Comments on: UPDATED: Liberty Vs. Libertinism

By: Stephen W. Browne

Stephen W. Browne — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:09:47 +0000

I’m glad to hear Prof. Block has outgrown his previous enthusiasm. I’ve unfortunately met a fair number of libertarians over the past 30 years who were attracted to the philosophy because they felt it justified their personal kinks, or their bad manners.

They all seemed to make the unjustifiable leap from “It is my right to do this,” to “It is right to do this.”

BTW, the most elegant formulation of the libertarian principle I’ve come across is from G.K. Chesterton:

“The free man owns himself. He can damage himself with either eating or drinking; he can ruin himself with gambling. If he does he is certainly a damn fool, and he might possibly be a damned soul; but if he may not, he is not a free man any more than a dog.”

By: Roy Bleckert

Roy Bleckert — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 05:33:39 +0000

I see the concepts discussed here starting to infiltrate from the local level to The District of Confusion , where as a Rookie Senator Rand Paul is having as big and impact as I have seen in shifting the debate towards Freedom !

By: Robert Glisson

Robert Glisson — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 01:57:41 +0000

“Robert Glisson, as penance for wasting your money on this progressive’s piss-poor output, you will have to buy a few copies of my new book for handing out (it’s due out on May 10).” Umm- compromise. I bought it used for half price, therefore neither he or anyone else get a commission off it. I will buy one of yours at the full new price in May. Will not insist on autograph; fair?

[You betcha.]

By: Myron Pauli

Myron Pauli — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 19:02:55 +0000

Madison: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”

While I am not an anarchist, I could see “no government” working in a tight community of 20,000 Mormons, Hassidim, or Amish where charity would be voluntarily taking care of the disabled and the few miscreants would be handled by Judges/Elders based on the Mormon/Torah/Mennonite Laws. This is Thaddeus Russell HELL.

At the other end of the “common morality” scale are America’s ghettos/barrios where the population is controlled by Bloods, Crips, Welfare-State bureaucrats, and Swat Team Police. Gangstaland is Thaddeus Russell HEAVEN.

So are people freer in a Singapore where property rights are respected and murderers are jailed BUT where one gets arrested for spitting on the sidewalk – OR in South Africa where mayhem and a corrupt ANC thugocracy reigns? Liberty works when people can POLICE THEMSELVES – hence some common morality is essential to libertarianism. There will not be a libertarian state established in a prison or loony bin.

This is why I, an atheist scientist, gave his Chinese-born daughter a Jewish education!

Ben Franklin’s farts were smarter than Thaddeus Russell!

By: lonegranger

lonegranger — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:53:30 +0000

What can you expect when the schools, from K to post-doctorate impress subjectivity, cynicism, and hedonism as the raison d’etre? Unfortunately, this is the social conditioning formula that’s been dominating for two generations and beginning a third. It is the philosophy of the parents handed down to the child.

At the end great depression, there began a period of abundant wealth and indulgence. Once that era closes, something that appears to be underway, the attitudes likely will return to conservation and responsibility. Human behavior should adjust to benefit best from the prevailing conditions. Hang in; it was fun!

By: Len Cargill

Len Cargill — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 16:35:42 +0000

As always, Ilana Mercer gives you the TRUTH as no one else can. To my HERO Ilana Mercer, I will ask everyone of my friends, foes and editors of sites I read to take the time to read this lady’s articles and (Barley A Blog) to enlighten and educate them with her insightful wisdom.

By: Robert Glisson

Robert Glisson — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 15:23:00 +0000

I ordered the book before this article was posted; however, I would have bought it anyway; because, I think that one should have a grasp on what a society is or was like at the time when its government was being founded. The modern perspective of our founding is- well dressed men in comfortable meeting halls, richly discoursing high ideas. In Russell’s book, the founding fathers stood above the ‘whorehouse and bar on every corner,’ society; decried it and still demanded ‘Liberty’ for the libertines they denounced. We know from that, they truly believed in ‘Liberty.’ If they didn’t, they would have used libertine society as a reason to develop a different form of government. As you quoted Stossel- [“why his beloved founders actually wanted to keep the people docile and timid,” and why “Americans owe really overdue thanks to the libertines – the prostitutes, drunkards, and musicians.” Russell failed to deliver.] I agree, all he can do is show us how people lived at a time in history. All governments are still founded by well dressed men and women in comfortable meeting halls.

By: Stephen Bernier

Stephen Bernier — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 09:03:43 +0000

Sigh, I wish I could have wrapped my puny intellect around some of these concepts earlier in life. It wasn’t to be.

There is a man that I admire, from your neck of the woods, Rabbi Daniel Lapin. He has helped me understand my faith from the Hebrew perspective.

That being said, in my personal life, anything goes has gone out the door, so to speak.