My intention is to update Liberty Sentry daily. While you will find the occasional original essay or commentary, the site will mostly feature links to news stories that document the immediate dangers posed to freedom-loving citizens, namely the ever-increasing encroachment on civil liberties and the abuses of power on the part of those who refer to themselves as "public servants."
EV had a good run, but it's time to move on. Please let your friends know about the new blog, and don't forget to update your bookmarks.
| 4/02/2010 |
| 1/30/2010 |
When a dear friend of mine shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with me, he knew nothing of my intellectual struggles. There was one thing that caught my attention that night when he talked to me about his faith: "You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free." And then Jesus adds: "And if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed."
Read the full article here.
There was the solution to my problem! I was blind to search for an impersonal Truth, an inexorable, merciless entity that holds the universe in an iron grip. And I was blind to search for Freedom that was focused on myself so much that would make the rest of the world irrelevant -- and make me irrelevant in the process. Truth was possible to know only if it was itself a Person; and Freedom was possible to have only if it was itself a Person. That Person couldn't be a mere man -- or I would be in slavery. He must be a god, or rather, God, the Creator of the Universe. And if the Bible was true, then my problems had one reason: I was a stranger to God, and thus I was a stranger to Freedom, Ethics, and Justice. I had to come back to Him, through the redemption He provided in Jesus Christ. Only then I had...everything.
If He was the Creator, He was the Truth. Knowing Him, I would know the Truth. He was Freedom too: He created my very nature and He knew what I should do to be in harmony with my real nature. And He was Justice for He gave me the rules for a just society that has liberty and justice for all. What all the philosophers wanted but couldn't find, He had it, and He was it.
Therefore I couldn't be a libertarian without Christ. I tried, and it was impossible -- philosophically and ethically. It was self-contradictory, it was against the very nature of things, and it was believing in a set of assumptions that had no discernible connection with reality or with each other. Only in Christ I had them all brought together in a coherent whole. And only in Christ did it make sense to be willing to die for your freedom -- without Him death was the ultimate judge of things, and slavery was preferable to facing death. "Give me liberty or give me death" was folly in a world without Christ -- but now it is divine wisdom in Him.
| 11/14/2009 |
Some may think it was stupid stunt. All Bierfeldt had to do was disclose the reason he was carrying that amount of money and he would have been on his way.
But it was a good thing he chose to disobey the TSA agent's unlawful request. His defiance has led to some positive changes:Bierfeldt and the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented him in a lawsuit, announced in a news release this week that the TSA had changed its rules in response to the litigation.
Sometimes refusing to play the role of a compliant sheep pays off in the long run.
"It's a huge victory for civil liberties that TSA agents no longer have free rein to conduct sweeping, baseless searches and detain passengers who don't pose a threat to flight safety," Bierfeldt said in a statement.
| 11/12/2009 |
Labels: Economics, Free Market, Liberty
Read Nystrom's review here.
America's earliest coins portrayed Liberty. Not rulers and politicians. Just Liberty. A symbolic representation of the country's highest ideal. In the beginning, Americans had an affair of the heart with Liberty. She was their muse and they were aflame in their love for her. They talked about her everywhere, in their churches and taverns and town squares.
But she hasn't appeared on our circulation coinage for more than sixty years, not since the beautiful "Walking Liberty" half-dollar. It represented Liberty striding gracefully into the rising sun of the future, arm extended in peace and carrying a bounty of riches. It was a beautiful representation, because abundance accompanies Liberty wherever she goes. Our devotion would be no less if it were not true, but it is one of her secrets: Liberty creates prosperity. ...
... Today's coinage, looking each year more like subway tokens, celebrate the state. Just as words replace deeds and paper substitutes for gold, politicians have displaced ideals. The American state, which was created to serve Liberty, is now commemorated instead.
Archaeologists have long understood the value of coins. The images depicted on them can reveal much about a particular civilization's culture and tradition. It doesn't require much effort to imagine what future generations will conclude about us based on the way our coins idolize the state.
| 10/13/2009 |
Labels: Liberty
In the same way that Jefferson and Company patiently suffered up until that shot was fired that was heard around the world, we who love freedom today are likewise patiently suffering "a long train of abuses and usurpations." In fact, I would even dare say that these States United have become a boiling caldron of justifiable frustration and even anger.
Read the rest here.
Accordingly, it is incumbent upon us to very seriously and thoughtfully examine those principles that we absolutely will never cede or surrender. We have already surrendered much of the freedom that was bequeathed to us by our forefathers. We are now to the point that we must define those principles that form our "line in the sand" and that we will not surrender under any circumstance. Either that, or we must admit to ourselves that there is nothing -- no principle, no freedom, no matter how sacred -- that we will not surrender to Big Government.
