Free Republic

I am sorry to report that Thomas Szasz, the great libertarian critic of coercive psychiatry, the "therapeutic state," and the war on drugs, died over the weekend at his home in Manlius, New York. He was 92.

I’m a libertarian in part because I see a false choice offered by the political left and right: government control of the economy -- or government control of our personal lives. People on both sides think of themselves as freedom lovers. The left thinks government can lessen income inequality. The right thinks government can make Americans more virtuous. I say we’re best off if neither side attempts to advance its agenda via government. Let both argue about things like drug use and poverty, but let no one be coerced by government unless he steals or attacks someone. Beyond the small...

The way to Mika Brzezinski's heart is through her stomach. Or better put, through using the power of the state to limit what we can put into our stomachs. On Morning Joe today, Brzezinski declared her love for NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Why? Because of the Nanny-in-Chief's various food prohibitions, the latest being his limit on the size of soft drinks. Mika's view of those who support a "live free or die" libertarian view? "Idiots", she declared them. View the video here.

There is a certain tiresome message we’ve all heard: the notion that the Republican and Democratic parties are the same. It’s often put forth by people who consider themselves outside-the-box thinkers, and they fancy their point of view the enlightened one. Sometimes cynical George Carlin types, their message is, “Hey, I’m smart enough to know both parties are playin’ the game. Don’t try to fool me!” This attitude was apparent in a few of the comments under a recent piece I wrote about liberal immorality. One respondent opined, for instance, “What still amazes [me] is that there has been definite...

I swear to god, for the first time in my life I cannot seem to make an enemy on the internet! As a matter of strategy, this is what Man Alive! seeks: To disintermediate the ruling class. Disintermediation means cutting out the middle-man, and, by teaching you a new way of thinking about human nature and about your own unique self, the book puts you in charge of your own philosophical affairs. You no longer have to turn to so-called "thought leaders" -- most of whom are frauds anyway -- for answers -- which answers are almost always contrary to...

There are, generally speaking, three types of libertarian perspectives on the Civil War. Many libertarians actually support the war, some condemn it without defending the Confederacy, and some are actually pro-Confederate.

Bestselling author Tom Woods responds to radio host Mark Levin's attack on the prolific and crucially important free-market economist Murray Rothbard.

VIDEO: In this red-hot 16 minute debate, libertarian Wayne Allyn Root, obliterates a pitiful, whiny, parasitic, anti-freedom socialist. It's interesting and noteworthy how the broadcaster seems to label those rightfully afraid of socialism as being afraid of the "big, bad, wolf". Watch how quickly the socialist pulls out the race card (and how Wayne Allyn Root dismantles it). This is universally done by the left, regardless of whether the debate is with a democrat, socialist, or communist. Along with class warfare, it's the only tool they have. It's laudable how Root maintains his composure and pleasant disposition, even in the...

Throughout the primary election season there's been a group unfairly villainized by the rest of the Republicans. Not the establishment (they can't be villainized enough for giving us McCain and trying to keep folks like Rand Paul from getting elected in 2010) -- I mean libertarians. Republicans like to villainize libertarians for infiltrating their party -- but refuse to acknowledge that being libertarian and being Republican are not mutually exclusive. I wish someone had told me, but apparently all self-identified libertarians are the same caricature of Ron Paul supporters who refuses to debate and instead just shouts "Neo-con! Neo-con!" at...

At least one well-known conservative has begun speaking out-loud the notion that an Obama re-election might not be the very worst thing that could happen, either to the nation or to Republicans—even to REAL Republicans–that is, conservatives, members of the Party base whose mistrust of Obama is nearly equaled by their mistrust of Mitt Romney and the 2008 ‘Ghost of Romney past’, John McCain. The best-selling author of “Looking out for Number One” and “Restoring the American Dream”, Robert Ringer has been a Libertarian/conservative for decades. And given 5 decades of Libertarian leanings, his support of Ron Paul should surprise...

Stereotypes and broad brush labels are common in the current political climate. If someone says they believe homosexuality is a sin and that drugs ignite societal problems, they would almost immediately be placed in the “Christian right-wing” category. If another person says that the government should not be in the marriage business and that drugs should be decriminalized, then that person would likely be labeled a “liberal.” But what if a person believes both sides of the argument? Enter the Christian libertarian. A Christian libertarian is generally aligned with the core moral beliefs of Christian conservatives but emphasizes free will...

