Abbott vs. CAIR isn’t “security”—it’s government overreach
Posted by TrainingOver3690@reddit | Libertarian | View on Reddit | 15 comments
Gov. Abbott issued a proclamation labeling CAIR a “terrorist org,” is trying to bar it from owning land in Texas, and is now opening a criminal investigation into the largest Muslim civil rights org in the country. CAIR released this video response (linked in the comments cause can’t post links on the post)
Whether you like CAIR or not is beside the point. The principle that matters is limited government and equal rights under the law:
- The state shouldn’t be able to smear a political/advocacy group as criminal without due process.
- The government shouldn’t get to pick which peaceful organizations are allowed to own property.
- Weaponizing investigations to chill speech is the opposite of freedom.
Thunderbutt77@reddit
Why do they want their own city? Why can’t they just live with their new neighbors?
OriginalSkyCloth@reddit
Because they’re Islamist terrorists
Thunderbutt77@reddit
I wanted to hear what the bot had to say.
nancytj@reddit
As a libertarian, this case exemplifies precisely why we need strict limits on government power. The state designating organizations as "terrorist" without federal designation or judicial process is a dangerous precedent that undermines due process.
The principle of property rights is fundamental to liberty - if the government can arbitrarily decide which groups can own land based on political disagreements, none of our property rights are secure. Today it's CAIR, tomorrow it could be any organization that challenges government policy.
This isn't a left/right issue; it's about constitutional principles and preventing government overreach. The proper channel for addressing legitimate concerns about any organization is through evidence-based judicial proceedings, not executive proclamations.
Remember that government powers
Chris_The_Guinea_Pig@reddit
This isn't very libertarian, which is ironic from an ancap, but..
Honestly, islam is antithetical to the nap by doctrine, if i could hire a private agency to protect my rights from islamists, then i would, but if the government is going to do it I'm not going to complain
TrainingOver3690@reddit (OP)
The thing is Islam isn’t infiltrating the government in fact we’re seeing other extremist values like Zionism infiltrate and influence our policies and government. I’m a firm believer in the separation of church and state. But making an entire faith and civil rights organization the boogeyman when sharia courts don’t even exist in Texas. Abbott doesn’t have the power to designate any group as an FTO only the executive branch of our country does — shouldn’t we be more concerned that a governor is overreaching his power (not just this occasion but MULTIPLE occasions on a myriad of issues) and doing something he doesn’t have the authority to do.
OriginalSkyCloth@reddit
Mamdani and his comrades have already infiltrated NY city council, Michigan, and many more. They don’t have any thoughts of getting along with others. Their only idea is to take over through the inside. Our political system is designed in a way that our enemies have been able to get control by calling us racist.
rabell3@reddit
It's become quite clear over the past several administrations that the federal government does not really care about US citizens and upholding the constitution. States have necessarily determined to exercise their 10th amendment rights, and if this causes discomfort and problematic, then the courts will work it out. Of course, putting on my libertarian glasses, I don't see the state helping much, so I really want to exercise my own 10th amendment rights and say F them all. Just need a lot more individuals to get to this same point and pull everyone into a convention of states and fix things the right way.
spdfrk95@reddit
CAIR isn't a peaceful organization
TrainingOver3690@reddit (OP)
What makes you say that?
OriginalSkyCloth@reddit
Their own words. Islamists do not align with liberty. Go home bot
OriginalSkyCloth@reddit
CAIR is a terrorist organization. Always has been. Keep all foreign money out of our government.
JagerGS01@reddit
This problem is similar to the "pure" libertarian position on immigration. Open borders is generally accepted as the correct libertarian stance, but open borders only makes sense AFTER all the other stances have been satisfied. If the welfare state and the foreign wars are still in existence, then open borders is suicide.
Likewise, letting CAIR exist and do what it wants (without violating any rights) is the correct libertarian stance. But limited government has not been achieved, and so I'm indifferent about what happens to CAIR. One of CAIR's stated goals is to lobby politicians, and while politicians still have enough power to be worth lobbying, I'm not in favor of it. No different than AIPAC, or any other big lobbying groups for that matter.
Stepping aside from Libertarianism, it looks like CAIR has a sketchy past. The UAE has had CAIR designated as a terrorist group for a while, and one of the founders has been convicted of terrorism related charges. I recognize that doesn't necessarily mean anything, and I don't know the details of these things, but it's still not a good look.
Ultimately, I agree with the OP. But the time is not ripe, and the actors are not right, to get me to die on this particular hill.
TrainingOver3690@reddit (OP)
Video link / source - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRh_n4wCmdF/?igsh=NGRiaTN1Z2h2MG50
NeoWayland@reddit
We don’t have good solutions left.
Just less bad ones.