This month is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Bruno Leoni, one of the most penetrating political thinkers of the post-World War Two era. His 1961 book, Freedom and the Law, helped me get a handle on the perils of majority rule. (E-text versions of that book are available free from the Liberty Fund […]
Tag Archives | Freedom

More Bush-Inspired Epigrams for his Library Day
In honor of Bush’s library dedication today, here are some more epigrams he inspired from Terrorism & Tyranny (Palgrave, 2003) Killing foreigners is no substitute for protecting Americans. Habeas corpus is an insurance policy to prevent governments from going berserk. Perpetual war inevitably begets perpetual repression. It is impossible to destroy all alleged enemies of […]

Bush Betrayal Epigrams – in honor of Library Day
Down in Texas, the George W. Bush Library will be officially opened today. In honor of the occasion, here’s a few epigrams from my 2004 book, The Bush Betrayal: Truth is a lagging indicator in politics. The arrogance of power is the best hope for the survival of freedom. The only way to reconcile the […]

Boston: Death Sentence for Looking out Window?
Police were continually screaming “don’t look out the window!” during their sweep in Watertown last week. This photo shows what happens to folks who disobeyed that order. And here is a stunning video of how the raids were carried out. Maximum feasible intimidation… So our security now depends on permitting police to threaten to kill […]

Hooligan Reviewed by Irish Writer Paddy Manning
Irish writer & farmer Paddy Manning just posted a very generous review of Hooligan. Thanks, Paddy! 5.0 out of 5 stars Essential, Compelling Reading for Limiting Government, Great Comedy, April 4, 2013 By P. Manning “floating mote” (Ireland) – See all my reviews (REAL NAME) Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: Public Policy Hooligan […]

Political Accounting: Why Waste is Inevitable
From the Freeman, September 1999 – partly extracted from my Freedom in Chains (1999) Here are a few of the punchier lines from the piece – * The benevolence of government rarely transcends the venality of politics. * The amount of power a politician can seize over other people is inversely related to the politician’s […]

Don’t Scapegoat Freedom for Leviathan’s Failures
Listening to the media touting Obama around the clock reminded me of a piece I wrote for Sheldon Richman, editor of the Freeman, five years ago. Unfortunately, the media and intellectuals are playing the same bunkum games now that they did under the previous president. Here are some one-liners plucked from the following article: * […]