Civil Liberties & Privacy

Imus’s Free-Speech Rights Were Not Violated

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 16, 2007

Contrary to what some people are suggesting, the firing of Don Imus for his racist comments about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team did not constitute censorship and it did not violate Imus’s freedom of speech. Instead, the controversy revolved around the principles of private property, freedom of contract, and the ...

War, Civil Liberties, and Libertarianism

by Anthony Gregory March 16, 2007

For more than 12 years, since I was a high-school freshman, I have counted the champions of freedom as my greatest heroes. I have long admired those who, throughout history as well in the present, have spoken truth to power and stood up against tyranny, especially when it mattered most, and especially when it was ...

The Pentagon’s Power to Arrest, Torture, and Execute Americans

by Jacob G. Hornberger February 28, 2007

Also see: “The Critical Dilemma Facing Pro-War Libertarians” “It Can't Happen Here” “The Islamo-Fascist Rationale for Abandoning Liberty” The president and the Pentagon now wield the omnipotent power to arrest, torture, and execute any American they label an “enemy combatant.” It is impossible to overstate the significance of this power. ...

FFF Conference: “Restoring the Republic: Foreign Policy and Civil Liberties”

by Jacob G. Hornberger January 5, 2007

On June 1–4, Friday morning through Monday noon, The Future of Freedom Foundation is hosting one of the most exciting and important conferences of our time: “Restoring the Republic: Foreign Policy and Civil Liberties.” Featuring 24 of the nation’s top libertarian, liberal, and ...

Personal Preference and Local Tyranny

by Scott McPherson November 22, 2006

Encouraged by a 13-year-old court ruling, the City of Concord, New Hampshire, two months ago banned businesses from displaying electronic signs. Already that ban has caused controversy, with a local businessman suing the city in federal court. The city bases its decision on a 1993 ruling by the state supreme court, which ...

Eminent-Domain Chutzpah

by Sheldon Richman October 30, 2006

Talk about chutzpah! A development company is thinking about suing Florida and the city of Riviera Beach for refusing to use eminent domain to provide land for upscale condominiums and a marina. Viking Inlet Harbor Properties was assured the city would condemn a number ...

Habeas Corpus: The Lynchpin of Freedom

by Jacob G. Hornberger October 11, 2006

In the recently enacted Military Commissions Act, Congress acceded to President Bush’s request to remove the power of federal courts to consider petitions for writ of habeas by foreign citizens held by U.S. officials on suspicion of having committed acts of terrorism. While it might be tempting to conclude that ...

The Perils of Emergency Power

by James Bovard September 1, 2006

The New York Times reported on June 23 that President Bush invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify warrantless searches of Americans and other peoples financial data. According to Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey, the U.S. government may have conducted hundreds of thousands of warrantless searches of Americans and others personal financial data. The Bush administration used broad ...

Lies and Leviathan

by James Bovard August 1, 2006

Big government requires big lies and not just on wars but across the board. The more powerful government becomes, the more abuses it commits and the more lies it must tell. Interventions beget debacles that require cover-ups and denials. The more the government screws up, the more evidence the government is obliged to bury or deny. The government becomes ...

Better Surfing Comes with Property Rights

by Bart Frazier July 1, 2006

Property rights have long been recognized as a cornerstone of individual liberty and economic prosperity. As long as people are secure in their right to use, alter, and trade their belongings as they see fit, freedom and an ever-increasing standard of living are the result. However, not all rights to property are clearly defined. When property rights are unclear ...

A Man’s Home Is His Castle

by Wendy McElroy July 1, 2006

The Castle is a tacky tract house in Melbourne, Australia, where the quirky Kerrigans live in the firm belief that they are the luckiest family in the world. Their house is so close to the airport that planes almost scrape their roof. But instead of complaining, patriarch Darryl feels lucky to have such an up-close view of man’s conquest ...

Fear Is the Coin of the Realm

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 15, 2006

Uh, oh! A new study reveals that “fears that the deadly strain of bird flu would move through Africa and Europe in flocks of wild birds have so far proven unfounded....” That means one less fear that the feds can use to frighten grown-up American men and women as an excuse ...