I was privileged to attend to the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Property and Freedom Society last week. It was held in beautiful Bodrum, Turkey at the Hotel Karia Princess, from June 3-7, 2010. The list of speakers may be found in the Program. This is my second, having also attended the inaugural meeting in […]
(Kids Are Not Defective Part 2)
Topic:
After reflecting on the last show, I wanted to explore my family comments a bit more thoroughly. Why do adults jump so quickly to the defense of the authority figures in their lives? Why are so many people resistant to the idea that their childhoods were not exactly great? When and how will the effects of childhood mistreatment reveal themselves? Because they always do.
To answer these questions, I briefly channel a "composite character" assembled from many of my past discussions about raising children.
(Kids Are Not Defective Part 2)Topic:After reflecting on the last show, I wanted to explore my family comments a bit more thoroughly. Why do adults jump so quickly to the defense of the authority figures in their lives? Why are so many people resistant to the idea that their childhoods were not exactly great? When and how will the effects of childhood mistreatment reveal themselves?
(Kids Are Not Defective Part 2)
Topic:
After reflecting on the last show, I wanted to explore my family comments a bit more thoroughly. Why do adults jump so quickly to the defense of the authority figures in their lives? Why are so many people resistant to the idea that their childhoods were not exactly great? When and how will the effects of childhood mistreatment reveal themselves? Because they always do.
To answer these questions, I briefly channel a "composite character" assembled from many of my past discussions about raising children.
(Available now on archive.org) Volume Forty 1998 Essays in History Published by the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia. THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE PATENT ACT OF 1793 by E.C. Walterscheid On September 9, 1792 Secretary of State Jefferson wrote President Washington that “[w]hen I embarked in the government, it was with a […]
What else you would add to this tragedy? What words would do in front of these zionist criminals? Vacation, Vacation! And the summer is coming! What bothers the Zionist mentality now is not the crime itself, is not this horrible …
I published this in 1996 in The Freeman. Just remembered it–posting here: Perspective: Pride and the Nanny State By N. Stephan Kinsella • April 1996 Print This Post • 2 comments Mr. Kinsella practices patent law with Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis in Philadelphia. I do not come from a rich family, and the other […]
My wife and I have a great doctor. She has a small clinic nearby with a few other doctors, who are also all very good. Our doctor has a waiting list for people who want to be her patient. We have over the years recommended several people, even some who live 20 miles away, to […]
I was a guest on the Gene Basler show tonight (formerly called anarcho-environmentalism) discussing a variety of anarcho-libertarian matters–environmentalism, nuclear power, state propaganda in government schools, class action lawsuits, reparations, how to achieve an anarcho-libertarian society, animal rights, positive rights and obligations, forced heirship, and so on (local MP3 file). Listen to internet radio with […]
Today is my wife’s and my 17th wedding anniversary. We dated about 8 years so we’ve been together a quarter century now. Long time. I’ve long disliked artificial gift-giving obligations like Secretary’s Day, Christmas, birthdays, and so on–especially nowadays when we all just buy ourselves what we want during the year anyway. My wife works […]
From Joe Konrath Explains Why Authors Shouldn’t Fear File Sharing (Techdirt): People want to share files. There is this much file sharing going on for a reason. It’s what people want. Fighting piracy is fighting human nature. This is a battle no one can win. Getting your undies in a bunch at the thought of […]
PICTURED: A listener sent me this example of his son's (first grade) school work, which includes the teacher's thoughts on his exercise of creativity.
The introduction to a new series of shows about some other messages forced into the minds of children and young adults. These shows will include topics like medication, parenting, spanking, behavioral "disorders," bullying, "reward" systems and zero tolerance policies.
Also, a discussion of how the state is "fed" by the schools and the family.
PICTURED: A listener sent me this example of his son's (first grade) school work, which includes the teacher's thoughts on his exercise of creativity.The introduction to a new series of shows about some other messages forced into the minds of children and young adults. These shows will include topics like medication, parenting, spanking, behavioral "disorders," bullying, "reward" systems and zero tolerance policies.Also, a discussion of how the state is "fed" by the schools and the family.Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
PICTURED: A listener sent me this example of his son's (first grade) school work, which includes the teacher's thoughts on his exercise of creativity.
The introduction to a new series of shows about some other messages forced into the minds of children and young adults. These shows will include topics like medication, parenting, spanking, behavioral "disorders," bullying, "reward" systems and zero tolerance policies.
Also, a discussion of how the state is "fed" by the schools and the family.
