For our left-liberal readers, here is a matchless example of why libertarians and conservatives are not the same thing. The libertarian writer Nick Gillespie believes that Bruce Jenner, in transition, is emblematic of America’s greatness. Excerpts:

Is there any greater story about the American Dream—so bruised and battered in this godawful 21st century—than Bruce Jenner becoming a woman?

Since at least the days of Benjamin Franklin, we Americans have prided ourselves on being a chosen race for whom birth doesn’t equal destiny. As Walt Disney used to say, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” It’s safe to say that neither old Ben nor super-chilled Walt could possibly grok the 1976 Olympic Decathlon gold medalist’s decision to change from he to she, but they don’t have to. Nobody does, really, except Jenner himself and those closest to him. Which is another goddamned great thing about America.

More:

The world is in many ways a shambles. The new century was ushered in with a slaughter of innocents that have mostly escaped art’s ability to deal with them and legitimated new horrors, including some committed by the U.S. itself. The economy, we hear, is on a perpetual skid, with robots replacing even Mexicans when it comes to jobs in the good old U.S. of A. China’s economy is bigger than America’s and Putin can knock over Obama with his breath. The middle class is shrinking faster than privacy, and on and on. But in such a mess there remain these bizarre and wonderful loopholes where anything can happen, where people can become exactly what they want to be.

Whole thing here. 

An interesting question: Is the World’s Greatest Athlete turning himself into a female (or facsimile thereof) something to be celebrated, or mourned? Is it a sign of America’s strength, or of its decadence? You there, behind the curtain, don’t be bashful — what do you say?