by James W. Harris

Liberals everywhere are howling in outrage over the actions of the numbskull Moral Majority mob. In the newspapers, on the radio, on television talk shows you can hear them, voices quivering with self-righteousness and concern, as they discuss the latest doing of Jerry Falwell's crackpot collection of Comstocks, Carry Nations, and Anita Bryant types.

All of this is amusing, in a way. Of course, Moral Majority is a profoundly evil and dangerous organization, and it should be recognized and denounced as such. However, its vocal left-liberal opponents should pause a moment and look into their own backyards; because, for all their self-righteousness and indignation, they themselves from another 'moral majority' that in its own way is every bit as dangerous to freedom as the rightwing fundamentalists it so fervently opposes.

This Other Moral Majority loudly condemns efforts by Falwell's followers to have books banned from public libraries. Yet it applauds the 'right' of the state to forcibly extract tax money form citizens to purchase books which these taxpayers may not wish to support.

The Other Moral Majority opposes attempts to have 'creationism' and other fundamentalist doctrine taught in the public schools--while at the same time demanding that its own secular humanist values, which now dominate the school system, be kept standard fare for all students.

In fact, so determined is the Other Moral Majority that all students be taught only their values and viewpoints that they loudly protest any attempt to change the laws that now effectively deny most parents the option of private schooling, where they could have their children educated as they see fit without forcing their views on others.

When Falwell IS Moral Majority attempts to place legal restrictions on the possession and sale of pornography, the Other Moral Majority is shrill in its opposition--while at the same time doing its best to abolish the right to possess and sell handguns.

The Other Moral Majority is outraged by Falwell's followers' wrongheaded atternpts to do away with many basic civil liberties--yet it is working just as hard to legislate rnore and more economic freedoms out of existence.

The Other Moral Majority calls itself 'pro-choice' because it opposes laws restricting abortion. But, on the issue of who must pay for government-provlded abortions, they suddenly become very anti-choice, insisting that all taxpayers be forced to foot the bill even if they are morally or philosophically opposed to abortion.

The Other Moral Majority denounces as 'censorship' the peaceful, voluntary boycotts organized by Moral Majority to influence television program content--and then organizes its own lobbying groups and pressure groups to insure the its ideas and values get ample presentation on television. The Other Moral Majority condemns Moral Majority for organizing to offer political support for candidates and legislation that its members find agreeable. Yet it praises its own numerous lobbying groups, political organizations, and sympathetic candidates as laudable, noble institutions. And so on and so on.

In short, this Other Moral Majority is. in its own way, just as shrill, just as close-minded, and just as tyrannical in its demands as its rightwing fundamentalist counterpart. Like Falwell's Moral Majority, the Other Moral Majority has only the best intentions; they are only trying to help us, to better our lives, to protect us from ourselves--whether we want them to or not. Both Moral Majorities claim that only they are right. And both are struggling to seize the power of government so that they can dictate at gunpoint how everyone will live.

Choosing either viewpoint is to choose one form of tyranny over another. Only libertarians offer an alternative: the vision that everyone should be his or her own moral majority.

This, and this alone, is consistent with the happiness and aspirations of free men and women.


Published in the Georgia Libertarian.