Here, then, are those principles that, to me, must never be surrendered. To surrender these liberties to Big Government would mean to commit idolatry. It would be sacrilege. It would reduce us to slavery. It would destroy our humanity. To surrender these freedoms would mean "absolute Despotism" and would provide moral justification to the proposition that such tyranny be "thrown off."
| 9/24/2009 |
Labels: Free Speech, Liberty
There was a time, not so long ago, when the term "Internet Freedom" actually meant what it implied: a cyberspace free from over-zealous legislators and bureaucrats. For a few brief, beautiful moments in the Internet's history (from the mid-90s to the early 2000s), a majority of Netizens and cyber-policy pundits alike all rallied around the flag of "Hands Off the Net!" From censorship efforts, encryption controls, online taxes, privacy mandates and infrastructure regulations, there was a general consensus as to how much authority government should have over cyber life and our cyber liberties. Simply put, there was a "presumption of liberty" in all cyber matters.
Those days are now gone; the presumption of online liberty is giving way to a presumption of regulation. A massive assault on real Internet freedom has been gathering steam for years and has finally come to a head. Ironically, victory for those who carry the banner of "Internet Freedom" would mean nothing less than the death of that freedom.
We refer to the gradual but certain movement to have the federal government impose "neutrality" regulation for all Internet actors and activities -- and in particular, to Monday's announcement by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski that new rules will be floated shortly. "But wait," you say, "You're mixing things up! All that's being talked about right now is the application of 'simple net neutrality,' regulations for the infrastructure layer of the net." You might even claim regulations are not really regulation but pro-freedom principles to keep the net "free and open."
Such thinking is terribly short-sighted. Here is the reality: Because of the steps being taken in Washington right now, real Internet Freedom -- for all Internet operators and consumers, and for economic and speech rights alike -- is about to start dying a death by a thousand regulatory cuts. Policymakers and activists groups are ramping up the FCC's regulatory machine for a massive assault on cyber liberty. This assault rests on the supposed superiority of common carriage regulation and "public interest" mandates over not just free markets and property rights, but over general individual liberties and freedom of speech in particular. Stated differently, cyber collectivism is back in vogue -- and it's coming very soon to a computer near you!
| 9/22/2009 |
Labels: Keep and Bear Arms, Liberty
Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress has been sentenced to two years in prison for accidentally shooting himself. The official story is that he was illegally carrying a concealed, unregistered firearm, but what was his real crime? Well, there was no real crime.
It isn't difficult to understand that even a 6-foot-5, 230-pound wide receiver like Burress would want some form of personal protection when out on the town, especially after what had happened to fellow players Darrent Williams and Sean Taylor. But in these once-free United States you must first get permission from the government before you are allowed to take steps to protect yourself.
Burress threatened no one else and injured no one but himself. In my opinion, the physical pain and humiliation associated with a careless, self-inflicted gunshot wound is punishment enough.
Alas, only "qualified" law enforcement officers are allowed to get off that easily...
| 9/17/2009 |
This is the time of year when we patriotic Americans like to reflect on our "rights" and what has been done to secure that freedom. Some of us may even pause to read the Declaration of Independence and contemplate just what it means to have certain inalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I would submit that we have no rights, at least not in the eternal sense. To argue otherwise is to adopt an entitlement mentality. Sadly, we Americans can't seem to help looking at liberty from the perspective of what we believe we are entitled to. When we complain about government intrusion into our lives, we gripe about "our freedoms" being taken away.
We need to remember that everything we have was given to us. We are entitled to nothing. In fact, the only things we deserve are death and eternal punishment (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, 2 Thessalonians 1:9). So, from a Christian standpoint, how do we reconcile our theology with the traditional American view of liberty?
The best way to interpret the concept of "inalienable rights" is to flip it around. When we speak of the right to life, liberty, property, the pursuit of happiness, etc., think of it not in terms of what a person deserves, but what a person isn't entitled to do to someone else. It doesn't mean that I am entitled to life, since that is an undeserved gift from my Creator; rather, it means that you have no right to take my life. The Bible calls that murder (Exodus 20:13). You have no right to take my property. That would be stealing (Exodus 20:15). And so on.
