Thoughts, essays, and writings on Liberty. Written by the heirs of Patrick Henry.

““The real damage is done by those millions who want to ’survive.’ The honest men who just want to be left in peace. Those who don’t want their little lives disturbed by anything bigger than themselves. Those with no sides and no causes. Those who won’t take measure of their own strength, for fear of antagonizing their own weakness. Those who don’t like to make waves or enemies. Those for whom freedom, honour, truth, and principles are only literature. Those who live small, mate small, die small. It’s the reductionist approach to life: if you keep it small, you’ll keep it under control. If you don’t make any noise, the bogeyman won’t find you. But it’s all an illusion, because they die too, those people who roll up their spirits into tiny little balls so as to be safe. Safe?! From what? Life is always on the edge of death; narrow streets lead to the same place as wide avenues, and a little candle burns itself out just like a flaming torch does. I choose my own way to burn.””     Sophie Scholl

February 6, 2009

The Silver Lining Of Libertarianism

by Brad Warbiany

Kevin Drum wonders why Republicans are recalcitrant obstructionists:

Republican senators have a modest proposal for Hilda Solis: that if she’s confirmed as Labor Secretary, she recuse herself from any advocacy for the Employee Free Choice Act.

That’s quite the suggestion. Rather like asking Robert Gates not to advocate for the armed forces, or Judd Gregg not to champion American business, or President Obama’s environmental picks not to support stricter fuel-efficiency standards. But then, Republicans’ opposition to unions is close to clinically pathological.

These guys just don’t know when to quit. Don’t they ever get embarrassed by this stuff?

You know, one of the advantages to being a libertarian is that I’ll never have to complete intellectual backflips to support my guys playing political games while then deriding my opponents’ guys for playing political games. Changing your morality to support your guys in power isn’t necessary when you’ll never have guys in power.


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1 Comment

  1. I can’t decide whether to laugh or cry.

    Comment by Robert Bell — February 7, 2009 @ 8:39 pm

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