Extremism in the Defense of Liberty is no Vice
There is no extremism in the defense of liberty, only in the desire to take someone else's liberty.
The only thing wrong with Barry Goldwater's statement that "extremism is a defense of liberty is no vice" is that he allowed it to be defined as extremism. If one stands for freedom against socialism, fascism, communism or any other form of authoritarianism, this is not extremism. The extremist is the one who wants to take away your freedom.
The extermists were not the slaves - owned by the Democrats - who yearned to be free. The extremists were not the Republicans fighting for liberty for the slaves from these same Democrats. The extremists were - and are - those who believe that their needs, desires, or whims, trump the rights of a person to the products of their life. The extremists are the fascists, socialists, communists or any other authoritarians who believe that they have the right to enslave you whether they claim it is a softer tyranny or a harsh one.
There is no such thing as extremism in the defense of liberty, only extremism in the desire to curtail it and take someone else’s freedom to satisfy your desires.
Just one note, this is dedicated to one of my favorites, KL, who would say whatever she thought to be true no matter how uncomfortable it made anyone else and then if anyone asked why she said it, she'd say, "but it's true." Well, it is true.