ISIL Freedom Network: United States > Introductions and FAQs > Libertarianism

Pizzacracy: majoritarianism versus unanimous consent
Source: International Society for Individual Liberty
Author: L. Neil Smith
Country: United States

A criticism of majoritarian democracy, exposing its false assumptions and dangerous consequences. The problems of the Libertarian Party are also caused by majoritarianism; its "majority-driven hierarchy was ... incompatible with any independent-minded individualist striving to maximize liberty." The author proposes a system based on unanimous consent, like a usual ordering of the pizza, instead.

When I grow up I want to be free
Source: Strike the Root
Author: John Newman
Country: United States

John Newman, age 17, wins first place in STR's essay contest. "With our faith in freedom secure and our desire for victory resolute, the Minutemen of today are prepared to win their freedom. We will not be cogs in a machine; we will not live like veal. When I grow up, I want to be free; at the same time, I recognize the odds arrayed against us." (07/04/02)

Henry Hazlitt, 1894-1993
Source: LewRockwell.com
Author: Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.
Country: United States

Henry Hazlitt (after whom Free-Market.Net's parent foundation is named) remained true to the principles of free markets and limited government through an impressive career in difficult times. (1993)

L. Neil Smith -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

L. Neil Smith, as well as being a Prometheus Award winning author, "is also an outspoken gun rights activist. He is founder and International Coordinator of the Libertarian Second Amendment Caucus, and is an NRA Life Member."

J. Neal Schulman -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"J. Neal Schulman is...a pioneer in the brave new world of electronic publishing. He was founder of Softserv Publishing, the first company in the world to distribute 'paperless books' via personal computers and modems."

Brad Linaweaver -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

Linaweaver is a Prometheus Award winning author of science fiction novels as well as many short stories.

A Conversation with Russell Means
Source: Robert L. Jones
Country: United States

Former (and probable future) Libertarian Presidential candidate. Leader in the American Indian Movement. Movie star. Russell Means sits down for a lengthy and illuminating conversation about his life.

The adventures of Jonathan Gullible: a commons tragedy
Source: Hawaii Reporter
Author: Ken Schoolland
Country: United States

"Jonathan looked perplexed. 'Why do others take your fish and dump trash in your lake?' 'Oh, no', said the fisherman, 'this isn't my lake. It belongs to everyone, just like the forests and the streams.'" (02/19/02)

Baloo -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"'Baloo' is the pen-name of Rex May, one of the most popular cartoonists in America. As a libertarian, one of his most consistent cartoon themes is, naturally enough, poking fun at idiotic and tyrannical government policies."

P.J. O'Rourke -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys," says libertarian P.J. O'Rourke.

Dave Barry -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"No we are not making this up! Dave Barry is a libertarian, and has been one for years."

Improving government performance through competitive contracting
Source: Heritage Foundation
Author: Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D.
Country: United States

Utt provides an overview of the advantages of the government soliciting bids from qualified private-sector businesses to perform a specific service currently being performed by the employees of a government department. (06/25/01)

Dr. Demento -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"Dr. Demento, America's undisputed king of weird and way-out music, has been a libertarian for years, and has dee-jayed parties at Libertarian Party national conventions."

Kurt Russell -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

Kurt Russell, who has been a world-renowned film star, has also been a libertarian for more than two decades.

Clint Eastwood -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

Was Dirty Harry a Libertarian? Maybe not, but Clint Eastwood has called himself one and has expressed skepticism toward government power.

Drew Carey -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

How does Drew Carey feel about government? "You should never depend on the government for your retirement, your financial security, for anything. If you do, you're screwed."

Aaron Russo -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

Aaron Russo, a top Hollywood producer, "has been remarkably outspoken in his opposition to run-amok government."

David Ruprecht -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

David Ruprecht, the understated host of "Supermarket Sweep," is one of a small number of Hollywood celebrities who believe in the libertarian philosophy.

Stuart M. Kaminsky -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"Stuart M. Kaminsky is the author of more than 40 published books and 35 short stories. His books include novels, four biographies, and books on film history, filmmaking and scriptwriting."

Robert Ringer -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"Best-selling author Robert Ringer's 1980 book Restoring the American Dream is still considered by many people to be one of the best general introductions to libertarian ideas ever written. It rose to the New York Times best-seller list and received rave reviews."

Robert Prechter -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"Robert R. Prechter, Jr. is one of the most successful, respected, and controversial financial advisors of our times. He has a remarkable forecasting record, and his financial writings have won numerous awards and citations for accuracy."

