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On Liberty
John Stuart Mill opined that "the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others." But who determines whether an act is harmful or harmless? Acts deemed harmless by an individual are not harmless if they subvert the societal bonds of trust and self-restraint upon which liberty itself depends. Which is not to say that all social regimes are regimes of liberty. Liberty requires voice -- the freedom to dissent -- and exit -- the freedom to choose one's neighbors and associates. Voice and exit depend, in turn, on the rule of law under a minimal central government, such as the one envisioned by the Framers of our Constitution. Liberty, because it is a social phenomenon and not an innate condition of humanity, must be won and preserved by staunchly and unflinchingly defending the nation and through the swift and certain administration of justice.
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- A Word or Two for Ideological Purists
- Cold Mountain, the Movie
- How's That for Credibility?
- In the "It Could Be Worse" Department
- Broder Boots Another One
- Where the French Went Wrong
- This Isn't News
- Entertain Me!
- Lame Protest of the Day
- Skimming the Post
- Very Politically Incorrect
- The Crystal Ball Is Cloudy
- Does the CPI Overstate Inflation? And Who Cares?
- A Historian Who Needs a History Lesson
- It's Make-or-Break for Democrats
- Higher Math at Reuters
- Dealing with "Middle-Class Squeeze"
- The Republican Advantage in Presidential Elections
- Professor Krugman Flunks Economics
- Election Projections Explained
- Inflaming the Base
- Some Lessons from War
- Judicial Legislation -- Example 9,999,999
- This Is Getting out of Hand
- Patriotism in Song
- The Face of America
- Blindsided by the Truth
- Is Character Really an Issue?
- A Victory Blog
- An Addendum about Classical Music
- The Only Vote That Counts
- Why Kerry's War Record Means So Much to Democrats
- Krugman, Fisked
- McGovern(ment) to Earth
- Democracy, Is It for the Masses?
- More on the Debate about Judicial Supremacy
- Kerry and Vietnam
- Making Sense about Classical Music
- The Meaning of Patriotism: An Introduction
- Fatuous-Libertarian-of-the-Month Award
- Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
- Distilling the Essence of Modern Libertarianism
- A Telling Truth
- Modern Art: Less of It Is Better
- Understanding the Essence of Modern Libertarianism
- The Main Causes of Prosperity
- The Folly of Being Nonjudgmental
- Another Blow to Climatology?
- Watch Out for Mr. Potato Head
- Let's Not Lose Sight of the Real Issue
- Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out
- What's in a Name?
- When Must the Executive Enforce the Law?
- Look in the Mirror
- Liberal Condescension...
- Brains Sans Borders
- Double Trouble
- Does Libertarian-Conservative Fusion Have a Future?
- This Is a Test
- It's Worth Saying Again
- This Guy Wants to Be Commander-in-Chief?
- Offensive Language
- A Conservative-Libertarian Tiff in the Blogosphere
- I Knew There Was a Reason to Vote for Bush
- There's Only One Solution...
- Here's a Worthwhile Libertarian Way to Spend Tax D...
- What Will They Worry About Next?
- What Kind of Libertarian Am I?
- On Second Thought...
- Censorship Knows No Political Bounds
- Education as Conspicuous Consumption
- I Wish I'd Said That
- The Rationality Fallacy
- Regulation, Competition, Wages, and Employment
- It's about Time
- I've Changed My Mind
- I Just Have to Say Something about This
- Don't Call Us...
- Refuting Rousseau and His Progeny
- Scientists in a Snit
- The Social(ist) Contract
- Some "Thinkers" Just Think Too Hard
- Aha!
- Who Decides Who's Deserving?
- Krugman and DeLong, a Prevaricating Pair
- Interesting but Not Surprising
- Boring Things
- Literacy Tests -- An Idea Whose Time Has Gone
- I Missed This One
- Just the Facts
- Time Out for Tenors
- Oops, Rudy's Gone Over to the Dark Side
- What's Your Political Flavor?
- Why We Deserve What We Earn
- John Kerry Knows When He's in Nevada
- Let's Just Say He's a Bit Evasive
- It's About Time
- More Trouble with Libertarianism
- How True
- The Trouble with Libertarianism?
- ► April 2004 (28)
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