Arthur Silber is a Los Angeles-area blogger who is hitting some hard times because of the transit strike. While I don’t see eye-to-eye with him on many things, I know that I’ve had hard times in my life, and people have stepped up and helped me through. I can’t do less.
He says he needs a thousand or so (more like two, from reading it) to get his car running again, so along with a number of other bloggers, I’m running his PayPal button, and asking my regular readers to click through and donate a few bucks (or more). A number of L.A. based bloggers and I may also use this as an excuse to get together and in so doing raise some more funds for him, if they’re needed.
Sorry – I just can’t give to someone who believes in “errors and grave dangers in the foreign policy currently being followed by the United States”
I work hard for my money so I can raise my family. I am not going to give to people who advocate doing nothing in the face of people whose goal in life is to come destroy me, my family and my way of life.
whatever –
He comes by his beliefs genuinely, and he is willing to engage opponents in honest and serious dialog.
That’s all I ever ask of anyone. I think he’s deeply wrong about the war; I know you’re free to do what you will with your cash – but I also know that the ultimate test of my character is how I treat my opponents.
A.L.
I disagree with Arthur on foreign policy as well – though I’m a bit closer to him economically than A.L. is, and of similar mind on civil rights and freedoms issues.
What I do know is, he’s a good man. A guy who can get endorsements from Atrios AND from me… that’s impressive range right there.
Arthur has a lot of integrity and he isn’t snarky.
I’m with you, AL. I mentioned Arthur’s plight the other day on Alphecca. I don’t see eye-to-eye with him on almost anything and we’ve had some on-line battles in the past.
But I also know from correspondence with him that he is one of the nicer guys in the blogosphere, that he writes from his heart, and that he deserves a helping hand.
I wish him well and I hope that those who can — and have a heart — with toss a few dollars his way.
Besides, he likes cats, and that raises anyone’s worth in my eyes…
@whatever
Ditto.
“Besides, he likes cats…”
Too bad. He seems like a nice enough guy, though, so I’m going to send him a contribution anyway.
He’s probably one of those people who rails at SUV drivers for being self-centered morons and thinks everyone should use public transportation. Ain’t that wonderful? I suppose we should all use public health care too.
As much as I’d like to sympathize with a struggling writer (or a struggling whatever), I think this could be a character building experience for him. Most liberals I know (including myself) had similar beliefs until we were forced to deal with the world as it is instead of as we decided it should be while we were sitting around doing bong hits.
It sounds like he will have to think hard to get this sorted out. He may even have to make some changes in his life. That’s not going to happen if people send him a couple thousand dollars every time he gets into a jam.
“Tough Break,” Arthur is a quasi-objectivist libertarian. That’s a looooong way from being a liberal.
Arthur would never demand anything of anyone, or see assistance as a right. That’s totally contrary to his philosophy. He can legitimately ask those who feel his work is valuable, or who would otherwise derive satisfaction from the act of helping, to voluntarily donate.
We like him, and respect him, and are happy to voluntarily assist him in this endeavour.
Look guys, if you don’t want to make a donation that’s fine – we all have problems of our own to deal with too.
But you can at least spare us the lectures and cheap shots. Even if I disagreed with him about half the time, AS is a good guy. And he doesn’t deserve this crap *anytime*, much less now.
Exactly, Bowen. Its quite inappropriate.
I disagree with him. So what. He seems decent.
So I contributed a donation. Why? He is one small part of a healthy democratic dialectic. And that my fellow bloggers is very, very important.
Aren’t the Randinistas opposed to the concept of personal charity? As I recall, there’s a passage in The Fountainhead where Howard Roark threatens to end a friendship if said friend ever offers to give him money again, even though Roark was in desperate financial straits at the time.
I’ve got nothing against helping out a blogger in a time of need, but I thought I should point this out.
Eric –
And I’m sure that will matter to all the Rand fans out there. I’m not one of them…
I am a fan o’ Rand and I think that dissing private charity is just silly and wrong. Rand, like all people was imperfect.
I’ve been in dire straights and lived in my car for a bit. I HATED certain leftie ‘friends’ laughing at me and telling me this was karmic cummuppance for my right leaning ideology….just as I broke with those individuals forever when they suggested that if I got killed after I enlisted would be poetic justice for voting for Bush.
I don’t agree with Mr. Silbur, but he seems to be decent enough. I see no reason to kick someone when they are down. Hell, if Limbaugh and Paglia can be friends then common ground IS possible. 🙂
Debate and challenging each other is how we arrive at solutions. Something the PC police on campuses forget or ignore, and left or right, if you want those who don’t share you’re ideology to suffer, then frankly, you suck..and when the winds of life blow against you should be ‘jettisoned’…’whatever’ ‘tough breaks’ you may have had.
Compassionate conservatism is not just a slogan.
My best to Arthur…I’ve been there.