Why I Became a Left-Libertarian

Essay by “Martin” at the Liberal Conspiracy. ——————————————————————————————————— As Libertarians across the US flock to cinemas to watch the film version of Atlas Shrugged (the film has a limited release and harsh criticism from everyone outside those who are already fully bought into Ayn Rand’s philosophy of corporate […]

The Partisan Temptation: US Foreign Policy and Presidential Politics

Article by Justin Raimondo. ————————————————————————————————– In terms of ideology, 19 percent of those who consider themselves “very liberal” support Obama’s Libyan adventure, and the number goes way up to 42 percent when we’re talking about those who see themselves as “somewhat liberal.” 32 percent of self-described “moderates” support […]

Race and Economics

Thomas Sowell discusses the work of Walter Williams. ————————————————————————————————— I can still vividly recall the response to one of Walter’s earliest writings, back in the 1970s, when he and I were working on the same research project in Washington. Walter wrote a brief article that destroyed the central […]

Drones Are Coming to America

Article by John Whitehead. —————————————————————————————————– The U.S. government has a history of commandeering military technology for use against Americans. We saw this happen with tear gas, tasers and sound cannons, all of which were first used on the battlefield before being deployed against civilians at home. Now the […]

America, Prison Capital of the World

Article by Stephen Cox. ———————————————————————————————– The California prison system, euphemistically known as the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, employs more people than any other state agency. It has 69,000 authorized positions. Between 1998 and 2009, its budget almost tripled, reaching $10.3 billion dollars in the latter year […]

The Bush Dynasty: America's Largest Crime Family

Lew Rockwell interviews investigative journalist Russ Baker. ————————————————————————————————- Investigative journalist Russ Baker updates what he uncovered in Family of Secrets about the Bushes with his responses to the former President’s best-selling book. In sum, Bush started a war under false pretenses, allegedly left the cockpit because of substance […]

DEA Agent Shoots Himself in the Foot…

Literally. Watch the video —————————————————————————————————- Last week a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Administration by Lee Paige, the DEA agent who literally shot himself in the foot with an allegedly unloaded gun while talking about firearm safety to a roomful of Florida children—right after […]

Message from Colonel Mu'ummar Qaddafi

His side of the story. Obviously, we’re not going to get this from the MSM. —————————————————————————————————– In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful… For 40 years, or was it longer, I can’t remember, I did all I could to give people houses, hospitals, schools, and when […]

Political Prisoner Leonard Peltier Medical Alert!

From the Leonard Peltier Defense/Offense Committee (LPDOC), Northwest Organizer’s Office. —————————————————————————————————- Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who was wrongfully convicted in connection with the shooting deaths of two agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1977, and has been imprisoned for 35 years, is in dire need […]

Ron is Running Again!

Richard Spencer gives us the news. I don’t think that trying to get “one of us” elected to the presidency is exactly the way to go…to say the least. But as Richard says in this piece, RP is one of the few public officials who is not a […]

Courtesy and Class Struggle at Jimmy John’s

From Infoshop.Org. I worked in bars and restaurants for fifteen years. This is standard practice in the “food service” industry. ————————————————————————————————– It may come as a surprise to those who have never worked in the food industry to hear that not only Jimmy John’s sandwiches, but also the […]

Is Money Too Cheap, or Too Dear? Both

Kevin Carson explains why. —————————————————————————————————– It’s ironic that left-wing money cranks like me and right-wing money cranks like von MIses’ gold bug followers have so much trouble getting along. Us left-wingers, or anyway those of us in the tradition of William Greene and Benjamin Tucker, argue that the […]

Urban Renewal and the Destruction of American Cities

Hat tip to Raven Warrior. Raven has some additional comments of his own at the American Indian/Alaskan Native Attack the System blog. —————————————————————————————————– Many of the ‘blighted’ neighborhoods targeted by urban renewal were in fact quite liveable places, safer and better-maintained than the average inner-city district today. The […]

The Big Disconnect

When even a neocon mouthpiece like David Brooks admits the system is losing its legitimacy, then the system must really be in trouble. Of course, Brook’s call for a return to the “vital center” establishment consensus of the 1950s is pathetic. See William Houston’s response to Brooks as […]

The Conservative Nanny State

Read Dean Baker’s book online. ———————————————————————————————— In his new book, economist Dean Baker debunks the myth that conservatives favor the market over government intervention. In fact, conservatives rely on a range of “nanny state” policies that ensure the rich get richer while leaving most Americans worse off. It’s […]

African Americans Rally Against Obama

From Press.TV ———————————————————————————————- Members of the New Black Panther Party and the Black is Back coalition converged in a neighborhood in DC’s Southeast quadrant for a National Day of Action, demanding attention to inequalities in education, housing and healthcare, a Press TV correspondent reported on Monday. Protesters were […]

Is Libertarian Socialism an Oxymoron?

