Free Republic

So here Nat and I sit by the side of the road. A delegation from the Chamber of Commerce just came out and asked us to quit shooting at the tourists. Besides, it got a little too interesting when some of the tourists started shooting back. But what else is there to do on the outskirts of Hardyville on a slow day? Nat picks up a beer and tilts an eyebrow in my direction. “No thanks," I say. “That stuff tastes like moose drool." Nat shrugs and chugs. “So Nat, you were saying something about gulches not having to be...

So I'm driving out of town when I see the strangest thing. There's Nat's old Dodge pickup parked at the side of the road. He's roped his battered shooting bench in the bed. And there sits Nat himself with his spotting scope nearby, his deer rifle at the ready, and a six-pack of Moose Drool beer. He's peering over the rifle down the long, empty stretch of road that leads to Hardyville. Naturally, I have to stop and find out what the heck is going on. "Climb up here and spot for me," he says. "Er ... spot what?" "License...

Concord Hymn Ralph Waldo Emerson By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April's breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard round the world. The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps; And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream which seaward creeps. On this green bank, by this soft stream, We set to-day a votive stone; That memory may their deed redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone. Spirit, that made those heroes dare To die, or leave their children free,...

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. The power and significance of these eleven words reside in the fact that they represent a spiritual truth. This is not simply because Jesus said on the Mount, "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." Nor even because it is written in mosaic law: "Whatever is hurtful to you, do not do to any other person." The spiritual authority of the Golden Rule is grounded in an even more basic assumption: that there is a Creator and that we...

I slept in peaceful bliss in the cab of a Ford pick-up when a burst of adrenaline startled me. Holding my breath, I got my bearings and raised my head just high enough to peek out the driver's side window. Nothing but empty desert; everyone else had ridden away on horseback about an hour earlier. Keys in the ignition swayed as the truck rocked back and forth. I swallowed and looked into the side mirror. With a disgruntled "Mrrr...," a black and white cow stepped into view from behind the truck. I came to the Owyhees in Oregon to interview...

Many western ranchers found out over the past decade that if they want their private rights protected, they must stay out of federal court. After a painful crash-course in federal courthouse procedure, ranchers learn very quickly that the only obligation a federal judge has is upholding the sanctity of bureaucracy, and the regulation that backs it. The second lesson learned is that a federal judge will seldom do research on behalf of the individual in court, and nearly always rubber-stamps whatever red tape a federal agency wishes to have the force of law. The fact that most public officials take...

One of the “lost causes” to which libertarians are attached—and one of the most important—is that of the “isolationist” Old Right. As used by the late Murray Rothbard, among others, the term “Old Right” refers to a loose coalition opposed to the New Deal in both its domestic and foreign aspects. While not following a strict party line, Old Rightists largely spoke from the ground of classical liberalism and classical republicanism. This earned them epithets like “conservative” and “reactionary” since those two outlooks were rooted in actual American life. Having something to conserve made them “conservatives”—a terrible thing from the...

One lesson that we learned from the “Buy America” debate last year was the need for a thorough and detailed discussion on a national level about the state of the U.S. industrial base, particularly the capabilities of American industry to manufacture sophisticated components for weapon systems. The Buy America provisions passed by the House of Representatives as part of the Fiscal Year 2004 Defense Authorization Bill ultimately were defeated, given the strong resistance from the Bush Administration and defense industry leaders, who successfully argued that protectionist laws only would hurt the competitiveness of the industry and the ability of the...

For those who watch the American economy, the Internet boasts few more useful resources than the Web site of the Federal Reserve. In a few clicks you can mine data on everything from the level of interest rates on Black Monday to the growth of steel production under Eisenhower. Whether the topic is the trend in semiconductor prices, the impact of weather on retailing, or the most efficacious way for corporations to break bad financial news, someone at the Fed has studied it and has posted his findings. Strangely, though, one crucial economic concern gets short shrift: international trade. Not...

CHICAGO -- A 55-year-old Wilmette man was charged Thursday with weapons violations after he shot and wounded a burglar in his home more than a week ago. Hale DeMar, of 35 Linden Ave. in the north suburb, was charged with a misdemeanor for violating a state law that required firearm owners to have a valid Firearm Owner's Identification card, Wilmette police Officer Roger Ockrim said in a news release. DeMar was also cited for violating a village code that prohibits possession of handguns in Wilmette, the release said. Violation of the ordinance is a petty offense carrying a maximum fine...