One important thing to note about the Ten Commandments is that in using words like "you shall not," they focus on God's rights, not ours. Since all men are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), all men should be treated with dignity, respect, and love -- not because they deserve it, but because God deserves it.
| 9/16/2009 |
Mr. Obama has been keeping this secret until his 9/9/09 speech when he finally admitted that it will be everyone’s "shared responsibility" to buy health insurance. It was here where he finally threw the public option under the bus as planned all along while deflecting blame from himself and assigning it to "blue dog" and Senate Democrats. His base should be furious. Of course, the tea party activists -- a million of whom converged on D.C. on 9/12/09 -- may also be betrayed by Republican leadership who appear more interested in appearing to "compromise" and avoid being "called out" by the President. But there is no surprise here. This is how "Romney Care" came to Massachusetts. Cloaked in the silky robe of "compromise" so that the politicians from both parties could join arm and arm but not admit that no matter what letter was behind their name, they were really all about more government power and less individual power. ...
Read the full article here.
... There is the standard sleight of hand: "if you like your doctor or your health care plan -- you can keep them". That trick is easy to dissect. The fact is that the President will make any plan or doctor that is not government-approved disliked by the vast majority of Americans. For doctors, he will support an inaccurate "report card" system that allows doctors to be labeled as "bad" (who would "like" that doctor?). Doctors will not be graded on true medical quality, but on how well they comply with rationing protocols and how well they provide government-approved, one-size-fits-all medical care. For your insurance, his plans will force any insurance plan that is not government approved out of business. His plans will tax every person who dares to buy an insurance plan that is not approved by the government up to 2.5% of income. In fact, his plans would make any change to your health insurance policy or choice illegal after 2013.
| 8/04/2009 |
Labels: Free Market, Liberty
The doors of the communications revolution were thrown open in Iraq after the American-led invasion in 2003: In rushed a wave of music videos featuring scantily clad Turkish singers, Web sites recruiting suicide bombers, racy Egyptian soap operas, pornography, romance novels, and American and Israeli news and entertainment sites that had long been blocked under Saddam Hussein's rule.
It seems Iraq is becoming more like America every day.
Now those doors may be shut again, at least partially, as the Iraqi government moves to ban sites deemed harmful to the public, to require Internet cafes to register with the authorities and to press publishers to censor books.
The government, which has been proceeding quietly on the new censorship laws, said prohibitions were necessary because material currently available in the country had had the effect of encouraging sectarian violence in the fragile democracy and of warping the minds of the young.
"Our Constitution respects freedom of thought and freedom of expression, but that should come with respect for society as a whole, and for moral behavior," said Taher Naser al-Hmood, Iraq's deputy cultural minister. "It is not easy to balance security and democracy. It is like being a tightrope walker."
| 7/04/2009 |
Labels: Constitution, Liberty
(Read the rest at Examiner.com.)
| 6/16/2009 |
| 6/05/2009 |
| 5/25/2009 |
| 4/12/2009 |
While trying to stay as active in politics as I can -- we Christians, after all, may not be of the world, but we are in it -- I don't ever want to forget that my mission, first and foremost, is to help spread the gospel. That is where our hope lies.
Just what is the gospel? Nothing more than the good news that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died for sinners, taking upon himself the wrath reserved for us. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23, ESV), but "God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
The gospel is the hope for those already condemned. Simply repent of your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation; we must trust in the finished work of Christ, the only one who lived a sinless life and bore our punishment. The moment we believe, his righteousness is imputed to us. We become new creations, and God now sees us through the lens of what happened on Calvary.
There's more. Christ's resurrection, which we celebrate today, was his triumph over death: "Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).
My prayer is that our nation will turn and embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the only true freedom we will ever know.
| 3/12/2009 |
Labels: Liberty, Police State
Under the heading of "Political and Anti-Government Rhetoric" you will read the following:Militia members most commonly associate with 3rd part political groups. It is not uncommon for militia members to display Constitutional Party, Campaign for Liberty, or Libertarian material. These members are usually supporters of former Presidential Candidate: Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, and Bob Barr.
These dangerous militia types shouldn't be confused with "normal" citizens who believe that subversive behavior against the Constitution should only occur at the ballot box, as indicated by their display of Obama or McCain material.
So, I suppose if you want to avoid needless hassle on the highway at the hands of a patriotic Missouri trooper, you might want to peel off that Ron Paul bumper sticker before driving through the Show-Me State.
| 2/19/2009 |
Labels: Economics, Free Market, Free Speech, Liberty
| 2/15/2009 |
| 2/06/2009 |
| 10/14/2008 |
An educated public is an essential ingredient of a free society. Ambitious governments would have far greater difficulty implementing schemes that undermine liberty and prosperity were they faced with an informed and vigilant population.
You can access these invaluable resources at CampaignForLiberty.com.
In that spirit, we have assembled these resources to help you learn more about some of the pressing issues of our time. The resources you'll find here include books (many of which we link to in free online versions) and articles, as well as audio and video available online and for free download. We receive many requests from people wondering what they should read to learn more about free societies. These resources, to which we intend to add periodically, will go a long way toward satisfying this demand.
