Kevin Carson on the Willard.
Tag Archives | Left-Libertarian
11th = 10th and 9th
Today is the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I have nothing much new to say, but you can check out what I wrote in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 (plus a follow-up), and 2008. And this year there’s excellent commentary from Darian Worden, Sheldon Richman, Tom Knapp, David D’Amato, and Jason Kuznicki.
On a cheerier note, today is also the ninth anniversary of the Molinari Institute – which has been a tremendous success. That success is due almost entirely to the Center for a Stateless Society division of the Institute (and thus due almost entirely to people who aren’t me), which has been placing market anarchist editorials every week in periodicals around the world (including some of the pieces linked to above). À bas l’état!
It’s also the ninth anniversary of this blog, which has likewise been a greater success than I anticipated. Thanks all!
De Spectaculis
I laughed when Nero’s minions sent
fire-tortured souls to the sky.
Without the walls of Pilate’s halls,
I shouted “Crucify!”I roared my glee to the sullen sea
where Abel’s blood was shed.
My jeer was loud in the gory crowd
that stoned St. Stephen dead.— Robert E. Howard
Even if the death penalty were morally legitimate (and I think it isn’t), and even if we could be justifiably confident that every one of those 234 executed prisoners was actually guilty of the crimes for which they were sentenced (and I think we can’t), it would still be grotesque to react to those executions with cheers and applause, as the audience did at this week’s Republican debate. Surely a mood of solemnity and regret would be more appropriate. These Republicans howling and hooting over executions are the kind who formerly reveled in seeing Christians thrown to the lions. The fact that they now have the effrontery to call themselves Christians only adds insult to injury (literally).
Cordial and Sanguine, Part 16
By the way, the fact that I link only to those BHL posts that are by members of the Molinari/C4SS/ALL axis most definitely doesn’t mean that I think those are the only entries worth reading! It’s just that I reckon, on empirical grounds, that some of my readers will be interested in all the posts there, and others will be interested just in the Molinari/C4SS/ALL ones; and the first group can just subscribe to BHL’s RSS feed, whereas my links serve the interests of the second group.
Cordial and Sanguine, Part 15
Gary has a piece up at BHL on Violence, Wars, and States.
He seems to be against them.
Liberty Mutual, Part 2
I’ve previously mentioned C4SS’s new feature, “Mutual Exchange,” which began with a piece by Anthony Gregory.
Kevin Carson’s reply to Anthony is now up.
I should note in passing that Kevin’s distinction between reductio ad absurdum arguments and arguments by analogy is very important, as these two are frequently conflated – particularly by those invoking Godwin’s Law. (For a discussion of the closely related conflation of arguments by counterexample with arguments by analogy, see Mike Watkins here.)