What is the highest political value, or end? Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. – John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, The History of Freedom Yes, that’s my answer as well. Liberty. Now, that answer needs some explaining, because liberty is understood or developed very differently […]
After years of camping and spending as much time as possible in the outdoors, I can say that knowledge to sleep under the stars requires a certain learning curve. It doesn’t matter if you camp in good or bad weather, if you are doing it for pleasure or in an emergency, there are always three […]
…you cannot protect the value of respecting each other’s liberties with the value of respecting each other’s liberties. That value has to come from somewhere… David French & the Vapors of Civic Virtue Escaping from a Mystery Box, Douglas Wilson (video) It has been a while since I have written something directly and specifically […]
“These are the times that try men’s souls.” So, Thomas Paine wrote in 1775 in his publication of “The American Crisis.” Not so well-remembered today are the words that followed that famous quote: “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious […]
Make America Think Again! – Share Pat’s Columns… For us, the crucial concern in this Ukraine-Russia war is not who ends up in control of Crimea and the Donbas, but that the U.S. not be sucked into a war with Russia that could escalate into a world war and a nuclear war. To President Volodymyr […]
The resulting erosion of collateral will collapse the global credit bubble, a repricing/reset that will bankrupt the global economy and financial system. Scrape away the complexity and every economic crisis and crash boils down to the precarious asymmetry between collateral and the debt secured by that collateral collapsing. It’s really that simple. In eras of […]
When envisioning a self-sufficient lifestyle, the inclusion of raising hogs is a common theme. Whether picturing the mountain dwellers of the West or the hill folk of Appalachia, smoked bacon, home-cured hams, homegrown corn, and utilizing leftover scraps all contribute to this image. Since the establishment of Jamestown and Plymouth, producing pork has played a […]
The Federal Reserve released the minutes from its meeting in July at 2:00 p.m. today. The reaction of the market was more skepticism about the Fed’s commitment to keep raising rates to fight inflation. The Fed hiked its target for the overnight Federal Funds borrowing rate three-quarters of a percentage point at the July meeting, […]
On Freedom of Information Day, which coincides with the birthday of James Madison, principal drafter of the U.S. Constitution and a key advocate for open government, EPIC is highlighting some open government wins from the past year. EPIC publishes a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gallery featuring our open government successes each year during Sunshine […]
A very common criticism of the libertarian position runs as follows: Of course we do not like violence, and libertarians perform a useful service in stressing its dangers. But you are very simpliste because you ignore the other significant forms of coercion exercised in society—private coercive power, apart from the violence wielded by the State […]