The peculiar institution
Source: Strike the Root
Author: Jacob Halbrooks
Country: United States

"How is it that otherwise peaceful men are turned into orchestrators of mass murder? Why is it that these same men believe they are doing the right thing? Why are products ... made for which there is little to no consumer demand? Why are there programs that draw money from nearly everyone in the country, yet only a few people support?" (04/10/02)

David Nolan -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"David F. Nolan is famous among libertarians for two major achievements. He's a co-founder of the Libertarian Party [and] he's the creator of the 'Nolan Chart' -- basis for the Advocates for Self-Government's world-famous World's Smallest Political Quiz."

Penn and Teller -- Libertarians
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

Penn Jillette is "one of the few entertainers with the guts to speak out against government attempts to censor and control entertainers." Teller (the silent one) "is a Mencken Research Fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute."

Russell Means -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

Russell Means is a world-renowned figure with achievements in many areas: actor, author, political activist, singer, entrepreneur, and libertarian.

John Larroquette -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

4-time Emmy winner John Larroquette says he is a member of the Libertarian Party and that libertarians are "serious people with important ideas."

Thomas Szasz -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"A giant in the field of psychiatry, and one of the most iconoclastic thinkers of our age, Dr. Thomas Szasz is generally acknowledged as having had a greater influence on contemporary thinking about psychiatry and mental illness than anyone in the field."

None dare call it dictatorship
Source: Strike the Root
Author: Doug Newman
Country: United States

"Let's admit it: We live under a dictatorship. Oh sure, we have elections. And, oh sure, I can write this column without fear of imprisonment on the North Slope of Alaska. But we have moved so far from what could be described as a free country that most Americans would not recognize freedom if it landed on their head in the form of a 16-ton weight." (03/21/02)

What if
Source: Strike the Root
Author: Brian Jennings
Country: United States

"A libertarian philosophy can be either convenient or consistent. Some may feel it foolish to be an absolutist in such matters. But if I get hauled away for some nonviolent civil disobedience, I don't want to see my friend wave goodbye to me, calling out, 'They cut the capital gains tax, I didn't see a need to take it further!'" (03/21/02)

Dan Fylstra -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"Dan Fylstra has been involved in the PC industry since its inception [and] has spoken to computer industry leaders, urging them to join the libertarian movement in the struggle for online -- and offline -- freedom."

Robert E. Bidwell -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"Bob Bidwell is one of the top management thinkers in America," and has been a Libertarian candidate for U.S. Congress.

Neil Peart -- Libertarian
Source: Advocates for Self-Government
Country: United States

"Drummer and chief lyricist for the dynamic rock band Rush, Neil Peart first discovered libertarian ideas through the works of Ayn Rand."

Freedom lover's rant against the almighty state
Source: Strike the Root
Author: John deLaubenfels
Country: United States

"Almost everybody pays lip service to freedom, but what does it really mean? To what extent is government intrusion legitimate? And what is the moral response to illegitimate laws?" (02/28/02)

Libertarian solutions: private highways: a solution whose time has come (again)?
Source: LP News
Author: Daniel Klein
Country: United States

"Private ownership of 'public' resources may be an idea whose time has come. There are proposals for the privatization of Grand Coulee Dam, Dulles airport, Conrail, and Amtrak. State and local governments are studying private urban transit, garbage collection, and prisons. If privatization maintains its momentum, we will have to consider a logical candidate: the roads." (01/98)

Look Ma: invisible hands
Source: Strike the Root
Author: John T. Kennedy
Country: United States

"Economic libertarians recognize that markets spontaneously produce order. They recognize that self-interested action in a free market produces general benefits which need not be intended by the individuals doing business in that market." (04/15/02)

Sticky issues
Source: Strike the Root
Author: Jacob Halbrooks
Country: United States

"Occasionally a neo-conservative gets it in his mind that he can disprove libertarianism. The effort is made by taking the non-aggression axiom, that no one may properly initiate force on others, and invoking situations that are supposed to discredit it. " (04/02/02)

Privatizing the Autobahn
Source: Strike the Root
Author: Marcus Epstein
Country: United States

"When criticizing libertarians, conservatives like to use the line, 'If there were libertarians in the Third Reich, they would have probably been drawing up plans to privatize the autobahn when the Gestapo arrived to take them away.' At best, today’s conservatives would have suggested a 7% cut in the growth rate of mass murder ..." (02/11/02)

Libertarian vs libertarian
Source: Strike the Root
Author: Rachel Anne Fajardo
Country: United States

"'Anarchist, anarcho-capitalist, market anarchist, propertarian anarchist, contrarian, voluntaryist, individualist, free-market anarchist, radical libertarian, take your pick!' said Jim cheerfully." (02/18/02)

