The Humble Libertarian original

The father of the "Blue Republican" movement, Robin Koerner details the contributing factors that may come to a head in Tampa, and ultimately deliver Paul the nomination. It's the big "What if?" question that the letter begs but that few have asked. What if Paul's supporters just ignore the binding rules and vote their consciences? What if, in Tampa, all those Paul supporters who are bound by state rules to vote for Romney put the ball firmly back in the GOP's court, and say, "Your move"? One's first reaction might be to point out that if that were possible, it would have happened before. But that would be a mistake. The GOP is now in uncharted territory. Read the rest here .  The Huffington Post Drew Martin , Blogger, T H L Articles

There is much confusion today regarding the term "capitalism" and what exactly one means when using it. Some suggest it's a form of oppression where owners of capital are given government privileges against labor, others insist, (myself included) that it describes a society consisting of voluntary association and thus completely devoid of state interference. Is it possible for markets to regulate themselves, to increase wealth among the maximum number of people and even incentivize world peace? I believe so. The always insightful, Jeffrey Tucker explains. If a term elucidates an idea with accuracy, great. If it causes confusion, change it. Language is constantly evolving. No particular arrangement of letters embeds an immutable meaning. And what is at stake in this debate about market freedom (or capitalism or laissez-faire or the free market) is a substance of profound importance. It’s the substance, not the words, we should care about. Civilization really does hang ...

Often times we libertarians get too caught up in the troubles facing our nation and spend far too much time waiting for the government boot to drop, when we should be recognizing, celebrating and encouraging the rare moments of liberty we have. This is my latest piece detailing my favorite escape from the stranglehold of the state. It's moments such as this that give me hope for the future. There are few things in life that satisfy my thirst for relaxation like a day at the beach. This is probably no surprise. Who doesn’t enjoy a few hours in the sun with freshly soaked sand beneath their feet? My tastes have changed over the years of course. No longer do I crave an overcrowded shoreline crawling with underage drinkers on a Spring Break bender. No I prefer the calm of a secluded cove or scarcely visited coast, armed with only a cold brew in my hand and Bob Marley in my ear; hidden from the rigors of a regimented society.Though the seductive breeze of a summer afternoon at high ...

I've always been a fan of Butler Shaffer's writings. As usual he doesn't necessarily speak from an ideology but with common sense and an ability to identify the root of problems and expose them. In this case he demonstrates the real reason the establishment fears individuals like Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell or Tom Woods-not because they're "speaking truth to power", but because they're revealing to the masses how much power they truly have. It is often said that people like Ron Paul, Andrew Napolitano, Lew Rockwell, Julian Assange, Justin Raimondo, and the dozens of others who write on a variety of websites across the Internet, are "speaking truth to power." If this is all they were doing, the established order would have little to fear. Those who exercise coercive "power" already know the "truth," and no changes would occur from letting them know that you know. What terrorizes the statists is that such persons are "speaki...

I apologize for my absence from THL as of late, I've been preoccupied. But I have the pleasure of introducing a new writer today, by the name of Samantha Lindsay. She's a new contributor to The Libertarian Review. Here's her first piece on the injustice of modern warfare. Scroll to the bottom to see part 2. Modern warfare involves the use of weapons of mass destruction ranging from the smallest bombs to nuclear weapons and cannot be limited to those individuals taking part in the conflict. Therefore, it necessarily leads to the deaths of thousands of innocent men, women, and children. Thus, the libertarian not only opposes modern warfare, but also dares to call it what it is; mass murder. Further, because wars must be funded, and as the nation-states that take part in inter-State wars do not produce anything with which to fund their wars, they must tax the people that they govern to fund their wars. Not only do they tax those who support their wars, but they also tax thos...

I certainly have strong disagreements with Rick Santorum regarding economics, foreign policy and separation of church and state. Having said that, I will acknowledge that other than Ron Paul, I believe he was the only other candidate in the race who sincerely believes what he says. Despite my disagreements with the former Pennsylvania Senator, he certainly was not as fickle as the wind as Gingrich and Romney. For the same reason, Santorum supporters should stand by the only true conservative left in the race. I understand they have fundamental disagreements with Paul's philosophy as well as mine, but the question is this: Do they honestly believe they can trust Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney? Like him or not, you always know where Ron Paul stands. I am a libertarian and tend to agree with Ron Paul. I tend to disagree with Rick Santorum on most things, but not on everything. However, I do grant him this. He was the most sincere of Paul’s opponents. Call me naïve, but I am convinced ...

Though I enjoy studying history, economics and libertarian philosophy, few writers are as engaging and pleasant to read as Jeffrey Tucker. Tucker is no slouch when it comes to Austrian economics, history or philosophy but unlike most with his intellectual stature, what fascinates him the most is the endless discoveries and possibilities of human action and observing these actions take place in person. It's his zeal for human creativity and imagination that sparks my interest more than anything. Certainly studying the Austrian Business Cycle Theory and classical liberal thought is paramount to achieving our goal of a free society; but often we focus on the negative and textbook arguments to the point of being beyond what the layman can appreciate-not Jeffrey Tucker. His drive is not so much about desiring a freer market as it is experiencing the market's power despite the obstacles imposed by the state. What if we had the following economic system? This system would shower th...

This is a NWO first: a government healthcare system using global warming and a carbon footprint to decide who gets healthcare and who doesn't. In Britain, an 83 year old woman was denied healthcare because her 2 mile round trip to the doctor's office was effectively deemed an environment hazard attributable to the carbon foot print of getting to the doctor's office. An elderly woman was ordered to find a new GP because the “carbon footprint” of her two-mile round trips to the surgery where she had been treated for 30 years was too large. Avril Mulcahy, 83, was told to address the “green travelling issues” over her journeys from her home in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, to the West Road Surgery. The surgery wrote to Mrs Mulcahy, telling her to register with a new GP within 28 days. The letter said: “Our greatest concern is for your health and convenience but also taking into consideration green travelling issues. Re: Carbon footprints and winter weather conditions, we ...

When I hear the arguments given by some for drug laws, gun regulation, or taxation I simply have to ask them, "Do you believe that the state derives its just powers only from the consent of the governed?" Typically, the answer is a resounding yes. My next question is this: How does one delegate a power or right one doesn't have? If you're perplexed, don't feel bad-most are when I ask this. But it's very simple: How does a government, (that allegedly 'represents' the people) have the ability to commit acts that you or I would never commit ourselves, let alone consider the idea of electing others to do it on our behalf? Laws against peaceful, consensual activity always seem to be in the news. Dianne Feinstein takes a hardline stance against marijuana law reform. Raids on raw milk distributors are a regular occurrence. Every little while a story breaks about another “family values” politician soliciting a prostitute who turns out to be an undercover cop...

The drug czars are back in action. While Americans are either cowering over threats from third world nations thousands of miles away or completely oblivious to the outside world altogether; REAL terrorists in federal uniforms are breaking into private businesses and homes, threatening peaceful people with violence to secure their utopian despotism. Oakland's Oaksterdam University was taken over by federal officials Monday morning.Officers wearing U.S. Marshals, IRS and DEA jackets swarmed the Oakland medical marijuana facility on Broadway before 8 a.m. Investigators put yellow crime tape around the entire building.Just after 9 a.m. agents brought out trash bags of unknown materials to a waiting van. Read the rest here . CannabisCulture.com Drew Martin , Blogger, T H L Articles

Some may perceive this to just be a misplaced "Tinfoil Tuesday" piece of paranoia but in case you haven't noticed, we are increasingly, (and almost covertly) becoming a police-state in the U.S. If you disagree, please be my guest to continue watching American Idol and being content with willful ignorance. Wes and I discussed on last night's episode , the influence of libertarian art and how we're steadily entering an Orwellian world of totalitarianism; but I don't believe we even foresaw how quickly this is occurring. Thoughtcriminals beware, a dystopia may be coming to a town near you. On Monday, April 2, the leaders of the United States, Mexico, and Canada will meet at what is billed as the North American Leaders Summit. Here is the agenda, as posted on the website of the White House. 'On April 2, 2012, President Obama will host Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada and President Felipe Calderon of Mexico for the North American Leaders' Summit ...

The relationship between war and liberty may never be put more succinctly than Randolph Bourne's timeless quote, "War is the health of the state." For anyone concerned with the preservation of individual liberty, the state must always be viewed as a mortal enemy. As Mises put it, "government is the negation of liberty." What too many fail to understand however, particularly on the right is that war is not merely an aberration of government, it is the culmination of its very ethos: violent aggression. As it is the health of the state, it is likewise the eventual death of a free society. Should we choose to ignore this, we do so at our own peril. A free society is impossible under an empire. Even the most just war you can imagine is a disaster for liberty and prosperity, as Ludwig von Mises pointed out. An unjust war amounts to murder, mayhem, and mass destruction. And a perpetual state of war guarantees that liberty will never be achieved. James Madison said it...

