Category Archives: Libertarianism

Western Democrats on the ballot in 2014 are strongly condemning the National Security Agency.

Montana Lt. Gov. John Walsh, a candidate for Senate who is likely to be appointed when Sen. Max Baucus (D) becomes ambassador to China, is the latest in a long line of Democrats to protest, releasing a statement Friday that blasted a federal judges ruling that the NSAs bulk collection of phone records is legal.

Outspoken criticism of NSA programs allows potentially vulnerable incumbents to distance themselves from a president whose popularity is sagging while scoring points with liberals and appealing to the regions libertarian streak.

The NSAs massive collection of law-abiding Americans phone records chips away at our fundamental right to privacy, Walsh said. Fighting decisions like this is why I am running for the U.S. Senate because Montanans deserve a leader who has the courage to secure our nation without sacrificing freedoms.

Alaska Sen. Mark Begich (D) is building his mailing list with a petition on his campaigns web site urging Congress to immediately stop the call-collection program.

(Also on POLITICO: Judge rules NSA phone tracking legal)

This is an enormous invasion of every Alaskans right to privacy, Begichs web site says. The government should not have the ability to collect our information without a warrant.

Colorado Sen. Mark Udall (D) went on ABCs This Week Sunday to urge President Barack Obama to consider all 46 of the recommendations in a report addressing the collection of phone data.

It doesnt fit the standard in the Fourth Amendment of unreasonable search and seizure, he said of the program.

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley (D) has been one of the most vocal boosters of more congressional oversight of NSA. Hes pushed legislation, with bipartisan support, that would prevent the government from keeping FISA court interpretations of the law secret.

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Western Dems blast NSA surveillance

Is Rand Paul and Libertarianism the GOP #39;s Future? Nick Gillespie on Hardball
Is Rand Paul and Libertarianism the GOP #39;s Future? Nick Gillespie on Hardball.

By: Arnab Goswami

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Is Rand Paul and Libertarianism the GOP's Future? Nick Gillespie on Hardball - Video

Left-libertarianism (or left-wing libertarianism) names several related but distinct approaches to politics, society, culture, and political and social theory, which stress equally both individual freedom and social justice.[1] The original school of left-libertarianism is libertarian socialism.[citation needed]

Left-libertarianism can refer generally to three related and overlapping schools of thought:

Libertarian socialism (sometimes called social anarchism[6][7] or left-libertarianism)[8][9] is a group of political philosophies that promote a non-hierarchical, non-bureaucratic society without private property in the means of production. Libertarian socialists believe in converting present-day private productive property into common or public goods, while retaining respect for personal property.[10] Libertarian socialism is opposed to coercive forms of social organization. It promotes free association in place of government and opposes the social relations of capitalism, such as wage labor.[11] The term libertarian socialism is used by some socialists to differentiate their philosophy from state socialism,[12][13] and by some as a synonym for left anarchism.[6][7][14]

Adherents of libertarian socialism assert that a society based on freedom and equality can be achieved through abolishing authoritarian institutions that control certain means of production and subordinate the majority to an owning class or political and economic elite.[15] Libertarian socialism also constitutes a tendency of thought that promotes the identification, criticism, and practical dismantling of illegitimate authority in all aspects of life.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

Accordingly, libertarian socialists believe that "the exercise of power in any institutionalized formwhether economic, political, religious, or sexualbrutalizes both the wielder of power and the one over whom it is exercised".[23] Libertarian socialists generally place their hopes in decentralized means of direct democracy such as libertarian municipalism, citizens' assemblies, trade unions, and workers' councils.[24]

Political philosophies commonly described as libertarian socialist include most varieties of anarchism (especially anarchist communism, anarchist collectivism, anarcho-syndicalism,[25] and mutualism[26]) as well as autonomism, Communalism, participism, libertarian Marxist philosophies such as council communism and Luxemburgism,[27] and some versions of "utopian socialism"[28] and individualist anarchism.[29][30][31]