One of the “lost causes” to which libertarians are attached—and one of the most important—is that of the “isolationist” Old Right. As used by the late Murray Rothbard, among others, the term “Old Right” refers to a loose coalition opposed to the New Deal in both its domestic and foreign aspects. While not following a strict party line, Old Rightists largely spoke from the ground of classical liberalism and classical republicanism. This earned them epithets like “conservative” and “reactionary” since those two outlooks were rooted in actual American life. Having something to conserve made them “conservatives”—a terrible thing from the...

From The Freeman, February 1998, Vol. 48, No. 2, pp.108-111 by Wendy McElroy There is an immense difference between disagreeing with a theory and considering it to be absurd. The former can be a respectful process that encourages discussion: the latter implies that anyone who holds the theory must be a fool. In vernacular language, the difference can be expressed as, 'is the other guy wrong, or is he just stupid?' Natural Law has always had vigorous opponents who believed, with the early 19th century English philosopher Jeremy Bentham, that the theory was nonsense upon stilts. Indeed, Sir Robert Filmer's...

A right is the sovereignty to act without the permission of others. The concept of a right carries with it an implicit, unstated footnote: you may exercise your rights as long as you do not violate the same rights of another—within this context, rights are an absolute. A right is universal—meaning: it applies to all men, not just to a few. There is no such thing as a "right" for one man, or a group of men, that is not possessed by all. This means there are no special "rights" unique to women or men, blacks or white, the elderly...

Contrary to President Bush’s claims, UNESCO has not reformed. It is still pursuing the same subversive agenda that it was nearly two decades ago. If UNESCO is attacked on the grounds that it is helping to prepare the world’s peoples for world government, then … let us by all means affirm it from the housetops. — The Saturday Review, 1952 As a symbol of our commitment to human dignity, the United States will return to UNESCO. This organization has been reformed and America will participate fully in its mission to advance human rights and tolerance and learning. — President George...

For decades urban planners have adhered to the mantra that urban sprawl increases pollution and housing costs, more driving time to work and shopping, stress, and the escalating consumption of scarce farmland and open space. Urban planning to implement what Al Gore calls “smart growth” supposedly corrects these problems and creates more livable, inexpensive homes for all. Irrefutable evidence, however, shows that urban planning creates the very nightmares it is supposed to eliminate. In the process, it strips urbanites of one of their most fundamental civil liberties — property rights. Land-use control has been a goal of socialists for many...

‘‘Outsourcing," "offshoring," "human resource realignment," "training your replacement." These are words that send chills through millions of workers in IT ("information technology") and other hi-tech industries. They also send waves of anger and depression. In the tragic case of Kevin Flanagan, they are being blamed for his suicide. For months, the 41-year-old Silicon Valley software programmer had been anticipating a layoff announcement from his employer, Bank of America. "He knew that Bank of America was sending jobs overseas," Contra Costa Times reporter Ellen Lee wrote in a May 13th article. "He had seen his friends and coworkers leave until only...

The question of whether the United States may be overly dependent on foreign suppliers for critical military equipment has been debated for decades. The Army, particularly, has been concerned about the reliance on non-U.S. suppliers for critical items used in the manufacturing of ammunition. The issue now is taking added importance in the aftermath of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, which some of our NATO allies—whose industries are suppliers to the U.S. military—did not support. What worries Army leaders is the hypothetical situation in which a country that does not agree with U.S. policies may take retaliatory action by refusing...

The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than the Great War, known today as World War I (WWI), at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. Known as "Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe" the influenza of 1918-1919 was a global disaster. In the fall of 1918 the Great War in Europe was winding down and peace was on the horizon. The Americans had joined...

<p>The Bush administration, under fire for its handling of the economy, has quietly killed off a Labor Department program that tracked mass layoffs by U.S. companies.</p> <p>The statistic, which had been issued monthly and was closely watched by hard-hit Silicon Valley, served as a pulse reading of corporate America's financial health.</p>

Originally published by the Marine Corps Gazette, March 1995. Republished with permission of the author. While it has always been important for Marines to understand the Constitution they have sworn to defend, developments in fourth generation warfare now make it imperative. Fourth generation war is war between cultures. It defies the old boundaries of nation state. It is war between special interest groups, races, and religions. It is war that seeks to avoid our military power and neutralize it by dividing us from within. We should be careful not to become alarmist. Seeing a cultural enemy behind every bush could...