"Palme D'Or" for Mike Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11&

[Minionman]

Rather than solving the problem at its root, mainstream American libertarian response is to "protect one's self" rather than source the problem. Consequently, everyone buys a gun, the state incarcerates 10s of thousands more people, and yet no one is willing to address the human security issue by attacking the problem at its source, which is the pervasive social inequality and ghettoism of the cities. Frankly, this is the same reason that the American response to their domestic "human security" issues post-9/11 was to spend more money on the military and "close up ranks" rather than say, for example, relieve third world debt or adapt their foreign policy in a more positive way. To my view, the positive human security externalities to be derived from a redistributionist state far outweigh any inconvenience imposed by higher taxation. In addition, it's probably worth adding that corporate tax fraud costs the average taxpayer far more than does welfare fraud.

Agree with this. The idea of "protect yourself" sounds less safe than the idea of "reduce crime". Having a bunch of people fearing for their safety without weapons gives them itchy fingers, knowing there's low crime is much les stressful. "Protect yourself" without any help also screws over people who will have trouble with it, and I say it's our responsibility to help protect everyone. Not going to the root of the problem screws over future generations, who instead of getting handed a better world, get handed the same stuff people before had to deal with. For those libertarians who don't want government control, instead of tellign people to get guns, help organize buisinesses, better schools, etc. that get less people going criminal instead of waiting for them to go criminal than hoping to shoot, stab, beat up ,etc. them befre they get you.