Dear Mr. Bourne, I’ve been enjoying your commentary on various Twit network podcasts for a while now. On the recent MacBreak Weekly, I found your exchange with Merlin Mann about open source interesting. I detect a whiff of libertarianism in your remark about the force of the state being used to enforce taxes–which I appreciate, […]
As Guido Hülsmann and I observe in our Introduction to Property, Freedom, and Society: Essays in Honor of Hans-Hermann Hoppe (Mises Institute, 2009), Professor Hans-Hermann Hoppe is without a doubt one of the most important libertarian scholars of our time: “He has made pioneering contributions to sociology, economics, philosophy, and history. He is the dean of […]
I had lunch a while back with a Christian guy, who insisted there is an “abstract” realm, God, etc. He had a convoluted “proof” of God’s existence (and the existence of this whole Abstract Realm) based on … the existence of language and information. He basically argued that there are certain problems that cannot be […]
Well, back in 1995, that is 🙂 See his post Bye-Bye for IP, an excellent short critique of “intellectual property.” As I noted in the comments, I think I tied him in coming to my senses about IP: I believe my first published piece against IP was in 1995 as well in the IOS Journal. […]
Just got back from a very nice beach wedding in Fort Walton, for my niece Emily Turner, who married Steven Crowe. It was at The Breakers; we stayed nearby at Waterscape, where Ethan had a lot of fun on the lazy river, and also with my parents, who joined us. Pix and movies can be […]
I’m no fan of electoral politics, and never did think Rand Paul was a consistent libertarian or even as libertarian as his father, Ron Paul—though his recent remarks on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 make me think he may be more libertarian than he feels he can admit publicly. I don’t agree with many […]
As I noted previously, I was interviewed recently for a promising new documentary by lawyer-philosopher David Koepsell and filmmaker Taylor Roesch, “Who Owns You?” (Here’s the first trailer, on Vimeo.) Here’s an email I just received from Taylor: Hello Family and Friends, As you may or may not know, for the last eight months, I have […]
John Pilger inverts the perception of Greece as a "junk country" and sees hope in the uprising of ordinary Greeks protesting against the "bailout" of an economy plunged into debt by the tax-evading rich. Greece, he writes, is a microcosm for the developed world, where class war are the words seldom used because they are the truth.
Latest notable terms from this and last week’s Slate Culture Gabfest (feel free to email me suggestions or leave them in the comments to the main page, which keeps a running collection of the terms from this series of posts). alternadad [SM, CG05-19-10] cowl [SM, CG05-19-10] detritus [DS, CG05-19-10] dint [DS, CG05-19-10] funereal [SM, CG05-19-10] […]
Interesting column by Oliver Burkeman in The Guardian (8 May 2010), “Are you an Asker or a Guesser?” The “Asker-Guesser” paradigm seems like bogus pop-analysis, but the first part, I like: just say no and don’t give a reason; giving a reason invites negotiation or argument. I like the ways of saying no: “I’m afraid […]
Here’s the first trailer (Vimeo) for a promising new documentary by lawyer-philosopher David Koepsell and filmmaker Taylor Roesch (I was interviewed for it as mentioned here). Who Owns You? – A Documentary – Trailer from Taylor Roesch on Vimeo. Over the last 20 years, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has been issuing patents […]
In Put Your Hands Up In The Air For Peace!, I noted a recent song, “Peace,” by the Luminaries, and other classic pro-peace songs (clips re-posted below). Libertarian philosopher Geoffrey Plauché notes a recent pro-peace video in his post White Flag Warrior: There’s a new anti-war rock/hip-hop song hitting the air waves lately. It is […]
Picture: The primary lesson of public school politics.
Congress, Ariz. school district sues taxpayers to stop questions
Mark Flatten
Goldwater Institute Watchdog Report
March 10, 2010
The Goldwater Institute Watchdog Report is a periodic publication intended to identify government corruption and waste and to hold politicians and public agencies accountable to taxpayers.
Picture: The primary lesson of public school politics.Congress, Ariz.
Picture: The primary lesson of public school politics.
Congress, Ariz. school district sues taxpayers to stop questions
Mark Flatten
Goldwater Institute Watchdog Report
March 10, 2010
The Goldwater Institute Watchdog Report is a periodic publication intended to identify government corruption and waste and to hold politicians and public agencies accountable to taxpayers.
Reply to Roderick Long’s Fall Right, Swing Left: Stephan Kinsella on May 15, 2010 at 8:26 am I agree with the criticism of Stossel. But I disagree with the idea that libertarians are either left- or right-. In my view, the proper conception of libertarianism rejects the left-right spectrum outright, and also rejects left and […]
Famous ‘IP’ Lawyer Argues Against Patent and Copyright Law (Video) Where the author, Dr. Roy Schestowitz, recommends some of my anti-IP materials. This is an anti-software patent blog and site.
