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The Libertarian Liquidationist
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The State is Plunder; The State is Slavery.
Nothing appears more surprising to those, who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few; and the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers. When we enquire by what means this wonder is effected, we shall find, that, as FORCE is always on the side of the governed, the governors have nothing to support them but opinion. It is therefore, on opinion only that government is founded; and this maxim extends to the most despotic and military governments, as well as to the most free and most popular.
—David Hume
But what gives rise to such popular opinion? Surely, it must be that there is some real or perceived benefit.
One must realize the extent to which the foundation of tyranny lies in the vast networks of corrupted people with an interest in maintaining tyranny.
—Étienne de la Boétie
As January 3rd comes to a close, I would be remiss if I didn’t give a last minute paean to both my youngest sister and my favorite fiction writer (J.R.R. Tolkien), both of whose birthday is/was today.*
I was reminded (I am sure, that as an ultimate fan boy I knew this at one point already) that it was the latter’s birthday because of this IHS graphic making the rounds on the web:
The theme of the site, beyond the mere promotion of libertarian ideals, is discussion of the most desirable and effective ways of propagating those ideals, as well as making those ideals workable and sustainable in the real world. The key things here are “personal responsibility” (“moral restraint” or “self-governance”) and “charity” (in the broadest possible sense: love, kindness, respect). Whether we base these off of normative preferences, deontological ethics, faith and theology, the laws of nature and economics, or pure self-interest, makes comparatively little difference as to how things would actually play out in society.
In honor of former Mayor of NYC, Michael “Nanny” Bloomberg:
If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with a conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life.
—Henry David Thoreau
My contention is that good men (not bad men) consistently acting upon that position would act as cruelly and unjustly as the greatest tyrants. Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.
Tom Woods Show: Favorite Episodes So Far.
Within the last couple weeks days I’ve managed to finish up the audiobook version of Mises’ Human Action, catch up on 50 or so episodes of the Tom Woods Show, and start taking the Liberty Classroom Courses. I just thought I would share a few of the Tom Woods Show Episodes I found most interesting.
Interview with Lew Rockwell on October 17th Some interesting anecdotes on the early days of the Mises Institute.
Interview with Gary Chartier on October 25th Gary Chartier patiently picks apart at the edifice of the statist consensus (I actually caught this one the day it was broadcast).
The Libertarian Liquidationist 