Mutualism emerged from early nineteenth-century socialism in the work of writers and activists such as Pierre-Joseph Proudhon in France and William B. Greene and Dyer Lum in the United States. It is generally considered a market-oriented strand within the libertarian socialist tradition. Mutualists typically accept both individual and co-operative ownership of land and means of production, with trade of products representing equivalent amounts of labor in the free market.[32] Mutualists typically connected their proposals with the establishment of a mutual-credit bank that would lend to producers at a minimal interest rate, just high enough to cover administration.[33] and with ownership of land limited to usufruct, or to personal use and occupation.[34] Drawing from a labor theory of value, mutualist economic writing argued that, in a market freed from privileges to capital, when labor or its product is sold it should receive goods or services embodying "the amount of labor necessary to produce an article of exactly similar and equal utility".[35] Thus mutualists argued that wealth deriving solely from the ownership of land or capital, rather than from labor, would be replaced by reciprocal trade between laborers. Thus, though Proudhon opposed individuals receiving an income through loans, investments and rent, he wrote that he never intended "...to forbid or suppress, by sovereign decree, ground rent and interest on capital. I think that all these manifestations of human activity should remain free and voluntary for all: I ask for them no modifications, restrictions or suppressions, other than those which result naturally and of necessity from the universalization of the principle of reciprocity which I propose."[36]

The primary aspects of mutualism are free association, mutualist credit, contract (or federation/confederation), and gradualism (or dual-power). Mutualism is often described by its proponents as advocating an "anti-capitalist free market," and mutualist economic writing was heavily influential in the development of American individualist anarchism[37] and the development of contemporary left-wing market anarchism.[38]

Mutualists argue that most of the economic problems associated with capitalism each amount to a violation of the cost principle, or as Josiah Warren interchangeably said, "Cost the limit of price." It was inspired by the labor theory of value, which was popularized, though not invented, by Adam Smith in 1776 (Proudhon mentioned Smith as an inspiration). The labor theory of value holds that the actual price of a thing (or the "true cost") is the amount of labor that was undertaken to produce it. In Warren's terms, cost should be the "limit of price," with "cost" referring to the amount of labor required to produce a good or service. Anyone who sells goods should charge no more than the cost to himself of acquiring these goods. Proudhon also held that the "real value of products was determined by labour time, and that all kinds of labour should be regarded as equally effective in the value-creating process, and he advocated therefore equality of wages and salaries."[39]

Anarchist communism (also known as libertarian communism) is a theory of anarchism which advocates the abolition of the state, private property, and capitalism in favour of common ownership of the means of production,[40][41]direct democracy and a horizontal network of voluntary associations and workers' councils with production and consumption based on the guiding principle: "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need".[42][43]

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Left-libertarianism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In 2001, the German parliament almost totally deregulated prostitution. The majority, left-wing coalition of Social Democrats and the Green Party trumpeted the new law as a reform that would end prudishness about sex work and bring the business into the open so prostitutes could bargain for higher pay and claim social insurance.

Things havent quite gone according to plan. Large brothels have popped up in various cities, packed with women and girls lured by human traffickers from poverty-stricken Eastern Europe and handed over to pimps upon arrival.

Charles Lane

Lane is a Post editorial writer, specializing in economic policy, financial issues and trade, and a contributor to the PostPartisan blog.

Archive

Sex tourists from around the globe flock to German establishments that offer unlimited sex for a flat rate of 100 euros (about $135) or, sometimes, gang-bang parties, according to extensive exposs of what some in the German press call modern slavery. Meanwhile, there has been no increase in prostitutes signing up for social benefits.

Amid a growing backlash from womens rights advocates, Chancellor Angela Merkel is promising tougher rules. A likely reform is the elimination of flat-rate brothels, though how that would be enforced is anyones guess.

Now the Supreme Court of Canada is trying its hand at prostitution reform. The justices unanimously struck down the countrys prostitution laws and ordered parliament to rewrite them within a year. Will this experiment end better than Germanys, or will it confirm that theres something inherently exploitative about prostitution that neither market forces nor enlightened legislators and judges can eradicate?

