Hornberger's Blog is a daily libertarian blog written by Jacob G. Hornberger, founder and president of FFF.
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by Jacob G. Hornberger
As everyone knows, one of the major differences between statists and libertarians is over the issue of charity. Libertarians believe that charity should be voluntary. Statists believe it should be mandatory.
In analyzing this fundamental difference in perspective, there is one indisputable fact: The more wealth there is in a society, the greater the amount of charity that can be ...
by Jacob G. Hornberger
Several days ago, the New York Times, which of course epitomizes the mainstream press in America, asked a question that ordinarily would be found mainly on libertarian websites like that of The Future of Freedom Foundation. In the Room for Debate section of the Times’ Opinion Pages, the Times asked: “Do We Need the C.I.A.?”
In the introduction to ...
by Jacob G. Hornberger
It will be fascinating to watch the unfolding debate over the lifting of the decades-old Cold War U.S. embargo against Cuba because it will enable Americans today to get a sense of what the U.S. national-security establishment — i.e., the military and the CIA – felt about President Kennedy when he was in office.
Already, we’re hearing that President Obama ...
by Jacob G. Hornberger
During the Christmas holiday, I had the opportunity to visit with high-school and a college-age nephew, nieces, and their friends in Texas. Watching an extremely harrowing scene involving air-to-air combat in the movie Unbroken, my teen-age niece turned to me and asked, “Is that the way war really is?” I responded, “Much worse.”
Back at my brother’s house after the ...
by Jacob G. Hornberger
Rolando Sarraff Trujillo, the Cuban government official who was released from prison as part of a spy trade between the U.S. government and Cuba, is being hailed by U.S. officials as a hero. Of course, that’s not the view of the Cuban government, which considers Sarraff a traitor.
At the same time, former U.S. officials Walter Kendall Myers and his ...
by Jacob G. Hornberger
More than 50 years after the U.S. government’s imposition of its brutal economic embargo against the Cuban people, yesterday’s announcement by President Obama calling for a lifting of the embargo represents a major breakthrough for libertarians and others who are committed to the principles of individual liberty, free markets, private property, liberty of contract, freedom of travel, and freedom ...
by Jacob G. Hornberger
Sometimes people who are new to libertarianism think that libertarianism is just a subset of conservatism. Nothing could be further from the truth. While there are some overlaps on economic issues, libertarianism is a philosophy that stands squarely against conservatism and, for that matter, liberalism or, as it is commonly known, progressivism.
The current national debate on torture provides a ...
by Jacob G. Hornberger
In the midst of the CIA’s torture scandal, USAID continues its obsessive Cold War activity against Cuba, in a desperate attempt to finally, once and for all, oust the Castro regime from power and install another pro-U.S. dictatorship.
Yes, I know how a conservative would immediately respond: “Jacob, the CIA and USAID are two separate and distinct entities. Why are ...
by Jacob G. Hornberger
In case anyone is wondering whether any of the CIA’s torture victims will be able to recover damages from CIA torturers, the answer is an unequivocal no. The federal judiciary decided a long time ago that it would not permit lawsuits brought by victims of the CIA or, for that matter, the U.S. military.
Among the best examples are two ...
by Jacob G. Hornberger
We all know that nothing is going to happen to the CIA officials who violated the criminal law by torturing people. Even if they were prosecuted — a highly unlikely possibility given the power of the CIA in America’s governmental structure — all they would do is say that they were following orders and protecting “national security.” Most federal ...
by Jacob G. Hornberger
Question: What do the following libertarians, liberals, and conservatives have in common? The answer appears at the end of the list.
End Torture, Shut Down the CIA by Ron Paul (libertarian)
The CIA and Its Torturers by Andrew P. Napolitano (libertarian)
CIA Torturers by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. (libertarian)
Torture Revealed? by Karen Kwiatkowski (libertarian)
At Gitmo, Obama Tortures ...
by Jacob G. Hornberger
With the long-awaited release of the U.S. Senate’s Torture Report, it would be tempting to believe that the CIA’s torture regime began after 9/11 2001.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Let’s not forget the torture regime in Chile that began on 9/11 1973 and continued for years after that.
From 1970 to 1973, the CIA did everything it could ...