I see no point splitting hairs over whether Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio is the more egregious warmonger. Both love the bloody and costly U.S. empire. Both believe in American exceptionalism. (Rubio arrogantly calls for a “New American Century.”) Both want to make war in the Middle East (and beyond) and “stand behind Israel,” though…

I resisted writing about the election for a long time, but I couldn’t hold out any longer. Below are three sections, each covering a different candidate: Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and Hillary Clinton. Though the essays can be taken as separate pieces, they are related both in content and theme. I urge you to read…

Last week president Obama put an end to the use of solitary confinement on youth locked up in the federal prison system. In an op-ed announcing a series of executive actions the president cited the particular psychological harms that young inmates face when being placed in solitary confinement. He rightly points out that a life in…

Donald Trump says he wants to impose a 45% tax on goods imported from China. Trump’s proposed tax would interfere with people’s freedom. It would be discriminatory. It would injure American consumers. And it would hurt the poor here and in China. It’s no surprise to find the developer, reality TV star, and GOP presidential…

I am mystified that so many libertarians still see the U.S. Constitution as a landmark achievement in the struggle for liberty. On principle alone, they should have become wary in time. A document that is adored at virtually every position in the political firmament should arouse suspicion among libertarians. Moreover a smattering of historical knowledge…

What a bad week for the war party. Darn you, Iran! The country that the armchair warriors most love to hate refuses to play the villain’s role assigned by the neoconservatives, “humanitarian” interventionists, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the establishment media. First Iran quickly released 10 U.S. sailors whose armed boats had violated Iran’s territorial waters near…

Glenn Greenwald discusses the debate over what causes anti-American terrorism. Sheldon Richman discusses the Oregon standoff. Justin Raimondo discusses why we need a return to normalcy. Ben Norton discusses a Saudi war crime in Yemen. Jacob G. Hornberger discusses the U.S. as the world’s top arms dealer. Matthew Harwood reviews a book on privacy and…

Conservative pundit Laura Ingraham has a strange understanding of small government. Unfortunately, she’s not alone. When Nikki Haley delivered the GOP response to Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address, expressing concern about xenophobia and border paranoia, Ingraham was disappointed. She tweeted: “Too bad @NikkiHaley missed her oppty to stand w/ working ppl who…

A key to understanding the political world lies in realizing that the words terrorism and terrorist are inherently political terms. This has been clear in international affairs, but we now see this in domestic matters, specifically the case involving ranchers Dwight and Steve Hammond and the takeover of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service building…

Hawaii is ushering in the new year with the introduction of a law making it illegal for people between the ages of 18 and 20 to obtain tobacco products. Fines will be imposed on those selling tobacco to individuals in this age range as well as those purchasing it, following a three month grace period….

C4SS Feed 44 presents Roderick Long‘s “Remembering Corporate Liberalism” read by Jeff Riggenbach and edited by Nick Ford. During the first half of the 20th century, there was a widespread perception that big government and big business were fundamentally at odds. Free-market individualists generally regarded themselves as defenders of peaceful business interests against the rapacious…

Sheldon Richman discusses what the season of peace requires. Dan Sanchez discusses Antiwar.com’s 20th anniversary. Ivan Eland discusses bad government decisions that seemed like a good idea at the time. Mel Gurtov discusses the waging of endless unauthorized war. Jim Lobe discusses the continued neocon push for regime change in Iran. Richard M. Ebeling discusses…

Protected firms can get away with abusing workers. By way of Roderick Long I’ve learned that Amazon.com has some pretty rough rules for its employees. (Long draws on the Huffington Post and the Times Online.) According to the Times, employees at the Bedfordshire (UK) warehouse were: Warned that the company refuses to allow sick leave,…

Recensione di: David Beito, From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State: Fraternal Societies and Social Services, 1890-1967, University of North Carolina Press, 2000. Per gran parte del diciannovesimo e ventesimo secolo milioni di americani furono membri di organizzazioni di mutuo soccorso note come società benefiche, o di solidarietà. Queste società, organizzate democraticamente, fornivano ai loro…

C4SS Feed 44 presents Sheldon Richman‘s “The Campaign Needs a Radical, But Sanders Isn’t It” read and edited by Tony Dreher. Sanders cannot and will not see that expanding the welfare/regulatory bureaucracy would not help those outside the ruling elite. Beefing up the state won’t liberate us. Despite his intentions, Sanders is an unwitting defender…

Questo fine settimana la CNN ha mandato in onda come “Ultimissima” mozzafiato (tutto quello che manda in onda è una “Ultimissima” da mozzare il fiato) un nuovo sondaggio che dimostra come la gente sia sempre più spaventata dal terrorismo. La versione su internet dice: “Il terrorismo ha soppiantato l’economia quale problema nazionale più importante per…

Su Progressive Review (“Two Types of Terrorism,” 7 dicembre), Sam Smith distingue due tipi di terrorismo: “Quello che usa armi e bombe e quello che usa le parole per terrorizzare la gente e convincerla ad accettare la volontà di chi sta al potere.” Ma tra i due tipi c’è una relazione, come dimostrano le relative…

Over the weekend CNN breathlessly reported as “Breaking News” — it breathlessly reports everything as “Breaking News” — a new poll indicating that people are increasingly frightened about terrorism. The accompanying web story stated, “Terrorism has eclipsed the economy as voters’ top pick for the biggest issue facing America, a New York Times/CBS News poll…

A Review of David Beito’s From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State: Fraternal Societies and Social Services, 1890-1967, (University of North Carolina Press-2000) Through much of the 19th and 20th centuries millions of Americans were members of mutual aid organizations known as fraternal societies. These democratically organized groups provided their members with an assortment of…

Questo articolo è stato pubblicato originariamente su The Freeman il 24 agosto 2011 con lo stesso titolo. Il movimento progressista sorto a cavallo tra Ottocento e Novecento, dottrina da cui nasce la moderna sinistra americana, viene talvolta visto erroneamente come una filosofia “anti-aziendale”. Certo era contro il mercato, ma questo non significa che fosse necessariamente…