Liberty and Letters

Thoughts on the History and Literature of Freedom
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  • B.K. Marcus

#IStandWithAhmed Tells Us Something about Public School Sep 18, 2015

There's zero tolerance for drawing outside the lines.

By B.K. Marcus Vote27 16

Could We Survive a World of Rent-a-Cops? Aug 12, 2015

Can we really imagine a private company doing a better job of protecting us?

By B.K. Marcus Vote28 6

County Clerk Claims Constitution Guarantees Her a Job Jul 30, 2015

Apparently the Bible and Constitution Agree That She Can't Be Fired

By B.K. Marcus Vote17 9

Is Michelle Obama a Brilliant Experimental Economist? Jul 6, 2015

The first lady uses kids as guinea pigs in a mad social experiment.

By B.K. Marcus Vote10 0

How Ice Cream Won the Cold War Jun 18, 2015

Central planners have never understood the importance of tasty frozen treats.

By B.K. Marcus Vote9 0

Should We Respect the Law? May 31, 2015

Which is the greater threat to freedom, too little respect for the law — or too much? With ever more laws on the books serving to curtail individual rights, suppress human flourishing, and cripple the process of wealth creation, it would seem that the healthy attitude for advocates of liberty would be one of unequivocal disrespect. That's precisely what Reason.com's managing editor, J.D. Tuccille, advocates in a recent Hit & Run post: The key to rendering stupid laws irrelevant … [is] an overall attitude of defiance.… And the enemy of that defiance isn't tough cops or clever politicians; it's respect...

By B.K. Marcus Vote7 3

Do university students really prefer to be infantilized? May 26, 2015

If you're college age, you're a child. Or so says Salon writer Eric Posner. No, he's not confused about the legal age of majority. What he means is that college students are immature and need to be treated accordingly. Paternalism, according to Posner, is entirely appropriate: you and your peers "must be protected like children while being prepared to be adults." Furthermore, he argues, it's what you really want, whether you know it or not. Here's the context: Lately, a moral panic about speech and sexual activity in universities has reached a crescendo. Universities have strengthened rules prohibiting offensive speech...

By B.K. Marcus Vote8 0

Self-Righteous Voters Create Silent Majorities May 18, 2015

“Believe it or not,” the gym teacher told me, “I voted for Reagan.” “You did what!” said my young teenage self. He looked sheepish. “Yeah, that really tells you how awful the economy is.” I couldn’t make sense of his answer. Mr. Z, my gym teacher throughout middle school, seemed to be saying that, while he preferred to vote for Democrats, the Republicans were right about economic policy. That wasn’t the message I was getting at all in my Keynesian home, where I learned that Reagan was simply wrong on all counts: repulsive in his social conservatism and dangerous in...

By B.K. Marcus Vote0 0

Abolition, Brazil, and the Last Confederates May 15, 2015

Picture thousands of country folk down south, gathered for fried chicken, barbecue, and beer. "I Wish I Was in Dixie" plays on infinite loop. The stars and bars of the Confederate battle flag are everywhere, including belt buckles and trucker caps. Many of the partiers are descended from Confederate soldiers. Not all are white, and very few speak English. It is the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War, and the unlikely locale of this unusual gathering is Santa Barbara d'Oeste, a rural Brazilian town colonized by Southern families fleeing the (re-)United States. "For many of the...

By B.K. Marcus Vote4 1

Oh, the Humanity! May 7, 2015

Labor Unions and the Chinese Exclusion Act

By B.K. Marcus Vote4 0

Does Michael Moore Support the 2nd Amendment? May 7, 2015

Would the left support gun rights over police monopolies?

By B.K. Marcus Vote10 7

Keeping American Indians in the Dark May 4, 2015

The federal government puts obstacles in the way of natives' freedom

By B.K. Marcus Vote9 3

Is the “Austrian School” a Lie? Apr 25, 2015

Do modern Austrians misunderstand our own tradition, or worse yet, misrepresent our history?

By B.K. Marcus Vote7 1

Did Lincoln’s Killer Understand History? Apr 17, 2015

History isn't a Manichean struggle, but the belief that it is has altered its course in many strange and tragic ways.

By B.K. Marcus Vote6 0

The Black Tradition of Armed Self-Defense Feb 21, 2015

A lot of people believe that blacks march in lockstep behind calls for gun control. But while the civil rights movement was largely about nonviolent resistance, many blacks exercised a legitimate right of self-defense. Many still do today.

By B.K. Marcus Vote23 4

1 Cheer for Police Corruption Jan 28, 2015

Last night at Toastmasters, I delivered my most libertarian speech yet. INTRO Late at night, a tall, handsome cop is chatting up a hooker in New York City. He's supposed to be patrolling 2nd Avenue, but he prefers to socialize with the streetwalker. A short man with small spectacles and big teeth steps out of the shadows and tells the patrolman that he is neglecting his duty. The police officer lifts his baton and threatens his accuser with a beating. The smaller man identifies himself as Theodore Roosevelt, the new commissioner of police, and tells the officer to report to...

By B.K. Marcus Vote19 2

Learning to Love the Low Road Nov 15, 2014

Economic theory teaches us to see beauty where others see only ugliness.

By B.K. Marcus Vote14 4

Hayek’s so-called Nobel Oct 9, 2014

Today is the 40th anniversary of F.A. Hayek's Nobel Prize. My article in The Freeman tells the story behind the so-called Nobel, the controversy around Hayek's winning it (and sharing it with a socialist economist), and what the prize did for Hayek's personal life, his reputation, and his impact on the fall of European communism. If you enjoy the article, please consider sharing it.

By B.K. Marcus Vote12 2

Yes, We Have No Bananas Sep 22, 2014

Centralization is deadly.

By B.K. Marcus Vote11 0

Scottish Fever: why libertarians wanted Scotland to secede Sep 20, 2014

Scotland offered us a chance to root for the secessionists without rooting for the slavers. But was it any better to be rooting for the socialists?

By B.K. Marcus Vote20 9

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