On Liberty in the 21st Century

A Liberty.me Publishing Site

The Beautiful Anarchy of Pickup Basketball Mar 7, 2017

On public basketball courts across the nation, dozens and maybe even hundreds of players gather on a daily basis to play a pickup game of 5-on-5 basketball. There are no set teams, no referees, no scoreboard, no sporting officials; there are no written rules or regulations whatsoever. It is complete and total anarchy. Despite this, the games flow smoothly; fouls are called, scores kept, teams formed, and courts filled. The curious observer is left scratching her head as she attempts to decipher how any of this takes place in the total absence of any power structures, coercive institutions, or formalized...

By Trey Goff Vote5 3

Mississippi Legislature Votes to Make Execution Great Again Feb 8, 2017

Today Mississippi legislators, eager to indicate their determination to render life in the state as similar to the Dark Ages as possible, passed a bill to reintroduce a little variety into capital punishment. Mississippi is bringing back all the fun ways to kill people: firing squad, electric chair, and even the gas chamber! Yes, you read that right. As such, it seems important to discuss exactly what the death penalty is, how it is applied, and how effective it is at deterring crime. The death penalty is ostensibly meant to dispense justice to the most egregious and malicious of criminals:...

By Trey Goff Vote3 2

The Authoritarian Origins of Policing in America Jul 8, 2016

I’m fairly certain that everyone, regardless of political affiliation, can agree that there is a problem with policing institutions in America. Every day, I read of yet another dead innocent American at the hands of the police. I, like many of my fellow Americans, feel a sense of fear and not safety when I pass a police officer on the street. Am I violating some absurdly specific law? Have I done anything to warrant his attention? However, it hasn’t always been this way. What happened? To understand both what’s wrong with law enforcement today and how to fix it, we...

By Trey Goff Vote12 6

The Truth About Brexit Jun 24, 2016

After the current temporary market volatility ends, the UK now has the opportunity to make the world a more prosperous place for everyone.

By Trey Goff Vote3 2

Alabama Legislature Saves Population from Threat of Relaxation May 13, 2016

Today, I walked into a Shell station on Rocky Ridge Road in Vestavia Hills, Alabama with every intention of buying a bottle of K-chill. You see, I deadlifted yesterday, which left my lower back and knees quite sore and uncomfortable. Rather than take Ibuprofen and run the risk of developing stomach ulcers or some other sort of malady that can result from excessive NSAID use, I thought I’d rather steer clear of medication entirely and instead imbibe a bottle of K-chill. K-chill contains extract from what’s known as the kratom plant from southeast Asia. This extract has been used for...

By Trey Goff Vote5 0

The Duality of a Libertarian: Intrapersonal vs. Interpersonal Ethics May 4, 2016

There is a common misconception prevalent among the general populace about libertarians. It is that we are all heroin injecting, weed smoking, cocaine sniffing, prostituting, free loving libertines.

By Trey Goff Vote2 3

“White Privilege II” and Liberty Mar 19, 2016

Macklemore, the white rap artist from Seattle, recently released a song titled “White privilege II.” In it, he attempts to grapple with complex issues of racial inequity, privilege, and justice from the unique perspective of a white artist in a predominantly black industry. The song is almost nine minutes long, so it’s a quite dense, thought provoking manifesto that gets many things right and many things wrong. Because of its length, density, and breadth of topic, it is necessary to analyze the song verse by verse, much the same way a literary critic would analyze poetry. Verse one (link to...

By Trey Goff Vote0 0

ISFLC 2016: A Hope for the Future Mar 1, 2016

We are hell-bent on turning our fiery passion for liberty into a conflagration that will sweep the outdated and regressive bastions of state aggression into the annuls of history and usher in a new era of peace, prosperity, and happiness across the globe.

By Trey Goff Vote1 1

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