The Humble Libertarian original

Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and John McCain (R-AZ) battled over the proposed amendment to change the language in the defense bill. McCain argued that without the provisions, terrorists would be able to reenter the battlefield and endanger Americans: “Facts are stubborn things. If the senator from Kentucky wants to have a situation prevail where people who are released go back in to the fight to kill Americans, he is entitled to his opinion.” McCain’s words were especially ironic because it was John Adams who once said “Facts are stubborn things,” while defending British soldiers during the Boston Massacre trials because of his firm belief that even as enemies to America’s best interests, these British soldiers had a right to a fair trial with due process and legal representation. Facts are stubborn things. “…and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” -John Adams One stubborn fact ...

I worked very hard on this list and it makes a powerful case against the Fed. It will delight die-hard Fed critics and it will shock and inform those who aren't awake to the dangers of central banking. My list of 100 Libertarian Objections (with Libertarian Answers) is another major work I published this week, but it's a work in progress that I will refine and improve over time, a libertarian resource that will remain on this blog for years to come. What I'd really like to see go viral right now is this list of 100 Reasons to End the Fed . Please share it on your Facebook walls, tweet it, email it to people you know, upvote it on Reddit, and do anything you can to make it go viral! Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

Grover Norquist is just too badass for words. Watch the interview below and note how commanding his physical and verbal presence is, how confident he is as he looks right into the interviewer's eyes (soul?), and how well he speaks. Absolutely no "uhs," "uhms," "likes," or "ya knows." His words are extremely concise and totally on message. He doesn't give in to the interviewer's loaded questions, but he isn't shaken by them either. Pay super close attention to the exchange that happens around 4:15. THIS is how a libertarian answers loaded questions about the welfare state. This is how a libertarian speaks truth to power, doesn't back down from his beliefs, and doesn't lend any credence to the welfare statists' claim to moral ascendancy. Interviewer: "Do you feel the government has any obligation to the poor, the elderly, or the unemployed?" Grover Norquist: [Without blinking, without shifting in his cha...

Over the last few years, American taxpayers have been on the hook for billions of dollars worth of "toxic" assets from the financial industry in the face of a deepening credit crunch, the failure of several major financial corporations, and triple digit dives in the value of public stocks in American companies. Meanwhile the looming threats of a weak dollar, high oil prices, and global economic recession have cast their shadow across the future of America and the world. The culprit? Many people are blaming capitalism, citing all of the recent phenomena as proof that capitalism has failed us and must be abandoned. Others will say that capitalism isn't all bad, but that we have too much of it, and need to balance it out with some "more oversight and regulation." In order to ascertain the validity of these claims, we have to begin with what we mean by "capitalism." Capitalism is an economic system to be sure, but to leave it at that would be to mi...

This is big news! The question is, if Herman Cain drops out of the Republican presidential primary, where will all his supporters go? Carl Wicklander's got all the facts and analysis at The RevoluTimes . Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

"Someone missing fingers on their hands is a [terror] suspect according to the Department of Justice, someone who has guns, someone who has ammunition that is weather proofed, someone who has more than seven days of food in their house can be considered a potential terrorist." -Sen Rand Paul (R-KY) on the Senate Floor discussing the indefinite detainment provisions of the pending defense spending bill Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

Probably not. I've seen a lot of buzz about this [Link has been removed because of reports that the website was giving people viruses. Yikes. -WEM] today in my inbox and on Facebook, and if you've heard about it too and are wondering if it could be possible, I wouldn't take it too seriously. The website names its source as the Russian Federal Security Service, but they don't link to the alleged report itself, they just link to the Russian agency's website [Link has been removed for aforementioned reason. -WEM]. When I copied and pasted all of its headlines into Google Translate, I saw no headline that could remotely resemble anything about a Ron Paul "kill order," and nothing that even mentioned Obama or Ron Paul. Not linking to the actual report is annoyingly unhelpful at best, and kind of sketchy at worst. Don't ever suspend your critical thinking and investigative abilities the second you hear a headline that confirms just how evil your oppone...

This is an important resource I've put together to help educate people about the evils of central banking and inflationary monetary policy. Please share this around as much as you can! Here are the first ten reasons to End the Fed: 1. The Federal Reserve System constantly inflates the value of our dollar by printing money out of thin air. 2. Graph : The value of a $1 Federal Reserve Note in 1913 dollars (the year the Fed was created). 3. The Fed even recognizes its inflationary activity. The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston says: “When you or I write a check there must be sufficient funds in our account to cover the check, but when the Federal Reserve writes a check there is no bank deposit on which that check is drawn. When the Federal Reserve writes a check, it is creating money.” 4. American economist Irving Fisher said: “Thus, our national circulating medium is now at the mercy of loan transactions of banks, which lend, not money, but promises to supply money they...

The Hill reports : Republican Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and John McCain (Ariz.) battled on the Senate floor Tuesday over a proposed amendment to the pending defense authorization bill that could allow American citizens who are suspected of terrorism to be denied a civilian trial. Paul argued the amendment, which is cosponsored by McCain, "puts every single American citizen at risk" and suggested that if the amendment passes, "the terrorists have won." “Should we err today and remove some of the most important checks on state power in the name of fighting terrorism, well then the terrorists have won," Paul argued, "[D]etaining American citizens without a court trial is not American." McCain, however, who has spent hours of floor time in the last weeks promoting his amendment, hurried to the floor to defend it against Paul's onslaught. Hat tip: Memeorandum . Here's what Judge Andrew Napolitano has to say about this amendment on his Fox ...

Former Presidential Candidate Joins CASIDA 2012 Team Michael Badnarik, a constitutional scholar, author, and former Presidential candidate, is joining the Casida 2012 Campaign Team as an adviser. Badnarik’s own personal experiences and relationships with thousands of liberty-minded activists from around the country, brings the opportunity to Colorado’s third congressional district to be the most educated, resilient, self-sufficient population in the country. And as Casida says, "That is what this is all about – being a voice, representing the people, and being a leader for our communities and economies." Badnarik’s experiences bring extensive insight to the campaign team. His book, Good To Be King , is one of the resources that has already been utilized on the campaign trail to help educate people on the basics of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights. Badnarik says: "Every major party candidate tells the voters what they want to hear, but then they...

A memorable demonstration followed by a simple explanation: what the Fed does is and ought to be illegal... just like it is for everyone else! This is a video I made back in September of 2009. Thought I'd repost it. Please excuse the goofy hat that I thought was cool: Apologies to the Secret Service. Please don't come after me... I'm NOT a counterfeiter! Promise! Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

"A new ballot initiative, painstakingly written by a pair of Standford University law professors, seeks to reform the Three Strikes Law in California by restoring it to its original intent, which supporters argue was to keep truly dangerous criminals like murderers and rapists in prison for life without forcing non-violent offenders to spend years behind bars." Read my full coverage at The Independent Voter Network . Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

Please share and use this libertarian resource and help me to improve and perfect it by using the comment thread below to offer suggestions, criticisms, and commentary regarding the choice and scope of objections as well as the libertarian answers to them. If you know of an article or video that better or more succinctly answers an objection than what I have included, please share it in the comments! If you can think of an important objection that I have missed, please let me know! Economic Objections to Libertarianism 1. We need the government to prevent monopolies. This is one of the most common objections to libertarianism. The very best answer to it I have ever encountered is in Ayn Rand's book: Capitalism, The Unknown Ideal . In it, a very young Alan Greenspan (before he sold out) wrote an essay called "Anti-Trust" which demonstrates how theoretically and historically, it is actually only government intervention that can create a true, coercive monopoly, not ...