Archive for Big Brother

When the State Fixes Your Mind

Just some history tidbits on the government helping people get better, that’s all. Sure mistakes were made, but they mean well. Gooo ObamaCare! (Seriously, when you have 15 minutes you need to read about this stuff if you’ve never done so. We get into ice-pick lobotomies and MK-Ultra. Something for everyone. Nudie shots too.)

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Maybe Libertarians DO Need to Talk About “Privilege” After All?

I’m just kidding with the post title, but here’s what prompted it: Gene Callahan has bought his second (?) vacation/rental home in a private community in the Poconos, and finds that it is more oppressive than the local government he faces in the [edited to add:] rural U.S.: [T]here were a number of small trees […]

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Responding to Bryan Caplan on Why Government Enterprises Are So Good

My newest LibertyChat article takes on Bryan Caplan’s surprising argument that Rothbardians can’t explain why government enterprises work so well. Here’s my conclusion, so you can see where I took the argument, but you should read the whole thing; I even talk about ice-pick lobotomies. (Yes, I went there.) We see that the spirit of […]

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St. Louis Powell Shooting: Police Story versus Video

See how much you guys think the video matches up with how the police initially described the shooting of Powell: UPDATE: Well, it’s restricted. You can watch the video directly here.

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The Bigger Threat: The Police State or Looting?

You can guess my answer. Here’s an excerpt, but you should follow the link for my surprise conclusion! But let’s put aside the specific triggers of riots and looting, and take them as given. It still doesn’t follow that we need a strong State to protect innocent lives. No, as I’ve explained elsewhere (try here and here), a […]

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John Oliver Has Beautiful Take on Ferguson

Perhaps he made a passing reference to the need for government police at some point, but we can forgive him that.

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You Might Be in Serfdom

With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, my latest LibertyChat article. Lots of pictures! An excerpt: * If the FAA imposes a no-fly zone above Ferguson “to provide a safe environment for law enforcement activities,” then you might be in serfdom. * When the police start arresting peaceful journalists covering the story, then you just might be in serfdom. * When the same […]

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Ellsberg vs Kerry on Snowden

I didn’t know some of the legal facts Daniel Ellsberg relays in this piece: As I know from my own case, even Snowden’s own testimony on the stand would be gagged by government objections and the (arguably unconstitutional) nature of his charges. That was my own experience in court, as the first American to be […]

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