 After my letter advocating Objectivism was printed in the Herald, it was almost inevitable that a reader would write in to compare Rand to Hitler. I wrote this reply this morning, & will be persuing the matter with the Herald if they don't print it after printing Mr Pardons smear:
Dear Sir,
After taking a few calming breaths, I must express my disagreement with Mr. Pardons comparison of Ayn Rand to Adolf Hitler.
Rand, born Alissa Rosenbaum into a Russian Jewish family, fled Russia to escape the totalitarian Communist rule, and was most emphatic in denouncing any coercive political system. She considered both Communism and Fascism to be variants on an abhorrent theme, & said of such systems "Force and mind are opposites; morality ends where the gun begins".
Furthermore, she was a fierce advocate of human rights: "Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities."
If Mr. Pardon actually wishes to read some of Rands work, I have a number of her books I'd be happy to lend him.
Yours faithfully,
Duncan Bayne
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