Prior to the courts ruling, Canadian law took a characteristically middle-of-the-road approach. Performing sex acts for money was not a crime. But it was illegal to solicit customers, operate a brothel or live off the avails of prostitution Canadian for pimping. Basically, prostitution was permitted but contained.

To the Supreme Court, however, this arbitrary scheme imposed dangerous conditions by preventing prostitutes from working indoors, from hiring drivers, receptionists or bodyguards, and from talking to would-be clients ahead of time to screen out potential abusers.

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Lane: Legalizing prostitution doesn’t make it safer

The Department of Justice has indicted three men who it suspects helped run the Silk Road, an online drug marketplace that was hidden through the Tor anonymous Web-surfing network.

The three menAndrew Michael Jones of Charles City, Virginia; Gary Davis of Wicklow, Ireland; and Peter Phillip Nash of Brisbane, Australiaare alleged to have worked with suspected Silk Road owner and operator Ross Ulbricht, who was arrested in San Francisco, CA earlier this year. Jones and Nash were arrested last week, Davis is believed to be in Ireland, authorities say.

What he wouldn't give for a holocaust cloak.

Specifically, Jones, who is 24, and Davis, who is 25, were employed as site administrators, which entailed "monitoring user activity on Silk Road for problems, responding to customer service inquiries, and resolving disputes between buyers and vendors, the Department of Justice press release said. Nash, who is 40, was employed as a forum moderator, "monitoring user activity on discussion forums associated with the site, providing guidance to forum users concerning how to conduct business on Silk Road, and reporting any significant problems discussed on the forums to the site administrators and to Ulbricht.

The three men are each charged with one count of narcotics conspiracy, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and one count of conspiracy to commit computer hacking.

Meanwhile, news of the arrests have hit the Silk Road community hard. Wired points out that rumors of the arrests had surfaced on reddit (a sister company to Wired and Ars Technica) earlier last week. A reddit user who went by PrincessBtcButtercup (and who later deleted the name) wrote:

"I'm not sure what his login name was, all i know is that apparently he was an admin and then a mod and that he also ran the book club. He is a wonderful person and has been supporting me (due to my chronic pain), so to say the least my world has been turned inside out and upside down. They told me they were making arrests all around the world at the same time.can anyone give me any info on who he was? i'm hoping he was well liked and respected because even though i didn't know he was doing this, I can guarantee he was doing it out of his passion for Libertarianism and for the idea of a free marketplace. Just thought i would pass on the message..

The post was accompanied by a copy of a search warrant and a copy of a business card from FBI Agent Christopher Tarbell, Wired wrote.

On r/silkroad, users are left trying to explain what happened to the site and its second incarnation, which sprang up after the Feds shut the first one down in the wake of Ulbricht's arrest. Libertas, Inigo and Synergy (aka, SSBD) have been arrested, user vytvy wrote in the thread "Stay The Fuck Away From Silk Road." "They were likely found because they handed over their dox to DPR1, aka Ulbricht. All three of them are irresponsible and jeopardized the safety of EVERYONE here by continuing to promote a black market when their 'boss' is incarcerated. It is absolutely shocking that their hubris and greed allowed them to take such a risk. They literally handed over their real life identities to Ulbricht then went on to create/support SR2, despite knowing full well that they were COMPROMISED. That's right. Libertas, Inigo and Synergy KNEW THEY WERE COMPROMISED the day SR1 was taken down.

The Department of Justice notes that its investigations are ongoing.

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Feds indict three alleged Silk Road forum moderators and administrators

At least three alleged moderators of the forums for the Silk Road online drug marketplace have been indicted on federal charges, according to a document unsealed today.

The three suspects -- Andrew Michael Jones, Gary Davis and Peter Phillip Nash -- have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on conspiracy charges related to drug trafficking, money laundering, and hacking,according to the document(.pdf).

