The Mary Ruwart Controversy

Much has been made the last week about the controversy surrounding Mary Ruwart, who is seeking the Libertarian nomination for President, and a portion of her book Short Answers to the Tough Questions. The offending passage is:

"Children who willingly participate in sexual acts have the right to make that decision as well, even if it's distasteful to us personally. Some children will make poor choices just as some adults do in smoking and drinking to excess. When we outlaw child pornography, the prices paid for child performers rise, increasing the incentives for parents to use children against their will."

Something must be said for political considerations. Whether the Radicals want to admit it or not, Ruwart is running for the nomination of a political party, existing within the American political system. Political considerations must be on the minds of the delegates and those who care about the success of the party. There should be no question whatsoever that statements like these will be taken as psychopathic in the mainstream media, if they get covered. Media coverage is generally light for the LP, but to claim that these statements will go completely uncovered is painfully ignorant of the media and the way they handle third party candidates. The media is a tool of the major party establishment, and will use any reason to destroy minor party candidates. Nominating Ruwart, when she is on the record as saying something as above, will destroy the LP.

johncjackson, for as tounge in cheek as he may seem, has the best observation I've seen on the subject yet:

Child-fucking is not a winning position. I can see it now when she is on MSNBC and they put the bullet points up: Outlaw All Taxes, Legalize Child Rape, Heroin over the counter at Wal-Mart.

This is what we have to deal with in the LP. Amen brother.

UPDATE: It has already begun. Do a "sort by date" Google Blogsearch for Mary Ruwart and you get phrases like:

• "On the other hand, LP presidential contender and mooted vice presidential prospect Mary Ruwart is a defender of consensual kiddie porn. If she’s on the ticket, I won’t be voting for the Libertarians. " -
  
• Right. Yeah. Okay. Apperantly this is too crazy even for Ron Paul supporters, so now this leads the door wide open for Bob Barr to get the nominations.
• So, following this logic, we should also decriminalize murder, seeing as when it is outlawed the cost of a hitman rises, increasing the incentive for someone to kill for money?
  I cannot see how anyone can argue that a child is ready to make the kind of choice that would subject them to child pornography, and in almost every case they will be influenced by either their parents, or the pornographer. Granted, perhaps if she was talking about people who are legally children but widely considered old enough to make sexual decisions, (14-17 years old), her position might be slightly more defencible, but still.
• The bottom line: Ruwart's stumble probably locks up the LP nomination for former GOP Congressman Bob Barr [of Georgia] at next month's nominating convention.

And this goes on and on and on. It isn't to say that Ruwart supports child pornography, it illustrates how people in the mainstream like to marginalize the LP, and this would give them ammunition.