Quick Shots

I
Andrew Hickey makes the hedonistic case for liberalism:

I want as much freedom as possible for myself. Politically, that gives me two choices – either become absolute dictator of the world and crush the wretched masses under my bootheel for all eternity, or try to get freedom for *everyone*, so I can have some myself. The first sounds like a lot of work, to be honest. and I’m also phenomenally lazy, so I joined the Liberal Democrats.

Do read the rest of the entry and ponder how tonugue in cheek the quoted bit is.

II
Stephen Carson selects Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove for his list of libertarian films:

With the help of Peter Sellers in three roles, (including the former Nazi nuclear scientist Dr. Strangelove), [Kubrick] made this satirical classic of nuclear gamesmanship. Top government and military leaders talk offhandedly of "modest and acceptable civilian casualties... no more than 10 to 20 million killed. Tops! Depending on the breaks". [...] In the guise of a comedy, this film is a powerful meditation on the nonchalance with which our "leaders" are ready to sacrifice millions of lives in their games of global power politics.

Yeah! Those damn government! Let's keep fighting against them and for the right of private citizens to keep and bear nuclear arms. Hey, nuclear arms don't kill people...

III
Algis Valiunas writes a long, brilliantly entitled essay the point of which is that Valiunas doesn't like Mailer. Or Mailer's kind. Um, do you suggest we chose our reading materials based on how nice a person the writer was? Anyway, here's why The Naked and the Dead is not a good book:

There is no sense in Mailer that the war is being fought for noble ends against a foe that is remarkable for its barbarity and whose triumph would be catastrophic.

Mr. Valiunas, I imagine, is currently working on a novel tentatively entitled Reflections on Liberty while Being Shot at.

IV
And while we're talking WWII, here's Pat Buchanan on Adolf Hitler, Germany's Gandhi.

Related Posts
This one features the rather good trailer for Dr. Strangelove (II), here's some commentary on a "best conservative films" list (II/III), and then there are two posts on The Naked and the Dead, one in English, one in German (III). Also, a short 8th-of-May rant of mine (IV). The pointer for III is from Tyler Cowen.