From Business Insider—I find all this surveillance of U. S. citizens quite disturbing. Civil libertarians on the left and right are fairly united on this point. In the meantime, our government plays games with our freedom—in secret—in the name of security. Also, note this from a ‘progressive’ hero:
Chomsky: Obama ‘Determined To Demolish The Foundations Of Our Civil Liberties’
There’s a reason teenagers are so reliant on technology: They don’t have the freedom their parents did. We seem to live in a state of fear about our children (and lawsuits)—”don’t go out alone,” playgrounds are now dangerous, “don’t talk to strangers,” etc., etc.
(Hat tip: Maggie’s Farm)
“A 4-part series exploring the life and work of one of the grandmasters of science fiction:”
Part 1: His Maculate Origin
Part 2: His Preposterous Heritage
Part 3: His Eccentric Education
Part 4: His Happy Destiny
From Reason, the brief story of a man and his motorcycle:
The value of life is determined not by the mere drawing of one breath after another, but by the freedom to make our own decisions.
From The Guardian—Interesting that this collection of thoughts on Liberty is from a British newspaper, and not The New York Times or The Washington Post.
From Vice, a fascinating interview with “the most dangerous man in cyberspace,” except that he’s not. It’s just that U.S. Intelligence services don’t like him. So, he left the country, and is speaking loudly.
From brain pickings:
The drama of original choice is that it goes on moment by moment for an entire lifetime.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 James Ament A fascinating piece—lessons of history?—from The New Criterion (hat tip Maggie’s Farm), with its many detractors bitching about it in the comments. A quote:
We Athenians, Pericles said, are “free and tolerant in our private lives; but in public affairs we keep to the law”—including, he added in an important proviso, “those unwritten laws,” like the lawlike commands of taste, manners, and morals—“which it is an acknowledged shame to break.” Freedom and tolerance, Pericles suggested, were blossoms supported by roots that reached deep into the soil of duty.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 James Ament The linked essay is excepted from chapter 20 of the book Out of Step by Frank Chodorov:
We talk a lot about freedom these days. When you dig to the bottom of this talk you realize that, first, very few know what freedom is and, secondly, still fewer want it. The fact is that what is generally called freedom consists of increases in wages (or handouts), more profits (or subsidies) and a bottomless abundance of privileges. For such things we — particularly the more affluent among us — are ready to lay freedom on the line. The essence of freedom, which is an inflexible respect for oneself, is being bartered every day for such trifles.
Thoreau was not in that business….
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 James Ament Three pieces from The New York Times:
Friedrich A. Hayek, Big-Government Skeptic—May 8, 2011
Keynes vs. Hayek: A Rap Battle Renewed—April 28, 2011
Hayek: The Back Story—July 9, 2010
Then from the Encyclopedia Britannica Blog, Hayek’s Big Week, and the Hayek Century (May 9, 2011), via Frank Wilson.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 James Ament 
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