All three allegedly worked for Dread Pirate Roberts, the owner and operator of Silk Road, who authorities say was 29-year-old Ross Ulbricht. Ulbricht was arrested last October in San Francisco after a years-long investigation that brought down the Silk Road, which facilitated the marketing and sales of illegal drugs.

Jones, who allegedly went by the name Inigo, is accused of being an administrator on the Silk Road site since at least October 2012. Davis, who allegedly used the name Libertas, was also an alleged administrator on the site since at least last June.

Nash, who allegedly used the aliases Samesamebutdifferent and Batman73, among others, allegedly served as the chief moderator of the Silk Road discussion forum since at least last January. The forum was a place where users discussed the sale of drugs and exchanged advice about taking drugs, eluding the feds, and other topics.

Silk Road administrators were responsible for monitoring user activity on the site and handling customer disputes. Forum moderators were responsible for providing guidance on how to use the Silk Road site, monitoring discussions, and reporting problems discussed in the forums to Silk Road administrators and Dread Pirate Roberts, the owner of the site.

Moderators and administrators were paid between $50,000 (30,000) and $75,000 (45,000) a year by Dread Pirate Roberts, according to the indictment.

Word of the arrests began swirling online when a user of the Reddit forum (which is owned by Wired's parent company) posted a message indicating that her boyfriend had been arrested. The user, who posted under the name PrincessBtcButtercup before deleting the name, wrote that the person with whom she was in a relationship was an admin on Silk Road and had been the subject of a search warrant in the Eastern District of Virginia.

"I'm not sure what his login name was, all i know is that apparently he was an admin and then a mod and that he also ran the book club. He is a wonderful person and has been supporting me (due to my chronic pain), so to say the least my world has been turned inside out and upside down. They told me they were making arrests all around the world at the same time.can anyone give me any info on who he was? i'm hoping he was well liked and respected because even though i didn't know he was doing this, I can guarantee he was doing it out of his passion for Libertarianism and for the idea of a free marketplace. Just thought i would pass on the message.."

She then posted a copy of the search warrant along with a copy of a business card from FBI Agent Christopher Tarbell.

View original post here:
Three alleged Silk Road moderators indicted on federal charges

Consequentialist libertarianism (also known as libertarian consequentialism[1]) refers to the libertarian position that is supportive of a free market and strong private property rights only on the grounds that they bring about favorable consequences, such as prosperity or efficiency.[2] What consequentialist libertarians advocate is derived simply through cost-benefit calculation, taking a broad account of consequences.[3] It is contrasted with deontological libertarianism, also known as "natural-rights libertarianism," which considers the initiation of force and fraud to be immoral, regardless of consequences.[4][5] Unlike deontological libertarians, consequentialist libertarians do not necessarily see all cases of initiation of force as immoral and never see it as inherently immoral (i.e., they do not express a belief in natural rights). Rather, their position is that political and economic liberty lead to the best consequences in the form of happiness and prosperity, and for that reason alone it should be supported. (Some libertarians may have a conception of libertarianism that is a hybrid of consequentialism and deontology).[2]

Unlike deontological libertarians, consequentialist libertarians advocate actions they believe bring about favorable consequences regardless of whether these constitute initiation of force.[6][7] For example, unlike deontological libertarians, in addition to support for involuntary taxes, some consequentialists libertarians support eminent domain[8] Particular views vary among consequentialist libertarians, with political theorist David D. Friedman supporting a consequentialist form of anarcho-capitalism where the content of law is bought and sold rather there being an established legal code forbidding initiation of force.[9]

Milton Friedman,[10]David D. Friedman, Peter Leeson, Ludwig von Mises,[11] and Friedrich Hayek[12][13][14] are consequentalist libertarians.

See the article here:
Consequentialist libertarianism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rand Paul cracks jokes about smoking pot. He says the GOP needs to bring minorities and people with ponytails into the fold. The Kentucky senator doesnt back gay marriage, but hes not out beating the drums against it, either. And hes advocated cutting defense spending.

