Zen and the Art of /.*/

The Stateless Society, by Stefan Molyneux (read on YouTube)

Text of the article from LewRockwell.com

Just came across this recently. I’m not terribly familiar with this guy and by accounts online, he appears to be pretty controversial, but this is a pretty good article. Granted, it is little more than a re-presentation of Rothbard’s conception of a libertarian society, but it is an interesting, concise, and compelling presentation. Worth the watch.

The New American Century

Definitely another red-pill movie. Not for the credulous, the faint of heart, or those who can’t stomach the view from inside the rabbit hole.

Those familiar with Libertarian thought are surely also familiar with the notion that secession–from any form of association–is a fundamental right that applies to any subset of a society all the way down to the individual.

Many see state secession from the union as the ultimate solution to the problems of the United States government. But, as soon as one starts to consider this course of action, one shudders to think of the wrath that would likely be rained down upon the poor souls brave enough to try it.

The Fed Under Fire

When Ron Paul’s bill to audit the Federal Reserve (HR 1207) began to accumulate more and more co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle, I was somewhat skeptical, thinking that most co-sponsors were merely signing on to look supportive of Washington’s nebulous notions of “accountability” and “transparency.”

In a contemplative mood on this Independence Day, I took a short break from my work to ruminate on the meaning of the day. I find myself sorely conflicted about the continued observance of this holiday.

The Creature from Jekyll Island - A Second Look at the Federal Reserve by G Edward Griffin (1:11:11)

A speech given by G. Edward Griffin in 1994 (!) on the contents of his book of the same name. Required listening. No excuses.

For years now (has it really been years, already?) I have been trying to share with folks the principled ideas of one soft-spoken congressman from Texas. Without fail, these attempts are met with contempt, disgust, unfounded skepticism, and insult. People unfamiliar with Ron Paul, his policies, his principles, or his record were astoundingly quick to apply to him labels such as kook, unelectable, fringe, extremist, and a score of other derisive epithets.

Open Letter to Congress, by Janet Contreras:

(As read by Glen Beck: Part 1, Part 2)

I’m a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me.

I have been outraged the past couple days over the fact that my Congressman, Republican Erik Paulsen of Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District, voted for the “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.”

The object in this particular case, tobacco, is really immaterial. What I’m furious about is the flagrant violation of the rights of free people. As usual, after fuming for a while, I wonder if I’m overreacting–maybe I’ve finally lost my mind and I’m certifiably bat-shit crazy.

Middle-of-the-Road Policy Leads to Socialism, by Ludwig von Mises (audio version here)

I stumbled across this gem recently, which does a great job of explaining just what it says–that moderate, middle-of-the-road policy is unsustainable and just leads steadily towards socialism. There is no “improvement” that can be applied to a free market economy that does not fail and require further “improvements” ad infinitum, until you arrive at all-out socialism.