Freedom Daily Archive

Education: Free and Noncompulsory

by Scott McPherson February 1, 2008

“The transfer, by the parents, of so much of their own authority and responsibility to the schools is in most ways a cowardly and contemptible business.” — John Holt, What Do I Do Monday? Several times in the last few years, after I’ve written some criticism of the public-school system and called for a complete separation of school and state, ...

I Suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Part 5

by James Glaser February 1, 2008

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 Last month I wrote about the assertiveness training in the Tomah Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) program and how I thought it helped me. This month, it’s dreams and relaxation therapy. I am purposely saving the trauma group ...

The Oil-Addiction Fallacy

by William L. Anderson February 1, 2008

Watch any talking head, and when the subject comes to energy, one can expect to hear the mantra, Americans are “addicted” to oil, and especially “foreign oil.” This is repeated as though the repetition is proof that the premise is true. Thus, American taxpayers are currently being forced to contribute billions of dollars — and will be dunned many billions ...

We Need Immigrants

by George Leef February 1, 2008

Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them by Philippe Legrain (Princeton, 2007); 374 pages; $27.95. Many years ago, I agreed to be a guest on a talk-radio program originating in California. The host wanted a speaker who would defend immigration. After I explained my position, the host opened the call-in lines, and for the ...

The Enemy-Combatant Attack on Freedom, Part 1

by Jacob G. Hornberger January 1, 2008

Part 1 | Part 2 Since an attack on Iran could result in heightened “war-on-terrorism” emergencies here in the United States, this would be a good time to review the issue of “enemy combatants,” especially as the concept applies to American citizens. To analyze the critical importance of the “enemy-combatant” doctrine, we will examine the cases of two people ...

Woodstock May Have Saved Senator McCain’s Life

by Sheldon Richman January 1, 2008

Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain scored a standing ovation at one of the presidential debates when he attacked Sen. Hillary Clinton for proposing — unsuccessfully — to spend a million taxpayer dollars on a museum commemorating the 1969 Woodstock festival. In an obviously well-planned moment, McCain told the audience, Now, my friends, I wasn’t there. I’m sure ...

The Martial Law Act of 2006

by James Bovard January 1, 2008

Martial law is perhaps the ultimate stomping of freedom. And yet, on September 30, 2006, Congress passed a provision in a 591-page bill that will make it easy for President Bush to impose martial law in response to a terrorist “incident.” It also empowers him to effectively declare martial law in response to what he ...

I Suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Part 4

by James Glaser January 1, 2008

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 So far I have gone from thinking about needing help with post-traumatic stress, to going to the Minneapolis VA and getting a year of one-on-one sessions with a shrink, and on to an intensive eight-week in-hospital ...

World-Saving: A Disastrous Policy

by Gregory Bresiger January 1, 2008

We must act in time — ahead of time — to stamp the smoldering beginnings of any conflict that may threaten to spread. — George W. Bush As a public policy, world-saving ...

A Short Numismatic History of the United States

by Edward B. Elmer M.D. January 1, 2008

Governments are inveterate despoilers of the freedom, wealth, and lives of their citizens. As consolation, the citizens usually receive little more than lofty words and pretentious sentiments from the political leaders in charge of the looting, murder, and enslavement. Less commonly, governments produce something concrete, such as a marble palace for the ruler or an ...

Crushed by the Fed

by Glenn Jacobs January 1, 2008

During a roundtable debate on a major cable-news outlet about how the Federal Reserve should handle the current credit crunch, one of the economic “experts” made a startling statement. He said, “The Fed has two jobs: to control inflation and to run the economy.” That such a statement is considered conventional wisdom is a stark ...

The Military Draft: A Moral Abomination

by Michael Boldin January 1, 2008

An article in Newsweek, “Why We Need a Draft: A Marine’s Lament,” stirred up a bit of a hornets’ nest online recently. It was written by a Marine who fought in Fallujah, Iraq, and gave a fairly compelling overview of the practical need for the draft. I’m sure the Marine felt he was right. Forcing you or other people next ...