Carnival of Liberty 34
We get this week's Carnival of Liberty off to an excellent start,
CLASSical Liberalism reminds us that the bedrock of Libertarianism is the Individual and ask us to take a moment to remember two who have passed on in

Rev. Edmund Opitz (2/11/1914-2/13/06)

"There is a place for government in the affairs of men, and our Declaration of Independence tells us precisely what that place is. The role of government is to protect individuals in their God-given individual rights. Freedom is the natural birthright of man, but all that government can do in behalf of freedom is to let the individual alone, and it should secure him in his rights by making others let him alone."--Ed Opitz"

and


Dr. Paul L. Poirot (7/23/1915-2/17/06)

"The only security any person can have lies within himself. Unless he is free to act as an individual, free to be productive in his own behalf, free to determine what part of that production he will consume now and what part he will save, and free to protect his savings, there is no chance that he can find security anywhere.--Paul L. Poirot. The Pension Idea"

Next we go to the other end of the spectrum, our youngest citizens, and Brad Warbiany at The Unrepentant Individual presents Threat of Teachers Unions reminding us that threats to Individual Liberty can be both Foreign AND Domestic.

"Neal Boortz made a bold statement on his show the other day. He said ?the teachers unions are a greater long-term threat to freedom and prosperity than Islamic terrorists?. I?m guessing he came under some fire for that one, because the very next day, he was talking about it again. He said he?d given it a lot of thought, really examined the implications of his statement, and stood behind what he said.----
Their threat to our freedom is not that of newsworthy attacks on human life, but the incremental destruction of human individualism."

Then we have two members who pose the question, how dedicated are we to Individual Rights when the issue is not popular.

Brad Warbiany at The Unrepentant Individual presents The Ever-Widening Smoking Ban

"The concept of public smoking bans, in my opinion, really gives you an insight into the psyche of a person. This is one of those issues that really separates those who believe in smaller-government-enforcing-their-own-biases from those who truly believe in smaller government and private property rights. I see a true protector of private property rights in a guy like Doug, of Below the Beltway. Doug doesn?t like smoke, to the point where being around it even makes him ill. But he doesn?t accept the idea of government forcing businesses to change the terms of business on their own property.-----
There is a dividing line between conservatives and libertarians, and this is one of the markers between the two. Non-smoking conservatives are usually quick to denounce smokers, and love the idea of smoking bans, because it stops people from engaging in behavior they disagree with. Non-smoking libertarians, on the other hand, may hate walking into smoke-filled bars, but understand that it is the decision of the bar owner to make. We don?t always like the results of freedom, but to a libertarian, the alternative of oppression? even well-meaning oppression? is unacceptable."

David Porter at Pacesetter Mortgage Blog presents Home Ownership only to U.S. Citizens?
David posits that in the hue and cry against Illegal Aliens some are tempted to deny the rights of residents from other Nations who are here legally, contributing to our Society in a positive way.

"Pacesetter Mortgage Blog News - Rep. Bill Dix (Iowa) introduced legislation Thursday that would require proof of citizenship for people who apply for a home mortgage."

Steven Silvers, at Scatterbox at stevensilvers.com, presents Sorting through the SOX drawer. Reminding us that the State's Cure can be worse than the disease.

"Six out of ten public company directors think Sarbanes-Oxley should be either overhauled or thrown out altogether.

Korn/Ferry International's 32nd Annual Board of Directors Study found "a growing contention that the impact of these rules has been negative? Many directors believe boards have become exceedingly wary and are not taking necessary risks to drive company growth. These directors are demanding reform."

Minh-Duc at State Of Flux presents "Public Purpose" Versus "Public Good" reminds us about runaway For the Public Good.
"Fifth Amendment, US Bill of Right:
...nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
There is much controversy over the public use clause, especially post Kelo v. New London. According to Justice Steven, ?Because that plan unquestionably serves a public purpose, the takings challenged here satisfy the public use requirement of the Fifth Amendment."

Yet another example of the State makes thing worse by
Doug Mataconis at Below The Beltway presents The Economic Chickens Come Home To Roost

Richard G. Combs at Combs Spouts Off presents The position of a neutral civilian a request for journalists to forgo self-defense. Another example of who needs the 2cd Amendment?

Solomon2 at Solomon's House presents Public Diplomacy: The Transformational Approach The State Dept is trying out the power of the individual?

"Under the plan outlined yesterday, Rice will expand the U.S. presence by encouraging the spread of new one-person diplomatic outposts, now located in a few cities such as Alexandria, Egypt, and Medan, Indonesia.-----"

Matt Barr at New World Man presents First, do no stupid stuff asks why support Individual Choice so selectively?

"Two doctors refuse to participate in a California execution. Fine and good, but why does the AMA back them and not pharmacists who also refuse to participate in what they consider objectionable medical care?"

Michael Hampton at Homeland Stupidity presents Liberty 101: An introduction to liberty What prompted this exposition?

"Last week I posted the results of a recent poll, asking: What is the proper role of government? As it turns out, this is a hotly debated question, and one that, at least in the U.S., most people don?t at all understand. In fact, one reader?s misunderstanding was so thorough that I couldn?t possibly address it in a single comment, or even a single post"

Chris Meisenzahl at The Amateur Economist & Curmudgeon Blog presents Hayek?s ?The Road to Serfdom? in Five Minutes

lecentre at Centrerion presents On Democracy and Liberalism

"Many people suggest that as democracy spreads around the globe, we will see an emergence of liberal societies. The popular media and the White House make this assertion when suggesting that as democracy spreads through the Muslim world, peaceful and liberal governments will emerge in place of belligerent and oppressive tyrants.---Adolph Hitler was elected democratically. If we want to encourage liberalism in the Muslim world, promoting literacy (as Dr. Syed suggests), freedom of speech, and exposure to various philosophies is probably the best way to do it. Democracy is not synonymous with liberalism."

Dan Melson at Searchlight Crusade presents Bread and Circuses and Entrenched Interests gives us a thought provoking essay on the errosian of personal responsibility that attends looking to the State as a solution to all events.

If I may extrapolate on his thesis he tracks the emergence of those who become so dependent up Authority that they extend the to some even higher authority than the State the defense of the Nation, instead of assuming that responsibility themselves.


I have saved the best for last. mensa barbie at Mensa Barbie Welcomes You presents Shifting Sectarian Violence and relates to us the evolution of Liberty in Iraq. She also points out that evolution is following similiar paths that ours did.


"The more I've come to understand the dynamics here, I realize that it is as if a majority of the Middle Eastern cities are now living within the same circumstances as we did, in our "1920's, 30's, and 40's." It's as if they remain (as is true with many other parts of the World) left behind during evolution of modern lawfulness. We need to understand this, and give them much patience..."

This is the cheery on the sundae. The memory of millions of Iraqis defying the promise of death and dismemberment to cast their first real votes, speaks to the power of the Desire for Liberty as no written words can.

It is the decision of Individuals the creates this power.

I hope you will enjoy the efforts that I have had the honor to present and remember next week, the Carnival of Liberty XXXXV can be found at__ Owlish Mutterings

A Member of the Truth Laid Bear's UberCarnival

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Updated: Tuesday, 28 February 2006 5:27 PM CST