Thursday, August 22, 2013

Revisiting the Classics (8-22-2013)

This Thursday's edition of Revisiting the Classics will include several more articles from the past (and even from the present) that I consider to be worthwhile.

"The Silent Power of the NSA" by David Bumham: A worthwhile and classic 1983 NYT article that dealt with the satanic power of the National Security Agency (NSA) before the recent revelations of the ever-growing surveillance state.

"Free or Compulsory Speech" by Murray Rothbard: This classic supports the side of free speech and free non-speech, and rejects compulsory speech. That would include the right not to testify against yourself.

"An Open Letter to Bill Bennett" by Milton Friedman: Milton Friedman, famous free-market economist, wrote long ago to conservative Bill Bennett attacking the drug war and showing its utter folly.

"'Human Rights' as Property Rights" by Murray Rothbard: The fifteenth chapter from Rothbard's 1982 magnum opus The Ethics of Liberty shows us that property rights and human rights are not incompatible but inseparable; human rights are ultimately impossible without property rights.

"Freedom of the Press" by Ludwig von Mises: This excerpt from Mises's classic The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality shows the fundamental nature of the freedom of the press in the classical liberal society.

"The Myth of Media Watchdogs" by William L. Anderson: This article explores the myth of our media as watchdogs being promoted all around the country and throughout the world.

"The Road to Totalitarianism" by Henry Hazlitt: This classic essay deals with our road to the totalitarian system, and it is still relevant to our times today.

"Speech: Free and Unfree" by William L. Anderson: This wonderful essay, published thirteen years ago, deals with the distinction between unfree and free speech.

"Testing the Limits of Free Speech" by Christopher Mayer: This 1999 article deals with the true nature of free speech and why it allows for even the wickedest of speech.

"'Free Speech' Does Not Mean 'Trespass'" by Doug French: Doug French's 2003 article argues that the freedom of speech does not equal the trampling of private property rights, as is taught by most ACLU-line civil libertarians.

"The Harm In Hate-Speech Laws" by David Gordon: David Gordon's review of Jeremy Waldron's The Harm in Hate Speech may not be classic in the sense of old, but it is classic in the context of its relevance to our times and to all of time.

"Free Speech, Free Association and Private Property" by Ninos Malek: Ninos Malex, in his 2003 Mises Daily, Ninos Malek shows how free speech, free association and private property fit well in the libertarian society, and it also shows how freedom of speech doesn't necessarily apply to private property-owned areas which explicitly disapprove of certain speech.

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