Are you insured?
Source: Strike the Root
Author: Paul Hein
Country: United States

"Of course, the abject failure of government to do that [protect us] is obvious, but, to those enamored of big government, its failures only argue for the need to make it still larger and stronger. And if there are no obvious dangers from which we need protection, they will be invented. Government is its own reason for existing. Consider asparagus." (05/07/02)

At cost of three fingers
Source: Liberty Round Table
Author: Karoline Will
Country: United States

"Before they can cope wisely with the question of civil freedom, Americans need to grapple with the question of personal freedom. This is true for governors as well as governed, but everyone should start with himself. In order to do that, we must go back to the basics, and consider what freedom is." 4th place in LRT 2002 essay contest, age 17-18. (05/02)

Cool charts
Source: E-enlightenment.com
Author: Lou Cuny
Country: United States

Color charts showing various aspects of history as a science; how free enterprise "revolutions" lead to enlightenment; evolutionary pyramid of technological advancement,the 3 main schools of free enterprise natural philosophy

The first dimension of association
Source: Free State Project
Author: Steve Cobb
Country: United States

"If there is one basis for association that is most important, and critical to all the others, it is liberty, i.e. the mutual respect for each other's right to act within a large sphere of action without interference, as long as one is not violating someone else's rights." (03/31/02)

The case for Libertarian pessimism
Source: Free State Project
Author: Jason Sorens
Country: United States

"Restoring liberty is a supremely political act. It requires political will and courage. What we have seen is that the national scene in America is totally lost to political action. If we libertarians continue doing just what we're doing, the deadening, bureaucratic, stultifying welfare-warfare state will live forever." (05/15/02)

Why not reclaim the left? Redux
Source: Strike the Root
Author: Wally Conger
Country: United States

"My credo is: 'If you don’t piss off somebody by noon each day, you’re not doing much.' So when my debut article for Strike The Root -- 'Why Not Reclaim the Left?'-- appeared June 18, I expected it to stir things up. I knew there’d be resistance to these ideas, from both Right and Left. I just didn’t quite expect the vitriol my article generated." (07/03/02)

New Declaration of Independence
Source: International Society for Individual Liberty
Author: Vincent H. Miller, Jarret B. Wollstein
Country: United States

Two hundred years ago the Declaration of Independence established, for the first time, a society based on the principle of the rule of law and limited government. The result was a glorious country full of greatest achievements. But, bit by bit, the principles which made this country great have been forgotten. ISIL pamphlet proposes a new Declaration to restore our fundamental rights.

Libertarianism: the path to peace, prosperity, and freedom
Source: International Society for Individual Liberty
Author: Jarret Wollstein
Country: United States

ISIL pamphlet tells of the American libertarian heritage, and the years of peace and prosperity that it has caused. It shows many ways in which Americans are now stripped of their economic and personal liberty by a power-hungry government, resulting in falling living standards and increased violence. "[A] land of liberty and unlimited opportunity. This is what America once was and can be again."

Freedom of association and counter-parasitism
Source: Free State Project
Author: Steve Cobb
Country: United States

"What to do when faced with predators and parasites: fight or run away? When cornered, by all means fight, but the noblest path is that of non-violence. As long as a frontier exists, an oppressed or threatened people can form a seed and blow away, to form a new society elsewhere, taking with them their cherished ideals." (02/20/02)

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance
Source: Liberty Round Table
Author: Ian McCollum
Country: United States

"That's a fine idea, isn't it? You can make powerful, passionate speeches or movies about it. You can use it to instill in an audience a fire of vigilance and determination not to lose their freedom. But if that's all you do, then you've really accomplished nothing. Because it's only an idea ... only wispy words." 3rd place in LRT essay contest 2002, age 17-18 category

Resurrect the blacklist
Source: Strike the Root
Author: Jacob Halbrooks
Country: United States

"People often have doubts that in a society free of government coercion there would be a mechanism for enforcing proper morality. But in the purely libertarian society there would also be many methods for people who wished to dissuade behavior they deem unfitting or improper." (03/20/02)

Creed
Source: Liberty Round Table
Author: Matt Warner
Country: United States

"I have no erudite words, no clever political commentary against State aggression. There is no philosophical explication or enlightenment herein. There is only a creed. I hold it without apology to anyone. It is symbolic of my freedom." 3rd place LRT Essay contest 2002, age 19-21 category

Commodify your comrade
Source: Strike the Root
Author: Bob Murphy
Country: United States

"[T}he commodification of man would do the most good in the arena of politics. If government officials could only be made to feel even a fraction of the human cost of their actions, their worst excesses would be curtailed." (03/26/02)

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