Freedom Daily Archive

My Time in the Tower of London

by James Bovard December 1, 2006

I visited the Tower of London in May on an overcast, dreary Friday afternoon. The home of so many famous executions and king-approved murders is kept in spiffy shape. The tour guide — a former British sergeant-military wearing a large “Beefeater”-style hat — regaled listeners with tales of beheadings gone wrong, drunks with axes hacking ...

The Failed Attempt to Leash the Dogs of War

by Bart Frazier December 1, 2006

Of the many powers that government is granted, none has more potential for disaster than the power to wage war. Not only does warfare cost a country in terms of lost lives, it also has detrimental effects on the economy and society itself. In order to keep the country out of senseless and unjust ...

Inflation Is Legalized Robbery, Part 1

by Gregory Bresiger December 1, 2006

Part 1 | Part 2 Inflation. It’s the biggest problem in the world. — Paul Cabot, legendary money manager quoted in The Money Masters, by John Train. A dangerous specter once again haunts our economy, our pocketbooks, and the value of almost ...

I Lift My Sword above the Bolted Door

by Samuel Bostaph December 1, 2006

Emma Lazarus had better stay in her grave if she knows what’s good for her. Why do I say that? Well, the blackhearted villainess deliberately contributed to what is now known as “the immigrant problem.” When she wrote her sonnet “The New Colossus,” and donated it to be auctioned off as part of the fundraising to build a pedestal ...

The Myth of War Prosperity, Part 1

by Anthony Gregory December 1, 2006

Part 1 | Part 2 Depression, War, and Cold War: Studies in Political Economy by Robert Higgs (Oxford University Press: 2006); 240 pages; $35. During the run-up to the Iraq war, along with all the other myths circulating about U.S. foreign policy, economic misconceptions ...

The “Value” of Public Schooling

by Jacob G. Hornberger November 1, 2006

There are two major values of public schooling, from the perspective of government officials. One, this institution provides the means by which government officials can slowly but surely, over a period of 12 years, mold the mindsets of children into one of conformity and obedience to authority. Second, public ...

A Real Free Market Benefits Workers

by Sheldon Richman November 1, 2006

Hands are wringing over bleak reports that despite increased productivity, workers generally are losing ground: real median income — adjusted for government-caused inflation — is said to be falling. Meanwhile, corporate profits are skyrocketing, and the wealthiest are doing fine. In other words, the benefits of economic growth are said ...

The Bush Torture Memos

by James Bovard November 1, 2006

President Bush is proposing to medievalize the American legal code by permitting the use of coerced confessions in judicial proceedings. This is one of the most stunning proposals in U.S. political life since Franklin Roosevelt banned private ownership of gold in 1933. It is vital for Americans to understand the ...

Emergencies: The Breeding Ground of Tyranny

by William L. Anderson November 1, 2006

When the New York Times recently reported that the Bush administration was routinely tracking international and domestic financial transactions, the president said he was doing these things under emergency powers granted to him by Congress. While many commentators have openly questioned the legality of Bush’s actions, there are deeper questions to be asked than simply “Is this legal?” Indeed, as ...

U.S. Immigration Debate Is a Road Well Traveled

by Michael Powell November 1, 2006

They were portrayed as a disreputable lot, the immigrant hordes of this great city. The Germans refused for decades to give up their native tongue and raucous beer gardens. The Irish of Hell’s Kitchen brawled and clung to political sinecures. The Jews crowded into the Lower East Side, speaking Yiddish, fomenting socialism, and resisting forced assimilation. And by their sheer ...

The Federal Ripoff

by George Leef November 1, 2006

The Big Ripoff: How Big Business and Big Government Steal Your Money by Timothy P. Carney (Wiley, 2006); 285 pages; $24.95. Frédéric Bastiat called it legal plunder — the process by which people and organizations use their political connections to obtain wealth that doesn’t belong to them. When a government ...

The Federal War on Gold, Part 3

by Jacob G. Hornberger October 1, 2006

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 It is impossible to overstate the significance of the Franklin Roosevelt administration’s confiscation of gold and its nullification of gold clauses in contracts. It is one of the most sordid episodes in American history. To get an accurate sense of Roosevelt’s actions, it would not be inappropriate to compare what ...