Though it is responsible for lies, for deceit, for the distribution of misinformation, for inequality, for discrimination and many other things, the one area that I believe is most unethical about the state, is it’s hypocrisy. Though they repeatedly claim that it is not so, there is quite obviously one rule for the state, and…

Jeremy Rifkin heralds “The Rise of Anti-Capitalism” (New York Times, March 15), citing a paradox whereby “[t]he inherent dynamism of competitive markets is bringing costs so far down that many goods and services are becoming nearly free, abundant, and no longer subject to market forces.” Rifkin’s arguments about how reductions in marginal cost affect economic relationships…

Shamus Cooke discusses Obama’s far right foreign policy. Cory Massimino discusses the relationship between liberalism and libertarianism. Patrick Cockburn discusses how war has changed. Brian J. Trautman discusses endless war. Casey Given discusses how the anti-gay bills are not libertarian. Dave Lindorff discusses the U.S. lecturing of Russia about international law. John Bew discusses the…

The conflict in Ukraine has prompted several level-headed commentators to point out that, of all governments, the U.S. government is in no position to lecture Russia about respecting other nations’ borders. When Secretary of State John Kerry said on Meet the Press, “This is an act of aggression that is completely trumped up in terms of…

History is repeating itself in a terrifying way as Europe’s Romani population faces increased hostility, discrimination, marginalization and poverty. I have previously written about the ethnic registration of Romani people perpetrated by Swedish police. Those of us living in Sweden have in recent months also seen an influx of destitute Romani people making their way here…

In Tacoma, Washington, immigrant detainees held in the Northwest Detention Center are on hunger strike. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are attempting to intimidate, and threatening to force feed, them. When I talk to many Americans about this hunger strike, many lack sympathy with the detainees. They brand immigrants as “illegals” and use this as…

Big changes are often terribly disruptive, even among those who favor the changes. For an example, one need look no further than the libertarian movement’s struggles to address itself to recent social, legal and political developments on what I’ll call, for brevity’s sake, “the same-sex marriage front.” Libertarian opinions on that issue run across a…

Om de zoveel maanden nadert de Amerikaanse overheid haar zelfopgelegde “schuldenplafond.” Om de zoveel maanden wordt het Amerikaanse publiek getrakteerd op een theaterstuk over de vraag of het plafond wel of niet moet worden “verhoogd,” inclusief hysterische doemscenario’s over wat er gebeurt als politici niet zoveel geld als ze willen mogen uitgeven aan wat ze…

Bitcoin has had a rough couple of weeks. With the closure and bankruptcy of MtGox and the closure-from-hacking of at least one smaller “bank,” the value of Bitcoin has fluctuated wildly. Predictably, this instability have caused some media outlets to make the exaggerated and premature announcement of the cryptocurrency’s death. But while most in the…

De acordo com seu próprio relatório e com o que disse o colunista do Washington Post Howard Schneider (“Communists Have Seized the IMF“, 26 de fevereiro), o Fundo Monetário Internacional aparentemente amenizou sua posição sobre o “redistribuição de renda”. Isso, porém, é falso. Tanto o relatório do FMI (“Redistribution, Inequality, and Growth“, IMF Discussion Note…

It can’t be easy living in Russia’s shadow, and I envy no one in that position. Given its long history and, consequently, the temperament of its leaders (and a good part of its population), Russia for the foreseeable future will be a regional power with an attitude. Thus it will ever be concerned with what happens…

Com a falência do banco de Bitcoin Mt. Gox, mais de 400 de seus clientes expressaram interesse em entrar com um processo coletivo contra a empresa-mãe e seu dono, Mark Karpeles. A Mt. Gox era o maior mercado de Bitcoins do mundo e, embora o funcionamento da criptomoeda ainda seja incompreensível para várias pessoas, seu…

C4SS Media presents Thomas L. Knapp‘s “Depends On What “Corruption” Is,” read by James Tuttle and edited by Nick Ford. “We don’t need the politicians or their cronies. We don’t have to put up with them. And we should stop doing so.”  

Wie opkomt voor vrijheid steunt vreedzame en vrijwillige uitwisseling tussen mensen en strijdt tegen gewelddadige beperking van deze uitwisseling. Het hoeft echter niet direct te betekenen dat een systeem van vreedzame, vrijwillige uitwisseling “kapitalisme” genoemd hoeft te worden. Er zijn uiteraard sommigen die vinden dat dit overduidelijk is wat “kapitalisme” betekent. Ik kan ook niet…

Julia Angwin (“Has Privacy Become a Luxury Good?”, The New York Times, 4 de março) relata as dificuldades enfrentadas pelas pessoas que tentam manter a privacidade de seus dados. Embora os indivíduos possam comprar bens e serviços para esse fim, seu alto custo diminui sua utilidade e disponibilidade. Não são produtos caros apenas no sentido…

Dahr Jamail discusses the civilian deaths caused by the Iraqi government siege of Fallujah. John B. Judis reviews Maximalist: America in the World from Truman to Obama. Brittney Wheeler discusses why liberty doesn’t need politics. The LA Times editorial board discusses why the embargo on Cuba should be ended. Karen J. Greenberg discusses 5 issues…

By its own recent report’s framing and that of the Washington Post’s Howard Schneider (“Communists Have Seized the IMF,” February 26), the International Monetary Fund has apparently gone soft on “redistribution.” But that framing is wrong. Both the IMF report (“Redistribution, Inequality, and Growth,” IMF Discussion Note SDN/14/02, February 2014) and Schneider’s write-up of it conflate “redistribution”…

Julia Angwin (“Has Privacy Become a Luxury Good?” New York Times, March 4),  describes the difficulties faced by people trying to maintain the privacy of their personal data. Although an individual can purchase goods and services for the purpose, high cost mitigates their usefulness and availability, not only in the monetary sense but in the amount of…

In the wake of Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox’s bankruptcy filing, more than four hundred of its customers have expressed interest in filing a class action lawsuit against the parent company and its chief, Mark Karpeles. Mt. Gox was the cryptocurrency’s largest marketplace. Although Bitcoin’s functioning is still incomprehensible to many its value is real. Mt.Gox’s…

Un articolo sincero sul collasso di Mt. Gox, il mercato dei cambi di Bitcoin, suonerebbe più o meno così: “Ehi! Il mercato dei cambi più importante di Bitcoin è scomparso nel nulla… e invece di collassare, i Bitcoin ancora si vendono a 500 dollari! Una moneta robusta, con grandi capacità di ripresa! Un successo! Grande!…