Not exactly the typical profile of a Republican standard-bearer. But that appears to be precisely Pauls gambit for a possible presidential bid in 2016: that he can remake the partys traditional coalition, engaging younger and minority voters without alienating the older, whiter and more conservative demographics that typically decide the Republican nomination.

Its a narrow tightrope for Paul to walk. Every break with his party on national security and foreign policy and there have been several threatens to make it that much harder for him to shed the isolationist tag in the eyes of the Republican establishment. Every entreaty to libertarian-leaning college students who adored his father, former Rep. Ron Paul, could complicate the task of creating some space from an element of the GOP regarded in some quarters as radical, even kooky.

(WATCH: 7 defining quotes from Rand Paul)

But Pauls success or failure could have big implications for a party thats been watching young, urban and minority voters flock to the Democratic Party with no apparent counterstrategy. If he can make a dent in that Democratic coalition by using his libertarianism to woo young voters and others who dont traditionally fall in the GOP camp, Paul could help his party forge a path back to the White House.

He has a particular appeal to young people with libertarian views, about keeping government out of our lives even in a Republican primary he might get a strong share of that vote, said longtime GOP strategist Charlie Black, who has worked on presidential campaigns for Republicans including Sen. John McCain and President George W. Bush. At the same time, Black added that Pauls views are out of step on foreign policy and national security with the mainstream Republican Party.

Even as the national mood swings away from interventionist approaches, Pauls emphasis on privacy in national security debates, coupled with his inward-looking approach to foreign policy, gives pause to some party stalwarts.

(QUIZ: Do you know Rand Paul?)

Clearly, everybody is tired of wars that seem to drag on and on, said GOP strategist Whit Ayres. On the other hand, a strong element of the Republican coalition believes America has both a moral and a self-defense obligation to lead in the world.

Yet Pauls more libertarian approach to those issues makes him stand out to young voters, an overwhelmingly Democratic demographic despite a recent poll showing President Barack Obamas approval rating floundering with that group.

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Rand Paul walks tightrope to expand GOP's appeal

At least three alleged moderators of the forums for the Silk Road online drug marketplace have been indicted on federal charges, according to a document unsealed today.

The three suspects Andrew Michael Jones, Gary Davis and Peter Phillip Nash have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on conspiracy charges related to drug trafficking, money laundering, and hacking, according to the document (.pdf).

All three allegedly worked for Dread Pirate Roberts, the owner and operator of Silk Road, who authorities say was 29-year-old Ross Ulbricht. Ulbricht was arrested last October in San Francisco after a years-long investigation that brought down the Silk Road, which facilitated the marketing and sales of illegal drugs.

Jones, who allegedly went by the name Inigo, is accused of being an administrator on the Silk Road site since at least October 2012. Davis, who allegedly used the name Libertas, was also an alleged administrator on the site since at least last June.

Nash, who allegedly used the aliases Samesamebutdifferent and Batman73, among others, allegedly served as the chief moderator of the Silk Road discussion forum since at least last January. The forum was a place where users discussed the sale of drugs and exchanged advice about taking drugs, eluding the feds, and other topics.

Silk Road administrators were responsible for monitoring user activity on the site and handling customer disputes. Forum moderators were responsible for providing guidance on how to use the Silk Road site, monitoring discussions, and reporting problems discussed in the forums to Silk Road administrators and Dread Pirate Roberts, the owner of the site.

Moderators and administrators were paid between $50,000 and $75,000 a year by Dread Pirate Roberts, according to the indictment.

Word of the arrests began swirling online when a user of the Reddit forum (which is owned by WIREDs parent company) posted a message indicating that her boyfriend had been arrested. The user, who posted under the name PrincessBtcButtercup before deleting the name, wrote that the person with whom she was in a relationship was an admin on Silk Road and had been the subject of a search warrant in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Im not sure what his login name was, all i know is that apparently he was an admin and then a mod and that he also ran the book club. He is a wonderful person and has been supporting me (due to my chronic pain), so to say the least my world has been turned inside out and upside down. They told me they were making arrests all around the world at the same time.can anyone give me any info on who he was? im hoping he was well liked and respected because even though i didnt know he was doing this, I can guarantee he was doing it out of his passion for Libertarianism and for the idea of a free marketplace. Just thought i would pass on the message..