We did a series back in February on libertarianism. Ron Paul’s ascendency in Iowa begs that we revisit this issue. I recently told a friend that I might hold my nose and vote for Ron Paul because he is the only one talking about drastically cutting the federal bureaucracy. I take it all back! The more we learn about this guy, the more troubling are his views. We argued in our series that libertarianism is based on a moral foundation of sand. And that is exactly what Paul’s views reflect. On the surface, conservatives ought to like him. He says...

To "get" Ron Paul you have to understand libertarianism -- an ism every bit as delusional as Marxism. The National Libertarian Party, which first ran a presidential candidate in 1972, hasn't had many wins -- electing 4 state legislators in as many decades, as well as a planning commissioner here and an alderman there. Ron Paul is its greatest success. The Texas congressman is far and away the most prominent proponent of what I like to call rightwing utopianism. Libertarianism is to authentic conservatism what Barack Obama is to 19th century liberalism. Inspired by Ayn Rand (Ron named his son,...

One of the most persistent divides between traditional conservatives and their libertarian/anarcho-capitalist counterparts involves a fundamental philosophical disagreement about immigration. While most conservatives view immigration primarily through the lens of preserving American culture by only accepting those immigrants who are assimilable and will tangibly benefit our society in the future, a view expressed repeatedly during debates over illegal immigration in this country, many libertarians view the subject in an altogether different light. For them, the question is not so much whether a particular cohort of immigrants will be an asset to the United States but whether we have any right...

National Journal reporter Beth Reinhard got a chilly reception from Republican frontrunner Ron Paul when she ran into him eating his breakfast all alone at the Des Moines Embassy Suites. Reinhard asked the unaccompanied candidate whether his supporters would support the eventual nominee if it wasn’t him, which drew a sharp retort. “Right now, the only thing that bothers me is people who don’t respect my privacy enough to leave me alone for five minutes when I’m eating breakfast,” Paul allegedly responded. Reinhard reports the Republican hopeful coldly went back to reading his USA Today.RELATED: Dick Morris Calls Ron Paul...

The RevPac event I attended on Monday night was an quite an experience. First of all, the choice of setting seemed designed to highlight some of the recurring themes in Ron Paul’s presidential campaign. While most of his primary opponents have held Manhattan fundraisers targeting donors in this city’s ever-dwindling, yet still potent, financial services sector, the rigidly anti-corporatist, free market dogma of the Paul campaign-highlighted by the appearance of bearish Euro Pacific CEO Peter Schiff-lent a new dimension to what would otherwise have been a routine campaign fundraiser. The optics of the event were pleasing, which I suppose was...

I believe that Texas Congressman Ron Paul and his followers have good intentions. However, as any conservative can attest, having good intentions does not exempt a person from the consequences of his actions or views. Given that, by diverting and dividing the right at a time when we can ill afford to be distracted, the extremist views held by Paul and his merry band of libertarian Bolsheviks are very dangerous. Libertarianism is an important strand of conservative thought, and to have its principal representative at a moment such as this be as extreme a figure as Representative Paul is, in...

The Republican presidential primary has become a bit feisty, but it will get downright ugly if Ron Paul wins the Iowa caucuses. The principled, antiwar, Constitution-obeying, Fed-hating, libertarian Republican congressman from Texas stands firmly outside the bounds of permissible dissent as drawn by either the Republican establishment or the mainstream media. (Disclosure: Paul wrote the foreword to my 2009 book.) But in a crowded GOP field currently led by a collapsing Newt Gingrich and an uninspiring Mitt Romney, Paul could carry the Iowa caucuses, where supporter enthusiasm has so much value. If Paul wins, how will the media and the...

I’ve been waiting for quite a while for Ron Paul to just come out and admit he’s a 9/11 truther. Frankly, I thought it would happen a long time before now. It has taken so long, in fact, that I had started to doubt whether he would ever do it. However, I guess his Iowa polling numbers must have him feeling his oats, because he finally let slip (apologies to those who cannot view the video in IE, we are working to fix the technical issue. Original video may be found here): And it’s… just think of what happened after...

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul said Thursday evening that Bush administration officials were gleeful after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks because it gave them a pretext to invade Iraq. "Just think of what happened after 9/11. Immediately before there was any assessment there was glee in the administration because now we can invade Iraq," the Texas Republican told a group of mostly young backers in Iowa. He went on to suggest officials are now setting the stage for an invasion of Iran. Paul, who was tied for second in this week's CBS News/New York Times poll of likely Iowa caucus-goers,...