Yearly Archives: 2004

Dissent

This entry was posted in Constitution Domestic Terrorism Federal Government Libertarianism US History on by

Geof Stone, author of Perilous Times, is guest blogging at Lawrence Lessig’s place.
Start here:

Can we learn the lessons of history? Can we avoid repeating the mistakes of the past? Given the pressures and fears of war, can we discipline ourselves both as individuals and as a nation to respect civil liberties even in a time of war? And is it even sensible to talk seriously about civil liberties in wartime? What do you think?
Then go back to the main blog page to pick up subsequent entries.
What do I think? In brief: our servants shall not infringe on our freedom.
I am, though, going to follow this thread closely and may have more to say as it progresses. And, I added Stone’s book to my Amazon Wish List (I’ll probably buy it when I place my last xmas order).

Turkey and the EU

This entry was posted in War on Terrorism on by

There are probably lots of good reasons for the EU to bring Turkey into their club. However, taking a page out of the bush playbook is not one of them:

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned European Union leaders that violence from Islamic extremists could escalate if the EU rejects Turkey as a member.
But, then, extortion is an oft used tool of government.
Via the Mahalanobis.

Government Failure

This entry was posted in Constitution Domestic Terrorism Drug Laws Law Enforcement Libertarianism on by

Via Avedon I learned that John Perry Barlow is going to court, is doing battle for our freedom:

Apparently, everyone else who has been arrested as a consequences of these inspections, and there have been many, has pled guilty rather than face the cost and trouble of mounting a constitutional defense.
I might have done so myself had it not been for Gilmore’s willingness to support the handsome cost of my defense. That, and the recognition that unconstitutional behavior by the authorities is constrained only by the peoples’ willingness to contest them.
That his defense has a handsome cost, that people plead guilty rather than face the cost and trouble of contesting in court tells me that we no longer have a system of justice for the people of this country. People must be able to challenge the behavior of government, business, and other people in a timely fashion and at a reasonable cost. The backlogged courts and monopoly cost of legal assistance are significant failures of federal, state, and city governments in the US.