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Letters to the Editor
from John Frederic Kosanke, E.J. Totty, A.X. Perez, Neale Osborn, and R.A. Russell
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The Plan
by L. Neil Smith
The United States of America are in trouble. To some, it is a horrible surprise. Many others have helplessly watched it coming for years. At the most fundamental levels, with regard to its continued national and cultural existence, in both economic and philosophical terms, this country is in vastly worse danger at this moment, than it was during the so-called Great Depression or the War Between the States.
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Aaron Zelman
by L. Neil Smith
One of the freedom movement's greatest and most legendary warriors has left us. Aaron Zelman was the same age that so many of us are, sixty-four, and his passing leaves a gap in our ranks that won't be filled soon or very easily. I have agreed to write more about Aaron, in different places, in the coming days. This remembrance will be more personal.
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The Case for Gay Marriage
by R. Smith
In the eyes of the law, Elinor Barron has been living with a stranger for 24 years. According to MSNBC, she married Janet Chin in 2008; they live in the San Francisco Bay Area and are a same-sex couple who married before California's Proposition 8 passed. They have been a committed couple for 24 years, but the law treats them as no more than roommates because of the Defense of Marriage Act signed into law in 1996 by former President Bill Clinton.
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A Letter to Ron Paul
by L. Neil Smith
Dear Congressman Paul, "HOLDER WARNS OF THREAT WITHIN, 'RADICAL CITIZENS'" screamed the headline on this morning's Drudge Report, beneath a photograph of United States Attorney General Eric Holder, and of Janet Napolitano, head of the Department of Homeland Security. Somehow, Congressman, I got the feeling the man was talking about everybody I know, including me. Including you.
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The Market: Brand X or Libertarianism?
by Carl Bussjaeger
Claire Wolfe recently asked, "What one thing about freedom makes it worthwhile for those who seek it? What One Great Thing can make all the struggle worthwhile?" That's been on my mind for the past year, although I've been looking at it as a market question. To libertarians, free markets are pretty much everything. And the answer is: Nada. Libertarianism is a free market failure. A flop. Couldn't even hack it as a passing fad. Pet rocks were more popular.
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Money For Nothin' and Your Chicks For Free
by C. Jeffery Small
Since the founding of this country, each generation has faced its own unique set of difficulties and struggles, whether those happened to be droughts, floods, fires, tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, abolition, suffrage, civil rights, economic depression, or any number of other natural or man-made challenges. The economic, social and environmental problems that confront us today have their own unique character, but are actually no worse than many of those of the past.
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TSA: I Just Don't Think Most People Get It
by Doug Newman
On the afternoon of September 11, 2001, when we were all scurrying about like so many headless chickens, an old friend in Arizona sent an absolutely prophetic email. The subject line read: "They want you to panic..." The body of the email started: "... so don't."
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End of Year Economic Report
by Jim Davidson
Some months back I made a market psychology analysis that the Dow would not close about 11,500 ever again. I should probably have put in some sort of error bar on that prediction to make it seem more scientific. But it really isn't science. It is a "technical analysis" "chart formation" market psychology reading. Which makes it about as much guess work as anything.
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A History of Freedom of Thought
Chapter I
Freedom of Thought and the Forces Against It
by John Bagnell Bury
IT is a common saying that thought is free. A man can never be hindered from thinking whatever he chooses so long as he conceals what he thinks. The working of his mind is limited only by the bounds of his experience and the power of his imagination. But this natural liberty of private thinking is of little value. It is unsatisfactory and even painful to the thinker himself, if he is not permitted to communicate his thoughts to others, and it is obviously of no value to his neighbours. Moreover it is extremely difficult to hide thoughts that have any power over the mind. If a man's thinking leads him to call in question ideas and customs which regulate the behaviour of those about him, to reject beliefs which they hold, to see better ways of life than those they follow, it is almost impossible for him, if he is convinced of the truth of his own reasoning, not to betray by silence, chance words, or general attitude that he is different from them and does not share their opinions. Some have preferred, like Socrates, some would prefer to-day, to face death rather than conceal their thoughts. Thus freedom of thought, in any valuable sense, includes freedom of speech.
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Accountability
by A.X. Perez
The Congress that just adjourned did an awful lot of work after the 2010 election. The end of don't ask don't tell and the decision not to impose taxes on Americans (and letting tax cuts expire is imposing taxes), especially as this involved rejecting the class warfare increases of taxes "on the rich" soi disant Progressives sought, are not anti libertarian (getting rid of taxes altogether would have been ideal but let's not kid ourselves). Of course there was the extension of unemployment benefits which runs up the debt our children and grandchildren will face. There was also ratification of the SALT Whatever Treaty, ratifying that we and the Russians will continue to disarm from the Cold War. Now we need to get the other nuclear powers involved, including those who aren't in the game yet but want to join.
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Conversations with Consequences: Resolutions for 2011
by Chris Claypoole
First of all, I can�t speak for anyone else. Nor would I want to. I�m satisfied being myself, don�t want to be anyone else, and don�t want anyone to be like me. No, I�m not going to list my many faults; suffice it to say that I�m probably a little left of the peak on the bell curve for personality.
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Freedom Easier
by Jim Davidson
You presumably know by now that since December 1998, I have been involved in the free market money industry to an increasingly great extent. You may have heard that I used to be the general partner in a free-market-money-mediated stock exchange. You may have been told that several companies in which I was involved issued gold denominated bonds and paid them off on time, without fail, and with interest. You may also have learned that, over the years, government action has taken out several alternative currencies.
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Atlantea The Beautiful No. 106
by L. Neil Smith and Rex May
Number 106 of a weekly cartoon series.
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Agenda 21: The United Nations Programme of Action

Planning for Your future, serf!

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