From the Anarchist FAQ. ————————————————————————————————- Isn’t libertarian socialism an oxymoron? No. As discussed in section A.1.3, the word “libertarian” has been used by anarchist socialists for far longer than the pro-free market right have been using it. This in itself does not, of course, prove that the term […]

World Government Aborning

Article by Charles Coulombe. ————————————————————————————————- On a recent trip to New York, I did something radically different from my usual forays back to the city of my birth: I visited the UN headquarters. To be sure, my One-Worlder credentials are very poor; I did not even trick-or-treat for […]

Fair Trial for Manning Now Impossible

Article by Kevin Zeese. —————————————————————————————————- The credibility of the military justice system is being undermined by the prosecution of Bradley Manning. His abusive punishment without trial violates his due process rights, his harsh treatment in solitary confinement violates the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, and now the […]

The Empire Goes Down

Eric Margolis interviewed by Scott Horton. Eric Margolis, foreign correspondent and author of War at the Top of the World and American Raj, discusses how a NATO defeat in Libya would be political disastrous for Obama and Sarkozy – meaning they’ll fight on til the bitter end; why […]

Japan's Broken Windows

Article by David D’Amato. —————————————————————————————————— On Friday (April 22), Bloomberg reported that Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced plans for budget supplements targeted at rebuilding in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. If the economic contentions of statists hold true, then costly crises like the one that […]

Is Georgia About to Execute an Innocent Man?

From the Police Brutality and Atrocity Blog. —————————————————————————————————— Since Troy Davis’ 1991 conviction, numerous facts have emerged that introduce significant doubt as to his guilt. These facts include: * All but two of the original witnesses against Troy Davis have signed affidavits recanting their earlier testimony. Most claim […]

In Egypt, Revolution Moves Into The Factories

From Infoshop.Org. ————————————————————————————————— Egypt’s popular revolution was launched from a public square. Now there’s an uprising on factory floors — with labor strikes across the country. Under the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak, many industries were privatized as Egypt turned from a state-controlled to a market-driven economy. […]

Being Dishonest About Abe

Article by Paul Gottfried. ———————————————————————————————— In what may be described as the Dell comic-book version of “the Civil War’s true beginning,” Allen C. Guelzo, seated as Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era at Gettysburg College (I’ll bet my hat that the neocons are paying for […]

Why They Died in Vain

Article by Laurence Vance. ————————————————————————————————- Since the beginning of the war in Iraq, I have unequivocally maintained several things about the deaths of U.S. troops. Every one of the 4,450 U.S. soldiers who has died so far in Iraq has died unnecessarily, senselessly, for a lie, and in […]

Exporting Tyranny through Foreign Aid

Article by John Glaser. —————————————————————————————————- Before the successful ouster of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak, Tahrir Square was filled with chants and handcrafted picket signs pleading with the U.S. to stop funding Mubarak’s repressive government. Rubber bullets, shotgun shells, and teargas canisters were collected by the largely peaceful protestors […]

Washington on the Rocks: An empire of autocrats, aristocrats, and uniformed thugs begins to totter

Article by Alfred W. McCoy and Brett Reilly. —————————————————————————————————- In one of history’s lucky accidents, the juxtaposition of two extraordinary events has stripped the architecture of American global power bare for all to see. Last November, WikiLeaks splashed snippets from U.S. embassy cables, loaded with scurrilous comments about […]

When Dictators Fall, Who Rises?

