Freedom Daily Archive

Benjamin Ricketson Tucker, Part 2

by Wendy McElroy September 1, 2007

Part 1 | Part 2 Liberty first appeared on August 6, 1881, from Boston, where Tucker worked as a journalist with the Boston Globe; later, in 1892, Liberty moved to New York City, where it was published until its demise in 1907. Fittingly, Liberty’s superscript was a quotation from Proudhon — “Liberty: not the daughter, but the mother ...

“Mr. Speaker, Peace Is Always Superior to War”

by Anthony Gregory September 1, 2007

A Foreign Policy of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship by Ron Paul (Lake Jackson, Texas: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, 2007); 372 pages; $19.95. “Mr. Speaker, peace is always superior to war,” said Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) ...

Losing and Restoring the Republic

by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 2007

It is impossible to overstate the fundamental differences between the foreign-policy philosophy of our American ancestors and the foreign-policy mindset that guides our country today. The philosophy of our ancestors was nicely summed up in the Fourth of July address to Congress in 1821 by John Quincy Adams. In essence Adams said, There are lots of bad things all over ...

War Is a Government Program

by Sheldon Richman August 1, 2007

It is always amusing to hear conservatives complain — as they are complaining now and used to complain during the Vietnam War — that if it weren’t for the politicians, the generals could win America’s wars. Those with this mindset believe the politicians are always getting in the way by subordinating military considerations to — ugh! — political considerations. ...

Drunken-Driver Checkpoints: Every Driver Guilty

by James Bovard August 1, 2007

Tens of thousands of innocent Americans are stopped each month at police checkpoints that treat every driver as a criminal. These checkpoints, supposedly started to target drunk drivers, have expanded to give police more intrusive power over citizens in many areas. The demonization of alcohol is leading to a growing nullification of the constitutional rights of anyone suspected of drinking ...

Following a Couple Wannabes

by Bill Thompson August 1, 2007

In case you missed it, America has been at war in Iraq for four years, as of tomorrow . And despite more than 25,000 American casualties and a dwindling list of good reasons to stay, some modern-day Audie Murphys think those who make the common-sense suggestion to get our brave soldiers out of ...

Benjamin Ricketson Tucker, Part 1

by Wendy McElroy August 1, 2007

Part 1 | Part 2 The first issue of the radical individualist periodical Liberty (1881–1908) opened with the words, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, these three: but the greatest of these is Liberty. Formerly the price of Liberty was eternal vigilance, but now it can be had for fifty cents a year. The publisher and author of those words, ...

How Grandma Got Legal

by Mae M. Ngai August 1, 2007

“Made in America — by immigrants” and “We too have a dream” read signs at the May 1 marches across the country. By invoking an American ideal, today’s newcomers are staking their claim as the latest generation of nation-builders. But their critics object to this appeal to history; they ...

Leviathan and Big-Government Conservatism

by George Leef August 1, 2007

Leviathan on the Right: How Big Government Conservatism Brought Down the Republican Revolution by Michael D. Tanner (Cato Institute: 2007); 321 pages; $22.95. My first experience in politics was as a teenager during the 1964 campaign pitting Lyndon Johnson and his band of tax-and-spend-crazy Democrats against Barry Goldwater and his Republican compatriots. ...

The War on Afghanistan Was Wrong, Too

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 1, 2007

While most Americans have turned against the Iraq War, many of them still think that the war on Afghanistan was morally and legally justified. Their rationale is that the United States was simply defending itself by attacking Afghanistan and retaliating against those who had conspired to commit the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Of course, the last thing on people’s mind ...

The Good and Bad News about the Bush Wars

by Sheldon Richman July 1, 2007

There’s good and bad news about the two American-initiated wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The good news is the American people are largely disengaged from them. The bad news is the American people are largely disengaged from them. How can the same piece of news be both good and bad? Let’s see. New York Times foreign-affairs columnist Thomas Friedman laments that most Americans ...

How Bogus Fears Bought Bush Four More Years

by James Bovard July 1, 2007

Is a president entitled to frighten voters into submission to perpetuate his power over them? While many people are catching on to Bush’s deceits on Iraq, most Americans have forgotten the scams of his reelection campaign. George W. Bush was reelected in large part because he boosted the number of Americans frightened of terrorism during 2004. In October 2001, 73 ...