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Liberty and Power

  • Oct 8, 2004

    Ali Fraser Redux

    by Liberty and Power

    Once again great stuff tonight from Kerry and Bush. I really love the boxing analogy of Ali and Fraser, and for those of you who may not be fans of the sweet science of boxing, let me explain.

    In the 1970's Ali and Joe Fraser went at it in a series of classic fights that showed a great contrast in fighting styles. Ali was his typical "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" self moving and hitting. He never worked one part of his opponent, but instead showered him wit
  • Oct 8, 2004

    The Civil War, Part Deux

    by Liberty and Power

    [cross-posted at Austro-Athenian Empire]

    Needless to say, my last post has generated a lot of feedback, both public and private, from both sides -- each explaining to me why the sins, if any, of its favoured camp are venial, while those of the other's favoured camp are mortal. I would prefer not to be drawn into evaluating the pros and cons of particular persons or policies --
  • Oct 8, 2004

    More Great Neo-Con Logic

    by Liberty and Power

    Blogging on vacation (hey David, does that get me bonus points?) here at a small liberal arts college in the Southeast where I'm visiting a friend. Just went to a talk by a neo-con international relations scholar on North Korea that gave me an enormous headache. Favorite line to the question, what lessons can we learn about North Korea and non-proliferation? "Once a country gets nuclear weapons it makes non-proliferation harder...." So the answer is a nice robust military presence
  • Oct 8, 2004

    Fascism: Clarifying a Political Concept

    by Liberty and Power

    In light of my recent post on Islamofascism, which has generated some good comments, I thought it important enough to discuss this topic in much greater detail.

    Ironically, I've just discovered this morning an Adrian Lyttleton essay appearing in the October 21 issue of the NY Review of Books. Lyttleton's review of Robert O. Paxton's new book,

  • Oct 8, 2004

    Changes in the Intellectual Air

    by Liberty and Power

    I find it interesting that no matter what information comes out with regard to the status of WMDs in Iraq, people on both sides of the divide of this war use that information to bolster their already established positions. I know of maybe one or two people in toto who have changed their positions on the Iraq war; one went from pro to con, the other went from con to pro. That's two people in God-knows-how-many commentators I've read on this war. No doubt there are much deeper concerns that

  • Oct 8, 2004

    The things that pass for knowledge, I can't understand

    by Liberty and Power

    Philosopher Jack Weinstein has written what I think is an extremely insightful essay on academic values, anti-intellectualism, and higher ed structure. It appears in the current issue of Thought and Action, which, fortunately for you, is available on-line. This important essay is here.

    I can’t resist noting that I explored some of these themes

  • Oct 7, 2004

    Mario Lanza

    by Liberty and Power

    Just a mention of an essay of mine on the singer Mario Lanza, who died 45 years ago today. That essay,"Like a Man Possessed," is a review of an extraordinary book by Armando Cesari: Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy, which dramatizes the effects on one man's life of the lethal dichotomy between"serious" art an
  • Oct 6, 2004

    Freedom & "Islamofascism"

    by Liberty and Power

    Columnist Zev Chafets has been a strong supporter of the war in Iraq, but in a recent NY Daily News column, he argued that President Bush is suffering from delusions if he sincerely believes that freedom can grow in Iraqi soil."W's Wrong," Chafets asserts.

    During [last] Thursday's presidential debate, President Bush told the American people his goal in Iraq is to spread liberty and fr
  • Oct 6, 2004

    Looks good on you, though

    by Liberty and Power

    Rodney Dangerfield has died. As the obit mentions, he was a “one-liner comic of the old school,” so his comedic gifts were sometimes lost on younger audiences, although his performance in the legendary Caddyshack offset this to a large degree. What is often overlooked is his eye for new talent. He gav
  • Oct 6, 2004

    VP Debate

    by Liberty and Power

    My take on the VP debate? Edwards won...much to my surprise. And I think he will be increasingly seen as the winner as the media pours over every syllable spoken. Why? 1) I think Edwards won during the debate for two reasons. First, he went toe-to-toe with the Bush administration's intellectual heavy weight and not only held his own but also IMO gave a superior performance. Nevertheless, even if he just held his own, Edwards won. One of Cheney's goals was to project the image of an old
  • Oct 5, 2004

    Cato Conference on War: October 22nd

    by Liberty and Power

    On October 22nd, the Cato Institute will be hosting an important event, which should be of interest to L&P bloggers and readers:

    Lessons from the Iraq War: Reconciling Liberty and Security

    At this conference libertarians (and Objectivists and free-market conservatives) will debate the principles that should guide foreign policy, the lessons of the Iraq war, and how freedom and foreign policy are related. Speakers will include Nick Gillespie, Deroy Murdock, James Robbin

  • Oct 5, 2004

    The Civil War

    by Liberty and Power

    [cross-posted at Austro-Athenian Empire]

    No, not that one. (Though the two are related.) I'm talking about the war of insults and accusations between (people associated with, and/or sympathetic toward) the libertarian movement's two most influential think tanks, the Cato Institute and the Mises Institute -- a conflict that for a while looked like it was winding down,
  • Oct 5, 2004

    Tightening Race or Desparate Press

    by Liberty and Power

    Let me state that I'm not a media conspiracy theorist (although I'm a big fan of other conspiracy theories!), but I think that press is getting a little too carried away with this"tightening" in the national polls. Have we all forgotten 2000 already? Last time I checked the race was decided by electoral, not popular votes, and here is where Bush is looking very solid. Do yourself a favor, ignore the national polls and check out the state battleground poll averages at the