You would think Americans would have learned to heed Peter Schiff's advice at this point. After his staggering and controversial, (but accurate) predictions regarding the housing bubble, why would anyone ignore what this guy has to say? The opinion molders in D.C. may still balk at his warnings, but I think the increasing police-state and government intervention in the marketplace makes it clear the establishment is well aware of what is coming. Peter Schiff, the divisive investor and commentator that predicted the subprime/real-estate bubble, is forecasting a U.S. dollar and bond crisis over the next couple of years. Schiff blames intervened bond markets, where rates are artificially and excessively low, and expects the coming crisis to blow the 2008-9 financial crisis out of the water. There is little doubt that the Federal Reserve, with Chairman Ben Bernanke at the helm, is holding markets by the hand. Bernanke, himself a divisive figure, has done all he can to push inter...

Below is a video of Bryan Spencer, former St. Charles County Central committeeman and caucus subcommittee chairman admitting to premeditated rigging of the St. Charles County Caucus. Drew Martin , Blogger, T H L Articles

Prepare for the typical talking points from establishment lackeys who march lock-stop with the banking elite. Utah has made the first step towards relieving its citizens of the stranglehold of worthless fiat currency. While they're being denounced as "goldbugs" and nut-cases, the people of Utah will be far more prepared to handle the  pending monetary collapse than much of the country or the world. As this piece says, "gold as good as cash", it demonstrates the ignorance of many on monetary theory. The irony is overwhelming that this writer seems bemused by the assertion that gold could be used in the place of cash, little does Mr. Lofton know that gold and silver are indeed REAL money, and worthless pieces of paper are instruments of fraud. Utah legislators want to see the dollar regain its former glory, back to the days when one could literally bank on it being "as good as gold." To make that point, they've turned it around, and made gold as...

Georgia radio host Tim Bryant interviews Sean Lewis who attended the Athens-Clarke County GOP caucus that was abruptly and improperly ended as several Ron Paul supporters were dismissed time and again. Drew Martin , Blogger, T H L Articles

Every now and then competing governments bring about a positive change in direction. But more than anything, this shift can be attributed to individuals and local communities who've certainly voiced their concern and their legislatures saw the writing on the wall. Freedom is slowly but surely making some headway. Based on Congressman Ron Paul's federal proposal, Senate Concurrent Resolution 15, authored by Minority Leader Sam Slom, R-Hawaii, urges the congress to rein in the TSA abuses and make the agency more accountable for privacy rights and personal civil rights. Slom is a member of a national legislative task force - the United States for Travel Freedom Caucus - formed in March 2011 to ensure TSA accountability. The Hawaii resolution attracted the attention of Alaska State Rep. Sharon Cissna, who co-chairs the United States for Travel Freedom Caucus. Read the rest here . Hawaii Reporter Drew Martin , Blogger, T H L Articles

It's rare to find such honest and hard-hitting journalism today. In a world of sold-out media doing the bidding of their corporate masters, Ben Swann is a rarity. Below is just one example of Ben's fantastic work to not only reveal hidden truths but to also promote liberty. Drew Martin , Blogger, T H L Articles

Our wise overlord are becoming more desperate by the day. Rather than actually admitting the lunacy, (let alone the immorality) of constantly spending more of other people's money, only to become more dependent on this act of theft; they insist on becoming more forceful and threatening to maintain their grip on Americans' pocketbooks. It's becoming increasingly clear that [Lysander] Spooner was right, the only difference between a 'highway man' or gunman and the State is that the highway man would never have the audacity to suggest his theft and violence is some benefit to you, nor would he insist on following you so that he could continue the practice. The highway man is far too much of a gentlemen to ever do such a thing. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is staffing up with high-powered talent to crack down on companies shifting profits from country to country to lower their tax bills, a strategy the agency has targeted before with only limited success. The ...

These stories are too staggering to believe. But they're more examples of how incompetent the State and its apparatus is; and how little value you possess in their eyes. Imagine a private company allowing something like this to happen and actually staying in business? Unthinkable. When will we stop relying on those we have no means of holding accountable? Attempting to retrieve something that had blown into the water, 41-year old Simon Burgess slipped and fell into a 3 1/2 foot-deep pond. He then suffered a seizure. His body, lying motionless and face down in the water, was spotted at 12:15pm by a witness who immediately called 999 emergency services (like 911). Within five minutes, emergency crews began arriving. Then more. Then more. 36-minutes after the initial phone call, no fewer than 25 emergency workers were at the scene. They brought out a state of the art emergency medical tent, resuscitation equipment, several fire engines, ambulances, and specialty dive gear... ......