Article by Pat Buchanan. ———————————————————————————————— One month before the invasion of Iraq, Riah Abu el-Assal, a Palestinian and the Anglican bishop of Jerusalem at the time, warned Tony Blair, “You will be responsible for emptying Iraq, the homeland of Abraham, of Christians.” The bishop proved a prophet. “After […]

Syrian Tinderbox

Article by Justin Raimondo. ————————————————————————————————— Syria, like Libya, is a make-believe “country,” that is, it is a “nation” created entirely out of whole cloth by the colonial powers, the borders of which correspond to no ethnic, religious, or cultural contiguity. Ethnically, it is a hodgepodge of Arab, Circassian, […]

When Police Interrogate Children

Article by Wendy McElroy. ——————————————————————————————————- On its surface, a case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court may seem to be legally trivial; it’s about a juvenile who stole from neighborhood houses. But J.D.B. v. North Carolina could redefine both the law’s “reasonable person” standard and what it means […]

How Will the Empire End?

Article by Anthony Gregory. —————————————————————————————————— Most Americans would very likely deny that their government is a global empire, horribly destructive to national security, liberty, and wealth. But whatever we call this U.S. system of ubiquitous military bases, satellite regimes throughout the world, ever-growing “defense” budgets, and an ever-expansive […]

Knowing the Real Enemy

Article by Kevin Carson. ——————————————————————————————————— In an article in Tikkun last year, Rabbi Michael Lerner argued that “[f]rom the standpoint of the large corporate interests, nothing could be better than to de-fund government or dramatically downsize it, because then it can’t constrain their economic power.” (“After the Health […]

The Failure of Sectarian Strategy

by “Scott F” at the Gonzo Times ————————————————————————————————– Anarchism or broadly libertarianism cannot succeed if alliances are limited only to a purist circle.The death of other political philosophies’ presence on the ground is largely due to it’s unwillingness to work outside set in stone parameters.One only need to […]

Detroit Students Excel At Afro-Centric Schools While Public Schools Struggle

Article by Chastity Pratt Dawson. ————————————————————————————————– At Marcus Garvey Academy in Detroit, the week begins with the recitation of black history facts followed by the sounds of drummers summoning students to an assembly. Students sing the black national anthem and recite the school creed, which starts, “I will […]

Thomas Sowell and a Conflict of Visions

Sowell is interviewed by Peter Robinson. Sowell’s concept of a “conflict of visions” is the key to understanding much of modern political philosophy. I actually have serious disagreements with some of Sowell’s political positions, but his broader approach to political philosophy itself is rather profound in its insights.

YWC Confronts Lefto-Fascists at Providence.

Article by Tim Dionisopoulos. —————————————————————————————————— The far left became incensed that Providence College was becoming the centerpiece for a right wing revival of sorts, and would threaten to show up at virtually every event I held. It came as no surprise that when I announced I would be […]

Imagining the worst-case scenario if the United States even comes close to defaulting on its debt.

Article by Annie Lowrey. ————————————————————————————————- On July 6, 2011, a faint buzzing from your bedside table awakes you at 3 a.m. You ignore it. At 3:02, your Blackberry still vibrating, your iPhone, which you use for personal email and calls, starts in with the same high-frequency drone. At […]

The debt is not nearly as scary as you think: Government budgets are nothing like family budgets

So says anarchist anthropologist David Graeber. ————————————————————————————————– We have to live within our means. That’s what President Obama repeatedly tells us, echoing a point Republicans have been making for years. Like households, governments must husband our resources and balance our budgets, or future generations will surely pay. There’s […]

Noam Chomsky: Is the World Too Big to Fail?: The Contours of Global Order

New article from Professor Noam. —————————————————————————————————- The democracy uprising in the Arab world has been a spectacular display of courage, dedication, and commitment by popular forces—coinciding, fortuitously, with a remarkable uprising of tens of thousands in support of working people and democracy in Madison, Wisconsin, and other U.S. […]

Words of Wisdom for the Weekend

“Reminder to all my friends: nationalism is not racism. Wanting family values is not homophobia. Tolerance of religion is not jihad against other religions. This cuts both ways: critics need to lay off the bogus charges, and nationalists need to stop acting like racists; family values types need […]

Bilderberg Insider: Kissinger Pushing For US Ground Invasion Of Libya

Dr. Strangelove is still being an asshole after all these decades. —————————————————————————————————- Despite the fact that the United States is embroiled in three major conflicts and can barely service its own gigantic debt, with Standard and Poor this week indicating the US will soon lose its triple-A credit […]

Earth Day co-founder killed, composted girlfriend

How’s that for recycling? Article by Remy Melina. —————————————————————————————————- Ira Einhorn was on stage hosting the first Earth Day event at the Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on April 22, 1970. Seven years later, police raided his closet and found the “composted” body of his ex-girlfriend inside a trunk. […]