Daily Articles

Panama and the Canal: Children of American Imperialism and Socialism

by Richard M. Ebeling May 1, 1990

In December and January, the television screens across America flickered with pictures of United States' soldiers patrolling the streets of Panama City. Throngs of cheering Panamanians were shown waving the Stars and Stripes and singing the "Star-Spangled Banner." The "Maximum Leader," Manuel Noriega, appeared on the cover of Newsweek holding his prisoner mug-shot number. At the White ...

Patriotism

by Herbert Spencer May 1, 1990

Were any one to call me dishonest or untruthful he would touch me to the quick. Were he to say that I am unpatriotic, he would leave me unmoved. "What, then, have you no love of country?" That is a question not to be answered in a breath. The early abolition of serfdom in England, the early ...

The Conquest of the United States by Spain (1898)

by William Graham Sumner May 1, 1990

Spain was the first, for a long time the greatest, of the modern imperialist states. The United States, by its historical origin, its traditions, and its principles, is the chief representative of the revolt and reaction against that kind of state. I intend to show that, by the line of action now proposed to us, which we call expansion ...

From the President’s Desk

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 26, 1990

For years, many of us have been arguing that omnipotent government in foreign affairs is just as evil and dangerous, if not more so, than omnipotent government in domestic affairs. But our arguments met with indifference from some devotees of freedom and limited government, because while they could see the evils and dangers of the welfare state, the absence ...

Principles and the Constitution

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 1990

Several weeks ago, the United States Supreme Court held that certain procedural safeguards in the U.S. Constitution did not extend to foreign citizens under certain circumstances. The case was noteworthy not just for its holding but, more important, for what it connotes with respect to the Constitution and the desire by U.S. public officials to violate its principles. You will ...

War for Peace in the Middle East

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 1990

American politicians and bureaucrats have provided four reasons for the road the war on which they have embarked in the Middle East. Let us closely examine each of these reasons. We are first told that military intervention in the Middle East is necessary to ensure that the Emir of Kuwait (and his family) is restored to power and that the ...

How Bad Do You Want to Be Free?

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 1990

Ever since I was a small child, I have been intrigued by the Battle of the Alamo. For a time, the defenders of the Alamo were expecting reinforcements to arrive. But once word came that Fannin and his troops had been massacred, it was clear that help would not ...

The Limits of Governmental Activity

by Ludwig von Mises April 1, 1990

It is an established fact that alcoholism, cocainism, and morphinism are deadly enemies of life, of health, and of the capacity for work and enjoyment.But this is far from demonstrating that the authorities must interpose to suppress these vices by commercial prohibitions, nor is it by any means evident that such ...

Socialism in America

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 1990

Happily, people all over the world are abandoning the 20th-century nightmarish experiment with socialism. But the great tragedy of our time lies here in America: unlike the rest of the world, Americans are rushing to embrace the socialist ideals which others are now fleeing. One of the essential tenets of socialism is public ownership of the means of production. What ...

The Compromise of Silence

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 1990

Accompanying this article is the April issue of Freedom Daily. All of the articles in this issue are devoted to the immorality and destructiveness of the government's war on drugs. People have recently said to me, "Why don't you people at FFF take it slow? Why are you immediately tackling such tough freedom issues ...

The Economics of the Drug War

by Richard M. Ebeling April 1, 1990

Does America have a drug problem? Yes. Is the drug problem undermining a part of the country's social and economic fabric? Yes. Are there steps that can be taken to help overcome America's drug problem? Yes. Should government be given more power and greater financial wherewithal to halt and reverse the drug crisis? No! For ...

The Morality of Drug Controls

by Thomas Szasz April 1, 1990

We Americans regard freedom of speech and religion as fundamental rights. Until 1914, we also regarded the freedom of choosing our diets and drugs as fundamental rights. Obviously, this is no longer true today. What is behind this fateful moral and political transformation, which has resulted in the rejection, by the overwhelming majority of ...