking about this for a while, but I thought I'd wait until a good article turned up. And when I saw a review of a book largely about Herbert Spencer in today's NY Times Book Review, I was guessing that it might be the perfect example, and sure enough, it recycles virtually all the cliches about the evils of Spencer's "social Darwinism", complete with a jab at current politics ("his subject is especially important in our current economic crisis, as Americans are reassessing their belief that social progress will grow naturally out of unfettered free-market competition"):
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/books ... wanted=all

Wow, the idiot who wrote that horrible article should be beaten with the leg of a table.

Anyway, I think that is a great idea. If I get some time I'll see what I can do to help.

What do you intend to achieve as a concrete result?

Propaganda. It's the same effect me and manbear2pig have had in various other mediums focussing on the comment sections of youtube videos, article and the like. Not only am I (usually) the sole person speaking with a sense of reason, but I am able to frame entire discussions that allow people to be introduced to Anarchism, or Anarchist perspectives without being scared off by jargon, labels and so on. A touch of militancy enables you to attack the white supremacists and occasional bigots you get - as well as those who seem to propose the outright slaughter of whichever group they disagree with - which wins you points with your audience.

Letters to the editor would act in a similar way, and considering that that particular section of the news paper acts as a forum for local communities it's a relatively easy way to reach the people around you with Anarchist ideas.

The main problem I see with this is that people post comments to sound off, not to read about other people's positions. I don't expect you can engage a lot of people in this manner.

You'd think, but many times your targets are the people watching the video or reading the article. That's your audience, whereas if someone, particularly on youtube, has a problem with what you are saying, they will certainly argue with you. This then increases the overall effect on the audience and, like I said, sometimes even the people arguing with you are inclined to take up your position (usually the debate continues in private) when you absolutely blow them out of the water with your argument.

I agree with the concept but I just worry that they would never choose to publish a good letter to the editor from someone like us. The comment sections are another story, though.

I don't see why not. So long as you don't resort to pulling out all the emotionally-turbo charged jagon that makes a lot of people feel uneasy, then you're bound to get your letter published, so long as it's short, sweet, concise and makes an argument. In fact, the more you disagree the better chance you have of getting published, as editors want to have conflicting views, as it these conflicting views that will often sell papers. So long as your letter is well written, there should be no problem getting it published.