“Young Americans for Liberty” on The Daily Caller

An editorial in the August 1960 edition of National Review described the conservative youth activists who agitated to get Barry Goldwater on the ballot with presidential nominee Richard Nixon: (more)

The pin-striped men of morning
Are coming for to dance
Forty million dollars
The kids don’t stand a chance
— Vampire Weekend (more)

For a group of people who supposedly pride themselves on the principles laid down in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other U.S. foundational documents, one would expect a genuine and enlightened debate instead of groundless emoting. Nevertheless, in response to Young Americans for Freedom’s (YAF) decision to expel Rep. Ron Paul from its board of advisors, the only line from pro-Ron Paul mouthpieces has been deflection. Addressing the blatant failures of Paul’s foreign policy — and/or his utter disregard for the threat posed by radical Islamists — is not permitted by any of his supporters. Best, if not most amusing, among the critiques defending the Paul line was penned by Christopher Preble and published in The Daily Caller. Preble is the director of the esteemed libertarian Cato Institute’s foreign policy studies. Despite his title, Preble’s article stands as a case study for the illogical reasoning and retorts offered by Ron Paul’s defenders. What’s worse is that this is the norm coming out of this group. (more)

A civil debate on foreign policy is desperately needed in this country, especially within the conservative movement. The outside threats facing our nation today are serious but dramatically different from the dangers Ronald Reagan faced during the Cold War. (more)

Earlier this week, Chris Bedford, national vice-chairman of Young Americans for Freedom, explained why his organization had chosen to expel Ron Paul from YAF’s national advisory board. Bedford makes repeated reference to the guiding “Sharon Statement” drafted by Williams F. Buckley and other conservative leaders in 1960, and states the case for why its principles cannot be reconciled with Paul’s opposition to aggressive U.S. militarism. (more)

In September of 1960 — “a time of moral and political crisis” — nearly 100 of America’s top conservative and libertarian activists gathered at the home of William F. Buckley Jr. in Sharon, Connecticut. There, they laid out the timeless truths and principles that would govern the nation’s first conservative/libertarian activist group — Young Americans for Freedom. (more)

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” – James Madison, Federalist Papers (more)

Scattered among the hundreds of Tea Party activists rallying in Washington Thursday was a small but vocal group of young people. Though a recent poll by CBS News and the New York Times says young activists make up less than 25 percent of the movement, they are by no means a quiet minority. (more)

It is not often that I pay much attention to those who tread beyond the margins of respectable political opinion, much less on the fringes of American society. But after reading a member of Young Americans for Liberty’s response to my recent article here at The Daily Caller, I’d like to volunteer some thoughts. (more)

Editor’s note: The following article is a response to Thomas Qualtere of The Heritage Foundation’s recent article “Hawks we are, hawks we must remain,” published on this site. (more)

With CPAC 2010 now fully behind us, conservatism’s rising generation has some choosing to do. Specifically, on the matter of war and national security, will we be the hawks that we were born to be? Now is the time to make a lasting decision, and we better get it right. (more)