http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/libertarianism/ en-us Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:53:33 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2272715/posts With the fate of 70 million desperate, miserable, and mostly-enslaved Iranians hanging in the balance, now is the time for Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel, and others to declare that freedom is an absolute, undeniable, and irrevocable birthright of man. They need to come out unambiguously on the side of the Iranian people and against the Iranian dictators. These Free World leaders -- if they are leaders, and if they do champion freedom -- should loudly and pointedly make the case that all individuals, everywhere on earth, have an utter and untouchable right to liberty and justice.... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2272715/posts#comment Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:53:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265973/posts Retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski in once again on the air after a year's absence----and has restarted her Internet radio program "American Forum." Kwiatkowski is a retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel whose assignments included duties in the Pentagon and the National Security Agency. Lt Col Kwiatkowski's " American Forum" radio program includes discussions about libertarianism and the state of the economy. Lt Col Kwiatkowski's PhD in World Politics was taken at Catholic University of America. Her doctoral thesis centered on overt and covert war in Angola. She has also published two books about US policy towards... americanfreedomeadio.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265973/posts#comment Sat, 6 Jun 2009 02:54:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2262512/posts I recently attended a dinner with a group of prominent liberal and libertarian bloggers to see if there is a community of interest that might lead to closer cooperation on some issues. On the surface, there would appear to be potential for an alliance. Libertarians tend to be liberal on social issues, favoring such things as gay marriage and drug legalization; and also liberal on defense and foreign policy, opposing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and opposing torture and restrictions on civil liberties in the name of national security. But libertarians are conservative on economic policy--favoring a free market... Forbes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2262512/posts#comment Mon, 1 Jun 2009 23:42:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2258078/posts America, Britain, and France should have unilaterally attacked the Soviet Union in 1949 when the Soviets first aquired nuclear weapons. Or else the pre-emptive strike even should have come several years before, when the world could clearly see it coming. The Soviet Union was an unpredictable, radical, military dictatorship, based on a stunningly false and evil ideology, with strongly imperialist, expansionist, aggressive proclivities. They constituted a masive, objective threat which needed to be neutralized, lest the West live in perpetual fear, due to its inablility to properly protect itself from this unprecedented menace. Self-defense -- it should be understood --... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2258078/posts#comment Tue, 26 May 2009 00:45:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2231500/posts Mega-props to our President Obama for yesterday's speechifying about simplifying and fair-izing the Infernal Revenue Service and all that. Except for one small nitpicky thing: He's full of shit on this topic. How precisely is he or his Slugger's Row of policy mavens (you know, the idjits who can't even use Turbo Tax) gonna make the income tax more fair? As it stands, the top 1 percent of filers pay 40 percent of all income taxes; the top 5 percent pay 60 percent; and the top 10 percent pay fully 70 percent of all income taxes. The bottom 50 percent... Reason http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2231500/posts#comment Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:34:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2230681/posts At a deeper level, the modern conservative movement, which eventually came to define the GOP (to its benefit for many years), was built on an ideological foundation--and a coalition--that took a charismatic leader to bring it together (Ronald Reagan), a tacit agreement among its coalition partners to give each other what they wanted, and a message machine to start selling the idea that that there was coherence to a conservative "philosophy." Modern conservatism wove together five discrete strands and interest groups that couldn't coexist. What is remarkable is how well it held together despite the fact that those strands were... The Blue Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2230681/posts#comment Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:10:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2223404/posts Earlier today President Obama spoke to the Turkish parliment and claimed that America and Muslims have "common hopes and common dreams." Now this is a considerable lie. He said we should interact "based on mutual interest and mutual respect." This is also untrue. Obama further opined that Americans have, or should have, a "deep appreciation for the Islamic faith." Wrong again! Finally, and outrageously, the president claimed that "The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans." Don't know what to say to that post-9/11 whopper! At one point in the speech Barack Obama cited an old Turkish proverb which... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2223404/posts#comment Mon, 6 Apr 2009 16:33:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223118/posts "Divide et impera" (divide and rule) is an ancient maxim that became the basis of Machiavelli's approach to power and political theory.  It is the same modus operandi used by the left in this country over the past 16 years that has given us the most radical government in our history. In today's world of sound bites and miniscule attention spans a simple sentence: "There isn't a bit of difference between Republicans and Democrats."  has become imbedded in the nation's lexicon and the foundation of the strategy to split what is a majority right of center country into many factions. ... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223118/posts#comment Mon, 6 Apr 2009 06:12:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2220531/posts Today's G-20 economic summit conference in London is virtually guarenteed to be a ghastly pro-Big Government orgy -- a veritable Lolapalooza for Leviathan. Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan -- not to mention John Locke and Adam Smith -- are going to be spinning in their graves. Nothing is more certain than that this tour de force of politico-economic stupidity and depravity is going to come out four-square against true free enterprize, capitalism, and laissez-faire. Sadly and almost incomprehensibly, the great conclusion of today's deepest thinkers (sic) is that the "Anglo-Saxon" version of political and economic liberty has proven to be... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2220531/posts#comment Thu, 2 Apr 2009 10:43:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2182219/posts What It Feels Like To Be A Libertarian (posted January 2009) Political analysts frequently consider what it means to be a libertarian. In fact, in 1997, Charles Murray published a short book entitled "What It Means to Be a Libertarian" that does an excellent job of presenting the core principles of libertarian political philosophy. But almost no one ever discusses what it feels like to be a libertarian. How does it actually feel to be someone who holds the principles described in Murray’s book? I’ll tell you. It feels bad. Being a libertarian means living with an almost unendurable level... McDonough School of Business http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2182219/posts#comment Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:45:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195224/posts I don’t know whether this belongs in the comic-relief category or the future-threats category, but the Harvard Law School is having a conference to analyze the “free market mindset.” The basic premise of the conference seems to be that people who believe in limited government are psychologically troubled. The conference schedule features presentations such as “How Thinking Like an Economist Undermines Community” and “Addicted to Incentives: How the Ideology of Self Interest Can Be Self-Fulfilling.” The most absurd presentation, though, may be the one entitled, “Colossal Failure: The Output Bias of Market Economies.” According to the description, the author argues... CATO Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195224/posts#comment Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:54:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2183338/posts Hey all you religious zealots who thought President Bush's Office Of Faith Based Initiatives was a good idea: President Obama's social kommissars have hijacked the joint. Oh, the name won't change; they need the religious cover. Plaster a cross on the community organizin' and it's all good! The Obama approach will keep the basic structure that the Bush administration took. There will be a White House-based office and Centers for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in the executive agencies. White House officials and outside advisors say that Obama's effort will be broader than his predecessor's and he will expand the scope... Nietzsche is Dead http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2183338/posts#comment Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:15:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2164341/posts LISTEN LIVE:SOUND OFF CONNECTICUT WITH JIM VICEVICH: 9AM TILL RUSH Sound off Connecticut with Jim Vicevich 9am - Noon Jim Vicevich hosts "Sound off Connecticut" every weekday morning and although he tends to lean to the right "Sound off Connecticut" welcomes and encourages viewpoints from every side. So call in and voice your opinion. This is your chance to "sound off." HTTP://WWW.WTICAM.COM TO LISTEN LIVE Jim also has a LIVE blog during the show click here: http://www.radioviceonline.com/ to see the news videos and sound bites he uses for show prep and archive click HERE for the live blog with streaming... Sound Off Connecticut with Jim Vicevich http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2164341/posts#comment Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:09:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2148981/posts Sound off Connecticut with Jim Vicevich 10am until Rush Jim Vicevich hosts "Sound off Connecticut" every weekday morning and although he tends to lean to the right "Sound off Connecticut" welcomes and encourages viewpoints from every side. So call in and voice your opinion. This is your chance to "sound off." http://www.wtic.com/pages/13975.php Jim Vicevich Jim Vicevich hosts "Sound off Connecticut" every weekday morning. Republitarian by nature (see Larry Elder, KABC), Jim has more than 20 years experience in broadcast television. With 6 Emmy nominations and 3 Telly Awards, Jim has worked most recently as business and financial reporter for NBC30... WTIC RadioViceOnline http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2148981/posts#comment Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:45:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2146079/posts The main organic and structural solution to the current mortgage and credit crisis -- and subsequent Wall Street panic and government bailout -- is to immediately terminate all those "government sponsored enterprises." This certainly seems to be the root of the problem. These state-backed banks have an unfair advantage over legitimate banks, and thus tend to destroy them -- while conducting business badly. Such GSEs, with their unnaturally low interest rates, significantly distort the mortgage and credit markets, and ultimately hurt pretty much everything they touch. They fundamentally attack economic freedom and capitalism, and have no right to exist. The... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2146079/posts#comment Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:43:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2142784/posts Imagine the frustration of the first Yankees, struggling mightily to convince their Puritanical brethren that private property — not communal wealth-sharing — brings prosperity, freedom and enlightenment. Were they mocked, burned as witches or simply ignored? How did they eventually sway the masses to their view? Not just temporarily, in a fine-whatever kind of agreement, but as the kind of deep change that, within just a handful of generations, saw the Puritans evolve into the rugged Yankees that would pen the world's first written constitution, establish individual freedoms, protect private property and free speech and eventually revolt against the British?... Fairfield County Weekly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2142784/posts#comment Thu, 4 Dec 2008 16:05:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137254/posts Proposition 8 was an unsung victory for defenders of individual liberty. Wait, I know what many people will say to this. How can a measure that prevents gay couples from getting a marriage license be beneficial to the defense of individual liberty? It's because that vote represented a line drawn in the sand, even if a thin one, preventing the government from furthering its control over the institution. As it currently stands, there is nothing short of the problem of finding a pastor, priest or rabbi who is willing to perform the marriage rite that is stopping most gay couples... Culture11 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137254/posts#comment Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:07:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2135770/posts We've seen a lot of social conservatives upset over today's intemperate attack by Kathleen Parker (Note: she was unnecessarily contemptuous, but her point that "the Republican Party -- and conservatism with it -- eventually will die out unless religion is returned to the privacy of one's heart where it belongs" is worth serious consideration).Well, I am a libertarian, so let's talk about the Kathleen Parker of the social conservative crowd: Mike Huckabee.This week, Huckabee called libertarians the "real threat" to the Republican Party... In a chapter titled "Faux-Cons: Worse than Liberalism," Huckabee identifies what he calls the "real threat" to... TheNextRight.