Rational Nation USA

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny Often over the past four decades I have pondered with great concern what I see as an obvious trend towards increased state militarization of our law enforcement and a slowly expanding control over our lives by the federal government. While we still enjoy liberty on many levels and fronts the myriad of regulations and unnecessary restrictions placed on law abiding citizens has undoubtedly reduced or shutdown many liberties heretofore enjoyed by our parents and grandparents. While contemplating the trend of the last forty to fifty years (actually go back one hundred years) I stumbled upon the Cato Handbook for the 105th Congress which addressing this quite well. Chapter 17 of the handbook specifically addresses the issue of expanding federal police power. The Department of Homeland Security, the Patriot Act and the TSA are perhaps the most recent example of this expansion. All American citizens ought to be concerned ov...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny The Miami Herald - George Zimmerman was ordered back to jail on Friday for misleading the court at his bond hearing about his finances. Seminole County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Lester revoked the bail for Zimmerman — who is facing a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin of Miami Gardens — after finding that Zimmerman and his wife concealed their access to a $200,000 account during a bail hearing in April. Zimmerman, who was not present at Friday’s hearing, now must surrender to Seminole County sheriff’s deputies by Sunday afternoon. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, is accused of chasing down Trayvon in his gated community in Sanford and then shooting him after a scuffle on Feb. 26. Prosecutors argue that Zimmerman went after Trayvon, who was walking to his father’s apartment, because he wrongly assumed the teen was about to commit a crime. Zimmerman told poli...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny A classical liberal view of individualism and collectivism. I doesn't get much plainer, or right that this. h/t: Learn Liberty . org Prof. Aeon Skoble claims that if we really care about the wellbeing of communities, we should keep in mind the unique and autonomous individuals that make it up. Each individual is deserving of respect and dignity, and should be free to pursue their own ends as long as they don't infringe upon the freedom of others. Although the concept of community is important, it does not warrant overlooking the individuals that comprise it. This video is part of a learning path, a structured series of lessons and questions: Political Philosophy: Liberty and Rights

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty - vs- Tyranny Recently, while looking for new material discussing statism I came across a very compelling article in Campaign for Liberty . What struck me is the articles focus on the dangers of increasing statism in our society and our apparent willingness to grant the state ever greater control over our lives because we increasingly perceive Leviathan to be a benevolent benefactor. The author makes a powerful argument against this assumption. The articles author makes the point that it is "... not liberalism versus conservatism, or capitalism versus socialism, but statism -- the belief that government is inherently superior to the citizenry...". Discussing statism in a context free of partisans labels allows for open and honest dialogue and frees people to have the debate without the need to defend ones political party or proclivities. In other words the practice of statism is not specific to any political group, philoso...