The Humble Libertarian original

...that if we preserve our liberties, legal tradition, and Constitution... the terrorists have won ? Totally fair characterization, or off the mark? Discuss. And now your Moment of Zen : Harry Reid, who fought tooth and nail ( and succeeded ) for the renewal of the Patriot Act this week, boasting in 2005 that "we killed the Patriot Act." Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

Why is it that video games and electronics keep getting better and better, faster and faster while health care, education, and housing keep getting worse and more expensive? All without a Department of Gaming and Electronics to guide it? Hmmm... maybe the free market works and government regulation doesn't. Hat tip: reddit . Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

It is not very often that I delve into religious issues on this website. I believe that Liberty is a value and a principle which transcends sectarian divisions and can even unite in civil society, that philosophical chasm between theists and atheists. So only because many political figures and pundits here in America are injecting their sectarian religious beliefs into the political dialogue and attempting thereby to steer U.S. foreign policy am I sharing the following thoughts with you today. I am not trying to force my religious beliefs on anyone, however, I am willing to meet evangelical Christian Zionists on their own terms and discuss the matter of Israel within the framework of their own theology and profession of faith in the Holy Bible. Here are three thoughts for Christians who support U.S. entanglement with Israel's affairs on the basis of Scripture to consider: 1. The Church, not Israel, is God's Chosen People. Promises made to "Israel" in the Bible ar...

In his most recent video, Jack Hunter argues that Republican reactions to President Obama's recent comments on Israel reveal an ideologically confused conservative movement, while Ron Paul's views on Israel are clear, conservative, rational, and ideologically sound. Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

Rand Paul on the Senate floor, regarding the Patriot Act: "Because I believe a judge should sign a warrant, that I'm in favor of terrorists having weapons? The absurdity of it! The insult of it! If one argues that judges should sign warrants before they go into the house of an alleged murderer, are you in favor of murder? Can we not have a debate on a higher plane? A debate over whether or not there should be some constitutional protections? Some constitutional procedure? ...the question is can our Constitution withstand? Is our Constitution strong enough that we could actually capture terrorists and protect our liberties at the same time? Should we have some rules that say, before they come into your house, before they go into your banking records, that a judge should be asked for permission?" Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

ABC News reports : The United States Department of Justice has green-lighted the prosecution of former presidential candidate John Edwards for alleged violations of campaign laws while he tried to cover up an extra-marital affair, ABC News has learned. A source close to the case said Edwards is aware that the government intends to seek an indictment and that the former senator from North Carolina is now considering his limited options. He could accept a plea bargain with prosecutors or face a potentially costly trial. Edwards has been the focus of a lengthy federal investigation focusing on hundreds of thousands of dollars allegedly provided by two wealthy supporters. The government will contend those were illegal donations that ultimately went to support and seclude his mistress, Rielle Hunter. Hat tip: Memeorandum . Just stop and consider that John Edwards could have been Vice President of the United States. If anything were to happen to John Kerry in that alternate universe...

We are in the middle now, of a week most crucial in our nation's history, a week that will determine the future of the Patriot Act and the state of our own civil liberties and fidelity to the Constitution along with it. Yet after a media blackout during a crucial cloture vote in the U.S. Senate on Monday, you still wouldn't likely even know about this unfolding drama by getting your "news" from most of America's mainstream media sources. This is the story of a bill that allows the executive branch to conduct searches and wiretaps without the constitutionally-required court warrant specifically naming the place or person to be searched, with a sworn statement from authorities giving a clear reason on the basis of probable cause. This is the story of key provisions in that bill, which are set to expire this Friday, provisions which violate the 1st, 4th, and 5th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and which threaten the freedoms protected in all the others. Thi...