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2135770/posts#comment Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:39:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2133339/posts Billionaire Facebook investor's anti-immigrant heresy By Owen Thomas, 11:20 AM on Fri Nov 14 2008, 4,806 views Insiders at Clarium Capital, the $5.3 billion hedge fund run by Facebook investor Peter Thiel, are buzzing about their boss's $1 million donation to NumbersUSA, an anti-immigrant group. The donation is an open secret within Clarium, and it has enraged several staff members who joined Clarium because they believed Thiel shared their libertarian ideals. When I asked Thiel if he'd made the donation, an underling passed on a nondenial saying the company didn't comment on "gossip and heresy." A typo — he meant... ValleyWag.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2133339/posts#comment Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:43:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133222/posts Ian presented the court officials with a response. He was not against removing the couch - a responsible neighbor takes note of the complaints of his neighbor. He just wanted to talk with the woman who filed the complaint, to find out what offended her about how his property was, and he'd then remove it if it still bothered her. A very adult-like thing to do. The court refused, and instead initiated a trial. Today, Ian appeared at their trial and intended only on calling the damaged person making a complaint against him. He never got that far, it seems.... Monochrome Mentality http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133222/posts#comment Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:18:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132740/posts BY now you've probably heard: The GOP is becoming too regional, too white, too old to compete nationally. Democrats look like the cast of "Rent," while Republicans look like diehard fans of "Matlock" and "Murder, She Wrote." Fine. The GOP needs to win over more Hispanics, young people, suburban women. That sounds plausible. But what does "win over" mean? To listen to many pundits, it means Republicans must become Democrats. The GOP has become too socially conservative, and if it wants to win the support of mainstream voters, it will need to become more socially liberal. If only the party... The New York Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132740/posts#comment Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:15:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132100/posts By now you’ve probably heard: The GOP is becoming too regional, too white, too old to compete at a national level. Democrats look like a merging of the cast of Rent and Up With People, while Republicans look like diehard fans of Matlock and Murder, She Wrote. Fine, fine. The GOP needs to win over more Hispanics, young people, suburban women. That sounds perfectly plausible. But what does “win over” mean? To listen to many pundits and analysts, it means Republicans must become Democrats. The GOP has become too socially conservative, and if it wants to win the support of... NRO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132100/posts#comment Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:13:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2131179/posts Gov. Mark Sanford made probably the most correct assesment on the 2008 election. From CNN: Beyond the presidential race, it goes without saying the Republican Party took a shellacking nationally. Some on the left will say our electoral losses are a repudiation of our principles of lower taxes, smaller government and individual liberty. But Tuesday was not in fact a rejection of those principles — it was a rejection of Republicans’ failure to live up to those principles. That concise paragraph sums everything up perfectly. But perhaps the problem isn’t articulating conservative principles, it’s running candidates who actually believe in... PolicyInAction.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2131179/posts#comment Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:22:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2127572/posts It's no secret that the Bush years have severely strained and perhaps broken the conservative-libertarian political coalition. Most libertarians were deeply disappointed by the Bush Administration's vast expansion of government spending and regulation, claims of virtually unlimited wartime executive power, and other departures from limited government principles. As a result, many libertarian intellectuals (and to a lesser extent, libertarian voters), actually supported Barack Obama this year, despite his being a very statist liberal. Republican nominee John McCain had opposed some of Bush's excesses, including rejecting Bush's stance on torture and being one of the very few GOP senators to vote... The Volokh Conspiracy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2127572/posts#comment Fri, 7 Nov 2008 03:40:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2116412/posts A source of mild entertainment amid the financial carnage has been watching libertarians scurrying to explain how the global financial crisis is the result of too much government intervention rather than too little. One line of argument casts as villain the Community Reinvestment Act, which prevents banks from "redlining" minority neighborhoods as not creditworthy. Another theory blames Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for causing the trouble by subsidizing and securitizing mortgages with an implicit government guarantee. An alternative thesis is that past bailouts encouraged investors to behave recklessly in anticipation of a taxpayer rescue. Slate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2116412/posts#comment Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:16:30 GMT