While reading the first few pages of Jason Brennan’s Against Democracy recently, the idea came to me (not directly from what I was reading, mind you) that the advent of modern democracy may have been the result of a desire by the landowning class to control the means of expropriation.
Tag: independence
Trump’s “National Security Strategy” is the Opposite of National Security
A real “National Security Strategy” comes down to two things: Free trade, and minding our own business. Early in his presidential campaign, Trump hinted at the latter, but quickly reverted to business as usual. He’s clearly never grasped the former at all.
Don’t Pretend You Don’t Have an Exit Option
Leaving the tribe/the known/the mapped terrain is an essential part of being human. And as long as you know and remember and feel and exercise your right to declare independence and walk away, you won’t find yourself fighting the battles which drain most of us.
Rothbard #18 — Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?
Rothbard’s major point seems to be “[b]ut who is to defend the people against the governors?” But his secondary point may be that Burke was much more profound than just being the “Father of the New Conservatism.” Let’s examine both points.
Impeachment Theater, 2017 Edition
As much as one might like to think of the presidency and Congress as temples to civic virtue or arenas in which issues of great weight are disputed, Washington is in truth a lot more like a “professional wrestling” ring. It’s two gangs of boastful peacocks putting on a tag-team show. Washington’s rivalries may be more real but they’re no more momentous.
Why We Didn’t Potty Train (and What We Did Instead)
Often times kids’ refusal to use the toilet is based on the amount of pressure we put on them. What you persist they will resist. If there is pressure or shame or anything like that around using the toilet in your home, then it is likely your child feels a lot of anxiety about it.
Lysander Spooner Quote #21
By my reading, Spooner is opposed to “quanto-cracy” in any form. There are no mathematical paths to freedom, except those dealing with the individual’s voluntary relationship with each other individual, directly, in their scope of action.
Secession / Unification
Nobody asked but … I know how I feel relative to the problem in Catalonia. I favor Catalonian Independence. But it makes me really examine how I feel about separatist situations in general. I look first at the situation with the province of Ulster in Ireland, a province that was broken out and retained by…
Why I Don’t Like Being “Ahead of My Peers”
I won’t lie – it’s nice to be told that you have a leg up. I’m a competitive person just like anyone else, so it’s great to hear that some of my life choices have put me “ahead.” But despite all of the ego gratification I get from being told that, there’s part of me that really doesn’t like the idea. And another part doesn’t believe it’s entirely true.
Dying for the Empire Is Not Heroic
Predictably, the news media spent most of the week examining words Donald Trump may or may not have spoken to the widow of an American Green Beret killed in Niger, in northwest Africa, in early October. Not only was this coverage tedious, it was largely pointless. We know Trump is a clumsy boor, and we also know that lots of people are ready to pounce on him for any sort of gaffe, real or imagined. Who cares? It’s not news. But it was useful to those who wish to distract Americans from what really needs attention: the U.S. government’s perpetual war.