Let's open up our minds. The satisfactions of self-righteousness are very druglike, but in the long run human problems will not be solved by junkies. They will be negotiated by earnest and wise human beings. -- David Brin
Introduction
What we
have in common.
Top Ten List
Liberals and
Libertarians
Can Agree On These
Quotes
Mahatma Ghandi
Henry David
Thoreau;
The Tao Te Ching
November, 1999
Alan Brock writes in the November issue of Liberty:
The question George Bush, along with Clinton, Gingrich, Gore and all the other boomer politicians who have admitted to a walk on the wild side but saw the error of their ways and support the drug laws now more than ever should be required to answer is simple. "At what point in your drug-using career would it have been a good thing for you to get arrested and go to prison?"If an arrest wouldn't have been good for these high achievers, why do they think it's the best way to deal with somebody else's decision to do drugs?
September, 1999
I'll be in Hong Kong on business until the end of the month. I've lately been too busy to spend much time updating this site or even replying to the email received about it. Will try to catch up after the return.
Side note: I've recently co-founded a new User Group: SPAM stands for Stanford Perl Mongers. Check it out if you're in the SF Bay Area.
April, 1999
Science-fiction author and scientist David Brin (author of The Postman) seems to have thought through a lot of important issues related to this site. A talk he recently gave forced me to re-think a few of my own views. So I'm currently reading his book The Transparent Society, and expect to revise and extend this site accordingly. In the meantime, you might find Brin's website interesting, especially his thought-provoking questionnaire. Here's a sample:
Which of the following best describes how and
why you arrived at your present set of opinions and your political
agenda?
Now answer the same question about why your political opponents hold the opinions/agendas they do. Do you think your opponents would agree with the way you answered just now? How do you think they would respond, if asked the very same questions about their own beliefs... and yours? |
January, 1999
We grant our presidents too much respect, too much automatic slack by virtue of their office. One of the better reasons to impeach Clinton is to send the message to future presidents that impeachment is actually possible. Perhaps if we impeached presidents more often they'd be less likely to abuse their powers and overstep their authority. It'd be nice to impeach for the right reasons, but impeachment on any grounds is better than none if there is cause. In the last several presidencies there has been plenty of cause, so I'd say this was long overdue.
December, 1998
Added a Comics page featuring John Bergstrom's work.
November, 1998
Liberals and Libertarians was named "Freedom Home Page of the Week" by free-market.net. Their review appears here...
On November 3rd: VOTE!!!
It's not who you vote for, it's what you vote for. An election is not a horse race; you don't get a prize if you pick the winning team.
The only "wasted vote" is the one that doesn't accurately reflect your views; a vote for the lesser of two evils just sends the message that you are willing to settle. Don't settle.
The only vote that is well and truly wasted...
...is a
vote for a Republican.
-Glen Raphael
October, 1998
Mahatma Ghandi's thoughts on freedom, coercion and democracy have been added to the Quotes page.
Ghandi defended the interests of the oppressed. His strategy included not just nonviolent protest but also the building of alternative institutions to replace and delegitimize government institutions.
Building alternative institutions is still a powerful strategy today. 20 years ago people could plausibly claim that without government subsidies nobody would ever deliver mail to rural areas for a reasonable price. But after competition was semi-legalized by a court decision, Federal Express and UPS shattered that myth. The task before those of us who now favor a smaller and less intrusive government is to identify areas like that, areas where private competition is feasible even given the presence of government institutions. For instance, the court system is SO inefficient that using it to pursue justice often costs more than any likely settlement; this has led to the growth of alternative dispute-resolution services such as binding arbitration.
It's not the answer, but it's part of one.
(I've often thought it might be profitable to set up a guerrilla road-maintenance firm which would - in exchange for payment by local homeowners or businessmen - fix those potholes that the city somehow never gets around to)
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"Bill Clinton, big government, and sex with dogs." Humor columnist Dave Barry talks about Big Government in a Reason interview
Second thoughts - the web page for the armed liberal
Social Security in East Palo Alto . Social Security overtaxes black workers to subsidize white retirees.
Jainism is an Indian religion best known for its emphasis on _ahimsa_, or nonviolence toward all beings.
Libertarians and Vegetarians . An essay by Harry Reid of Beyond Government .
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