The Humble Libertarian original

  Here's a deep question: what kind of relationship is most ideal for free individuals? If classical liberalism is fundamentally all about personal agency for everyone then it should follow that a libertarian and anyone wholly concerned with freedom would be unhappy with a relationship that exists on a master/slave basis. This sounds obvious, but is it? Many traditional concepts of relationships and marriage depend on subservience and also on the male public world/ female domestic world roles. If this upsetting to you as a conservative female activist, pause and think that under some of these older roles, you would most probably not be an activist of any sort. It is also worth noting the long and noble history of radical libertarians in the 19th century fighting these norms , specifically marriage that absorbed women as legal entities and condoned rape. I think that an activist, a person who is really trying to better the world, seeks a companion as an equal. It...

“We Are the Future Rally” at the Sun Dome at the University of South Florida. ( Andrew Harnik/The Washington Time s By: Eric Sharp   The Sunday before the 2012 RNC, a unique political event took place. "We Are The Future Rally" with Ron Paul drew an overflow crowd of more than 10,000 young people. While the GOP Establishment was busy pushing Ron Paul's delegates to the margins with rule changes , the R3VOLUTION was making other plans. "We Are The Future" isn't just a name, it is a declaration. What we are looking at is a "libertarian long-march ", to borrow a Marxist term (it's pay back for stealing the word liberal). What this means is that the Ron Paul Revolutionaries are not going to quietly assimilate into the machine and become good cogs that do what they are told. They will " throw their bodies upon the gears ". They will keep pushing every way they can until a free society is achieved.  The method of each activist is ...

By: Eric Sharp Delegates and convention goers who were forced to wait for buses to be rerouted expressed surprise that the Occupy presence has been stronger at the DNC than at the Republican convention in Tampa last week. "I didn't see them at the Republican convention," said Wandra Ashley-Williams, vice president of the Maryland State Conference NAACP. "That's not good." Bad news for party elites. Perhaps Occupy knew that Ron Paul's people were already going to bring the fight to the RNC. Anyway what this means for the DNC is that they have a populous movement angry not just at Republicans but mostly at the Democrats for selling out. Compare what Reason.tv reported people were saying about Corporate contributions and the bailouts inside and outside of the Democratic National Convention. Convention goers saw no problem with the bailouts, while Occupy protestors compared the bailouts to theft. Eric Sharp , Regular Columnist, T H L Ar...

By: Eric Sharp A Memphis College of Art student recently requested a libertarian view on the American Dream for a project. He asked, "What is your idea of the American Dream? Are you living/pursuing your American Dream? Do you believe in the American Dream? Please make it a few sentences long and be detailed and elaborate." And I answered: A libertarian conception of the American Dream isn't simply to "pull oneself up by one's own bootstraps" but rather is what ever makes a person content without harming others. That could be owning a business, living on a commune, DJing at a goth club, being a professional golfer, etc. My personal American Dream is to simply live in peace and be an artist. I'm not after fame and money, I just want to get by and be happy. Am I living or pursuing my Dream? No, and sort of. I am a libertarian activist precisely because living my peaceful American Dream is not possible as our society is structured. I sp...

By: Eric Sharp Sadhguru Vasudev cautions those that want to change the world to first rid their own hearts of fear and pain, before embarking to change the way others live-- otherwise one will only transcribe one's own darkness upon the world and make a bigger mess. Before you can bring the message of liberty to anyone, you must first "live in truth" and experience liberty in your mind and heart. If your heart, mind, and body are not aligned to the same purpose your message will be muddled. As the saying goes, "No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care." But if you have dedicated your entire being to freedom and really feel it, then no force can stop our message. Do it now. Break yourself apart from the archetypal authoritarian nested deep in your mind. Cease your fevered dreams of wandering the Stately Halls, searching for meaning that isn't there. Krishnamurti writes: It is very easy to conform to what your soc...

By: Eric Sharp We tout "The R3VOLUTION" -- a revolution of love. But let us remember what that means. When we offer our solutions to the problems of society, we must first state our opposition to the status quo. If we don't do that then we have no credibility. Libertarianism is not and should never be an endorsement of the system that exists now. That means that if people are suffering under the current system, we must acknowledge that suffering . Only once we have done that will they listen. For someone who is starving, or is sick and dying from lack of proper health care it does not matter how they get food or care -- especially if their suffering is not acknowledged first. If libertarianism is not an answer to suffering then it is meaningless. Fortunately, it is an answer, but we as a movement often forget to stress this point. We must create a world where the stitches that seam the planet together are love, compassion, and friendship -- rather t...

By Eric Sharp: In the final episodes of Gurren Lagann the anti-spirals activate a humanity-destruction sequence that causes the moon to start to fall to earth. They do this because too many humans now populate the planet. Their will to evolve will eventually threaten the Universe . Previously the anti-spirals had forced all humans to live in underground chambers with very close population control. All this talk of the dangers of humanity and the need to control our growth and potential  for the good of the Universe is not unlike what some of the Left and State-Corporate Elite say about the planet. Prince What'shisface  (it's not important to remember the titles of royalty, we're classical liberals!) is reported as saying that he'd like to return to earth as a deadly virus in a next life so that he could help with over population. The Anti-Spiral forces that seek to supress or destroy humanity and other Spiral races are like the State and its...