She then posted a copy of the search warrant along with a copy of a business card from FBI Agent Christopher Tarbell.

See the original post:
Silk Road’s Alleged Top Moderators Indicted

Libertarianism (Latin: liber, "free")[1] is a set of related political philosophies that uphold liberty as the highest political end.[2][3] This includes emphasis on the primacy of individual liberty,[4][5]political freedom, and voluntary association. It is the antonym to authoritarianism.[6] Different schools of libertarianism disagree over whether the state should exist and, if so, to what extent.[7] While minarchists propose a state limited in scope to preventing aggression, theft, breach of contract and fraud, anarchists advocate its complete elimination as a political system.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13] While certain libertarian currents are supportive of laissez-faire capitalism and private property rights, such as in land and natural resources, others reject capitalism and private ownership of the means of production, instead advocating their common or cooperative ownership and management. [14][15][16][17]

In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, libertarianism is defined as the moral view that agents initially fully own themselves and have certain moral powers to acquire property rights in external things.[18] Libertarian philosopher Roderick Long defines libertarianism as "any political position that advocates a radical redistribution of power from the coercive state to voluntary associations of free individuals", whether "voluntary association" takes the form of the free market or of communal co-operatives.[19]In the United States, the term libertarianism is often used as a synonym for economic liberalism.

Many countries throughout the world have libertarian parties (see list of libertarian political parties).

The term libertarian in a metaphysical or philosophical sense was first used by late-Enlightenment free-thinkers to refer to those who believed in free will, as opposed to incompatibilist determinism.[20] The first recorded use was in 1789 by William Belsham in a discussion of free will and in opposition to "necessitarian" (or determinist) views.[21][22]

Libertarian as an advocate or defender of liberty especially in the political and social spheres was used in 1796 in London Packet on the 12th of February:

Lately marched out of the Prison at Bristol, 450 of the French Libertarians.[23]

The word libertarian was used also in a political sense in 1802, in a short piece critiquing a poem by "the author of Gebir":

The author's Latin verses, which are rather more intelligible than his English, mark him for a furious Libertarian (if we may coin such a term) and a zealous admirer of France, and her liberty, under Bonaparte; such liberty![24]

The use of the word "libertarian" to describe a new set of political positions has been tracked to the French cognate, libertaire, which was coined in 1857 by French anarchist Joseph Djacque who used the term to distinguish his libertarian communist approach from the mutualism advocated by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon.[25] By 1878, Sir John Seeley could characterize a person "who can properly be said to defend liberty" (by opposing tyranny or "resist[ing] the established government") as a "libertarian."[26]Libertarian has been used by some as a synonym for anarchism since the 1890s.[27] By 1901, Frederic William Maitland could use the term to capture a cultural attitude of support for freedom. Observing that "the picture of an editor defending his proof sheets [...] before an official board of critics is not to our liking," Maitland emphasized that "[i]n such matters Englishmen are individualists and libertarians."[28] As early as 1923, H. L. Mencken could write: "My literary theory, like my politics, is based chiefly upon one idea, to wit, the idea of freedom. I am, in belief, a libertarian of the most extreme variety."[29]Albert Jay Nock and Mencken were the first prominent figures in the US to call themselves "libertarians," which they used to signify their allegiance to individualism and limited government, feeling that Franklin D. Roosevelt had co-opted the word "liberal" for his New Deal policies, which they opposed.[30]

In the United States, where the meaning of liberalism has parted significantly from classical liberalism, classical liberalism has largely been renamed libertarianism and is associated with "economically conservative" and "socially liberal" political views (going by the common meanings of "conservative" and "liberal" in the United States),[31][32] along with a foreign policy of non-interventionism.[33][34]

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Libertarianism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia