Why do I respect Caitlin Johnstone so damn much?

I may be a libertarian, but Caitlin Johnstone speaks more truth than most so-called freedom lovers. Different lens, same fire.

If you’ve read my books or followed my author blog for any length of time, you know exactly where I stand: libertarian, anti-war, anti-authoritarian, and firmly committed to natural rights.

You’d probably assume that someone like me wouldn’t have much time for a self-proclaimed Leftist.

But Caitlin Johnstone? She’s one exception that breaks the rule.

Different label, same enemy

Caitlin is an unapologetic anti-establishment Leftist. She doesn’t hide it, and she believes in some ideas I never will, like state-funded programs, wealth redistribution, and economic egalitarianism. Just for the record, I used to believe in all of the above, but after further review, I changed course. 

But guess what?

She also believes:

• The empire lies.

• The media manipulates.

• The system rigs itself.

• Wars are never about what they say they are.

• Surveillance and censorship are tools of control, not protection.

On those counts? We’re absolutely on the same team.

Why she earns my respect

Caitlin doesn’t punch down. She doesn’t cozy up to the blue side of the Uniparty just because they say nicer things. She doesn’t water down her principles, and she sure as hell doesn’t fall in line.

What she does do is write with clarity, fire, bluntness, and conviction. She calls out empire apologists on both sides, whether they’re Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, because she recognizes the deeper truth: The real divide is top vs. bottom, freedom vs. control, and truth vs. narrative.

And on that front, she’s fearless.

Where we disagree and still respect

I don’t share Caitlin’s trust in collectivist solutions. The state can’t be reformed, plain and simple. Instead, it must be stripped of power and vanquished.

She believes the people can seize the means of power and use it for good. But that’s a fantasy the ruling class loves, because it keeps people playing a rigged game. I mean, hell, coercion (incompatible with the Laws of Nature) built the state. So long as it exists, top-down coercion thrives.

But here’s the thing: We both want the machine to stop chewing people up and treating impoverished civilians like insects. We just have different tools in mind to dismantle it.

And that’s okay. That kind of ideological friction is healthy when it’s built on mutual respect and shared disgust for tyranny. And if someone sharing those values is on another end of the spectrum, who gives a sh*t?

Especially when it comes to the military-industrial complex. She may say capitalism built it, and I’ll say cronyism built it. Either way, we’ll agree it’s outta control.

Strange bedfellows, same fire

Caitlin once wrote: “There is no neutral ground in a narrative matrix that is entirely made of lies.”

That stuck with me because in this age of filtered news, corporate algorithms, fake opposition, and government gaslighting, the people who have the courage to say “No,” and mean it, are worth listening to.

Even if we come from different camps and would debate economics into the ground. Because when truth becomes a revolutionary act, those who speak it, no matter their label, are my allies.

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