By Eric Sharp: As the 2012 Presidential Election cycle draws to a close lets take a look back to see the way forward. Back during 2008 there was a prevalent and funny meme going around comparing John McCain, "The Maverick" to Sigma, the leader of the Maverick robots in Megaman X , and comparing Barack Obama to Megaman X, the Maverick Hunter.     VS    According to the metaphor, the Mega Man X plotline followed and Sigma was defeated. But to what end? To continue this metaphor we will need to flash forward to the future in the Megaman Zero timeline . "Copy" X In this timeline Zero, Megaman X's friend and partner, awakens from a long slumber to find that Neo Arcadia is ruled by a tyrant - a tyrant named X, his former partner . X has been trying to eradicate other robots because of "energy shortages", passing draconian measures and even eliminating "terrorists" via the Four Guardians that enforce X's commands. Zero e...

As July comes to an end let's look back and remind ourselves: July 4th is not "Celebrate the Government Day;" it is Independence Day -- the day to celebrate declaring independence from the most powerful empire on the face of the earth. It's not national "Pretty Lights in the Sky and BBQ Day;" it is a day to recall and thirst for liberty. Indeed, July the 4th isn't a day to revel in militaristic and star spangled ignorance; it is a day to remember and conceive new radical thoughts. Now, there's nothing wrong with BBQ and fireworks, but sometimes the true message of the Independence Day can be drowned out by the national anthem rather than amplified. Having recently read the Hunger Games Trilogy , the way July 4th is celebrated reminds me strongly of the Reaping Festival :  So much intense nationalism, more lingo than usual about supporting the troops, and festivals dedicated to colors, stars, and food, rather than principles.  In...

By: Eric Sharp I have been called to state that which should be obvious and that hopefully most libertarians realize: Just because she's into Ron Paul does not mean that she's into you. That's right I said it. I've been compelled to say so after hearing of a few hopefully isolated incidents in which otherwise respectable men in the liberty movement have been a little creepy and slimeballish, macking a little too hard and not taking a hint. Hopefully you are not one of these people. Maybe you've behaved this way without realizing it and feel pretty bad. If you're part of the liberty movement then I would hope that you are not an unrepentant jerk. But let it be said that if we want our movement to be a vibrant, rich, and diverse one then we will need to be self aware and aware of the actions of others within our movement. We all want to be with someone who shares our values and doesn't think that we are crazy for our political beliefs. It is natur...

It's been a New York minute since I wrote terribly much here at THL, so here's a libertarian poem I wrote. "Can't Solve for X" Eric Allen Sharp You and your crusade think that you can solve for X You think that a plan can be hatched one size fits all You see humans as lumps of clay on the spinning wheel only yet to become a perfect vase molded by your supremely confident face sneering from the ivory tower But ... you can't solve for X! chaos is order! France is fed and by whose hand? Not by your central plan. Eric Sharp , Regular Columnist, T H L Articles | Author's Page

There has been mixed responses to Occupy Wall Street by libertarians. Some see the movement as a positive, while others see them as little more than lazy hipsters. But libertarians must be sensitive to why people feel the way they do about issues. The occupiers point out a legitimate concern that "the 1%" control vastly more power and wealth than "the 99%", and corporations have accumulated more power and privilege than is healthy for an open society. Some other concerns and demands are absurd, but the heart of the matter is on track. The question is why has this happened? While many on the left are quick to blame a nebulous thing called "greed", or lack of regulation, the matter is more complicated than that. This calls for a Lord of the Rings metaphor. Let's say that Sauron, the big cheese bad guy of Lord of the Rings, is the corporate hegemony. The 1%. Most people in Middle Earth agree that this is a problem, but there are a few differ...

This past May 23rd Lady GaGa's new album Born This Way was released. In addition to the better known singles Judas and Born This Way it features also a more peculiar song, Government Hooker . On one's first listen the song may sound crude, being about a young girl who wants to be a hooker. The song carries on about how she'll do or be anything that he wants. By the end of the song she is casting him off saying, "Stop f***ing me government hooker". I think that this can be viewed as an anti-statist metaphor. Afterall is the State not a kind of pimp? Some would object to the "kind and paternalistic" government being portrayed as such, but what happens if one refuses to work for the gain of the state or chooses to opt out of its compulsory programs? Are we not all forced to be "government hookers"? We are allowed to keep some of our money from our labor but we must always pay off our pimps. Otherwise there will be problems. No we are not...

A friend on Facebook reminded me the other day, that usually the July 4th holiday is simply called The Fourth of July. Let's not forget that this is Independence Day from ... who again? Our independence from Mexico? Winning the civil war? Not quite, be sure to remind your friends and family what this "Fourth of July" is about. This is not a day to revel in how great the colors red, white, and blue happen to complement each other, nor is it a day for mindlessly bandying our flag without concern for what it truly represents. This day is about winning our dire struggle for our liberty against the most powerful military in the world and the financial interests that supported it, the British Empire. This is embodied in the Declaration of Independence . Take the time between firing roman candles to read the Declaration out loud, through a megaphone even, for all to hear. Let no one forget what this day is about, our sacred and essential liberty. Eric Sharp , Regular...

Opponents of liberty are quick to point to mistakes in judgment that some of the leaders of the movement and draw broad judgments from them. What mistakes you ask? Some of these are part-truths and some may well be urban legends. I'll address some of the most common of these concerns and break down what is often referred to as the "fly in the punch bowl" fallacy. That being the common notion that if there is a fly in the bowl of punch then whole contents of the bowl is tainted and undrinkable. This mentality is used to deride the accomplishments of people's entire lives based on one or two things they did wrong. As I will explain, a more appropriate analogy is that of the fly in the ice cube tray. If there is a fly in one of the ice cubes then the rest are more than likely fine. "I think that we should follow the Constitution", we say. Often the zombie-like answer is, "The Founding Fathers owned slaves!" This objection is saying that because some o...