Civil Liberties & Privacy

Liberty and the Constitution

by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 2001

ONE OF THE MOST COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS in the United States is that people’s rights come from the Constitution. Without the Constitution, it is believed, people wouldn’t have such rights as freedom of expression and religion. People should be grateful to the Founding Fathers, it is said, for establishing the vehicle by which people could have such rights as life, ...

Only Individuals Have Rights

by Sheldon Richman August 1, 2001

Attorney General John Ashcroft has let it be known that it is the official position of the executive branch of the U.S. government that individuals possess the right to keep and bear arms. Hallelujah! As the anti-self-defense lobby says, this is a reversal of a position held for about 30 ...

Jonah Goldberg and the Meaning of Rights

by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 2001

In his article “The Libertarian Lobe,” Jonah Goldberg expressed glee that he had trapped a young libertarian woman with what he calls his “tried-and-true trick question”: “I asked her something to the effect of: ‘Imagine a very close friend of yours were suicidal. She just broke up ...

Classical Liberalism in the 21st Century

by Richard M. Ebeling August 1, 2001

The history of mankind is a history of war, conquest, and oppression. From ancient times to the modern era, peace and freedom have been rare occurrences in the sweep of human events. When peace has prevailed for extended periods of time, it has invariably occurred under the yoke of despotic ...

Patrick Henry’s Choice

by Ben Moreel August 1, 2001

IN 1775, an American patriot stood before his neighbors in a small church in Virginia and challenged the tyranny of government — his own government — in a ringing statement on liberty and death. While I subscribe wholeheartedly to ...

The Latest Waco Fireball

by James Bovard July 1, 2001

APRIL 19th was the eighth anniversary of the final FBI assault on the Branch Davidians at Waco, Texas. For almost a decade, politicians and bureaucrats have sweated to withhold key information about that day’s events from the American public. But the ghost of Waco may be rising from the grave once more to place its ice-cold hand on the ...

John Stuart Mill and the Three Dangers to Liberty

by Richard M. Ebeling June 1, 2001

JOHN STUART MILL’S 1859 ESSAY “On Liberty” is one of the most enduring and powerful defenses of individual freedom ever penned. Both advocates and enemies of personal freedom have challenged either the premises or the logic in Mill’s argument. They have pointed out inconsistencies or incompleteness in his reasoning. But the ...

The “Good-Government” Attack on Free Speech

by Sheldon Richman May 1, 2001

I keep waiting for a swell of sanity to wash Senators John McCain and Russell Feingold’s campaign finance “reform” bill away once and for all. But I am beginning to despair that there isn’t that much sanity around anymore. The polls show that most people don’t care about campaign finance issues. ...

McVeigh Isn’t the Only One Who Doesn’t Care

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 1, 2001

Much has been made of convicted mass murderer McVeigh’s indifference to the fact that 19 children were among the 168 deaths in the Oklahoma City bombing. McVeigh has referred to the children’s deaths as “collateral damage.” But it’s important that we not forget that McVeigh is not the only ...

Yahoo! We Have Free Speech

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 2001

A RECENT RULING by a French Court in a lawsuit brought against Yahoo.com reflects the dramatically different way in which Americans and Europeans view the importance of individual liberty. The case involved Yahoo’s online auctions of Nazi memorabilia. In France, as in Germany, such sales constitute a severe criminal offense. While ...

The Rule of Law, R.I.P.

by Sheldon Richman April 1, 2001

THERE IS LITTLE LEFT of the rule of law in the United States of America. To be sure, things are worse elsewhere, but that gives no comfort. We live under a regime in which the traditional features of the rule of law are largely absent. No one claims to be against the rule of law. Quite the contrary. But most ...

The Drug War’s Assault on Liberty

by Jacob G. Hornberger March 1, 2001

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. is a perfect example of the war on drug’s tremendous assault on liberty. Downey is the famous Hollywood actor who has a drug problem. To punish him for being a drug addict, the state has arrested him, prosecuted him, incarcerated him, released him, and arrested him anew. The state won’t leave ...