Quotes

"Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people. The same malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and in the degeneracy of manners and of morals, engendered by both. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare." - James Madison

The solution, in my view, is to apply free market principles to governance. We rely on the free market for everyday transactions such as shopping for groceries, building a skyscraper, or even protecting our property. Is there anything in the nature of governance that precludes a free market approach? If not, then why do we have the traditional monopoly of violence overseeing everything we do voluntarily?

George F. Smith

“Terrorism works better as a tactic for dictatorships, or for would-be dictators, than for revolutionaries.”

Christopher Hitchens

"You shall not criticize the position of another...until you can state that position with such accuracy, completeness and sympathy, that the opponent himself declares, 'Yes, I could not have said it better myself!' Then, and only then, may you criticize. For then you are engaging a real alternative and advancing a real argument. Otherwise you shed only heat, not light."

The Hinlicky Rule