Kevin Carson: Sympathy for the Devil, BP. I reply in detail in the comments. Sheldon Richman, Self-Regulation in the Corporate State: The BP Spill. My comments to Richman: This is a good piece–unlike Carson’s (uncharacteristically) weak one on this topic. Of course, Lew’s comments were not a defense of BP of the type Sheldon rightly […]
Yesterday, totally out of the blue, my six year old drops this one on me. We had not even been talking about taxes or anything for weeks. Last serious political talk was right before Earth Day, when I spent an hour inoculating him from propaganda–which, to my pleasant surprise, didn’t occur; his Montessori school hardly […]
I chimed in too: *** Steve, a question for you, Sheldon, Roderick, etc.: If we ditch the term “capitalism,” for the reasons you describe, what do we do with the technical economic terms “capital” and “capitalist”? The same arguments you use against “capitalism” seem to apply, with equal force, to “capitalist.” For doing theory, we […]
See also Jeff Tucker’s Why Klein’s Book Is an Event to Celebrate. From Klein’s blog: The Capitalist and The Entrepreneur: Available Now! 13 May 2010 | Peter Klein | My new book, The Capitalist and the Entrepreneur: Essays on Organizations and Markets (Mises Institute, 2010), is now available. For a limited time, you can get it […]
Latest notable terms from this and last week’s Slate Culture Gabfest (feel free to email me suggestions or leave them in the comments to the main page). avant la lettre [SM, CG0-12-10] curated [DS, CG05-05-10] elegiac [CG05-05-10] frenetic [SM, CG0-12-10] je ne sais quoi [SM, CG0-12-10] sprezzatura [DS, CG05-12-10] valence [SM, CG05-12-10]
Gene Callahan, in Private Domains and Immigration, in 2003, concluded, in a critique of Hans-Hermann Hoppe’s views on immigration: giving more power to the state, based on an arbitrary set of ideals as to who should be allowed to come to the US (or any other country), ideals that are divorced from any actual entrepreneurial […]
China is widely viewed as a “threat” to the US because of its perceived rapid and unstoppable economic growth. This is, in my view, doubly confused. First: if the premise were true, this would be good, not bad. Second: I don’t think China is in such great shape. Unfortunately. Some free market economists think otherwise. […]
I was on The Peter Mac Show on May 12, 2010, with my fellow Libertarian Standard co-blogger Rob Wicks. We discussed a variety of matters, including whether libertarians should use the word “capitalism,” also anarchy, IP and other topics. The MP3 file is here.
My reply to one “Chris George’s” post No, The Non-Aggression Principle is Not Enough (see Reply to Left-Libertarians on “Capitalism” for other discussions with Chris): Chris, you are getting better. Glad you accept the NAP as a basic rule of thumb. But confusions remain. “If we got down to the really nitty gritty, I’m sure […]
It is clear that the left-libertarians have lost in their campaign to demonize the word “capitalism.” Nice try, fellas, but you lost. Libertarians are not buying your strained arguments and pointless attempt to fight semantic battles. Capitalism as a word just means private ownership of the means of production. I point you to a dictionary. […]
I was a guest on the May 9, 2010 episode of BlogTalkRadio’s show Anarchy Time, hosted by James Cox. Other guests included C4SS Development Specialist Mariana Evica, Wilt Alston, and Stefan Molyneux. (Local MP3.)
TokyoTom, enviro-global-warming anti-corporation libertarian, in Risk-shifting, BP and those nasty enviros, has some criticisms of Lew Rockwell’s Feel Sorry for BP? 1. “It should be obvious that BP is by far the leading victim, but I’ve yet to see a single expression of sadness for the company and its losses.” BP is the leading “victim”? […]
Critical Thinking Question:
Imagine if we all woke up tomorrow and all government was just...gone. What's the worst thing that could happen? And how would statists feel about this most catastrophic outcome?
The answer might surprise you.
Topic:
The three most persistent myths throughout history:
1. The State is essential for the survival of the human race
2. Slavery is essential for the prosperity of all societies reliant upon agriculture
3. God and religion are essential for establishing morality
Two down, one to go.
Critical Thinking Question: Imagine if we all woke up tomorrow and all government was just...gone. What's the worst thing that could happen? And how would statists feel about this most catastrophic outcome?The answer might surprise you.Topic: The three most persistent myths throughout history:1. The State is essential for the survival of the human race2. Slavery is essential for the prosperity of all societies reliant upon agriculture3.
Critical Thinking Question:
Imagine if we all woke up tomorrow and all government was just...gone. What's the worst thing that could happen? And how would statists feel about this most catastrophic outcome?
The answer might surprise you.
Topic:
The three most persistent myths throughout history:
1. The State is essential for the survival of the human race
2. Slavery is essential for the prosperity of all societies reliant upon agriculture
3. God and religion are essential for establishing morality
Two down, one to go.
Good enough for Rothbard, good enough for me. The movement that I’m in favor of is a movement of libertarians who do not substitute whim for reason. Now some of them do, obviously, and I’m against that. I’m in favor of reason over whim. As far as I’m concerned, and I think the rest of […]
I, for one, am sick of the Robin Hood myth and movies. Or I thought I was. On the latest episode of Mark Kermode’s BBC film review podcast, there’s a fascinating discussion with Russell Crowe and “Billy Bragg” about the upcoming Ridley Scott film Robin Hood, starring (and co-produced by) Crowe. The new movie is […]
I was trying to figure out the relative wattages of various Apple power adapters I have–for the MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro–to see which is compatible with other MacBooks. While doing this it occurred to me that it might be helpful to provide a quick little factoid/tutorial for non-EEs who get confused by the […]
