Justin Raimondo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Justin Raimondo
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Justin Raimondo
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| Born |
Dennis Raimondo
November 18, 1951 White Plains, New York, U.S.
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| Died | June 27, 2019 (aged 67) Sebastopol, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Journalist, author, writer |
| Spouse(s) | Yoshinori Abe |
Justin Raimondo (born Dennis Raimondo; November 18, 1951 – June 27, 2019) was an American writer and journalist. He was known for being the editorial director of Antiwar.com, a website that shares views against war and military actions. He described his political ideas as a mix of "conservative" and "paleo-libertarian" thinking.
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Early life and interests
Justin Raimondo was born in White Plains, New York. When he was very young, his family moved to Yorktown Heights, New York.
As a young person, Raimondo became interested in the ideas of Ayn Rand, a famous writer and philosopher. Later, he joined a group called Young Americans for Freedom. In the 1970s, he became active in the Libertarian Party, which is a political party that believes in a lot of personal freedom and limited government. He joined the party in 1974 and helped with Roger MacBride's presidential campaign in 1976.
In 1983, Raimondo left the Libertarian Party and tried to create a group within the Republican Party that shared libertarian ideas. After 1989, he worked with a group called the John Randolph Club, which was part of the anti-war movement.
Career and activism
Early political campaigns
In 1980, Justin Raimondo ran for public office for the first time. He was a Libertarian candidate for a seat in the California State Assembly. He received about 7.7% of the votes.
In 1982, he ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in California. He ran against a Democratic candidate and a Republican candidate and received 14.2% of the votes.
In 1996, Raimondo ran for the U.S. House of Representatives again, this time as a Republican candidate. He ran against Nancy Pelosi. A main part of his campaign was his strong opposition to sending U.S. troops to the Balkans. He received 12.4% of the votes in that election.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Raimondo supported the presidential campaigns of Pat Buchanan.
In 1994, Raimondo helped organize support in San Francisco for a measure called "Proposition 187" in California. This measure aimed to stop taxpayer money from being used for non-emergency services for people who were in California without legal permission. The voters approved the measure, but a court later stopped it from being put into action.
Antiwar.com and later work
Justin Raimondo and Eric Garris started Antiwar.com in 1995. This website became a full-time project in 1999, especially during the Kosovo war. The site became a place for Raimondo and Garris to share their views against foreign military actions.
Raimondo was a strong critic of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the ongoing military presence there.
In the 2004 presidential election, he wrote positively about candidate Ralph Nader. He felt that Nader's ideas about distrusting big corporations and government, and his concerns about too much centralized power, were similar to traditional American ideas of individual freedom.
Raimondo also wrote positively about Ron Paul's presidential campaign in 2008. He was critical of President Barack Obama's choices for his team. However, he supported Obama's choice of Chuck Hagel for U.S. Secretary of Defense.
In the 2016 election, Raimondo voted for Donald Trump because of Trump's foreign policy ideas.
Opinions and views
Justin Raimondo believed that the United States was led into World War II by President Franklin D. Roosevelt through misleading information. He also thought that the U.S. purposely caused a war with Japan by using economic restrictions.
Raimondo also discussed his religious background. He was raised Catholic but described himself as "not a believer." He said that his early experiences with the Catholic Church and a Jesuit school were important in helping him develop his ideas, even though he didn't believe in God. He enjoyed their discussions about philosophy and ideas.
Death
Justin Raimondo passed away on June 27, 2019, in Sebastopol, California. He died from lung cancer. He was survived by his husband, Yoshinori Abe, and his two sisters.
See also
In Spanish: Justin Raimondo para niños
- List of peace activists
