The Liberty Lamp: Libertarian News & Editorials

Today, we're going to look at two famous figures of the Civil Rights Era, "Malcolm X" (aka Malcolm Little), and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After that, stay tuned for a little update about the sunsetting of the USAPATRIOT Act(s).

First, let's take Malcolm X. In his famous 1964 The Ballot or the Bullet speech, the activist approached the problems of racism and segregation in America in a very libertarian way, if I do say so myself. Stripping off the surface rhetoric of "black sepratism/nationalism" and the like, we're left with a clear and pervasive core message, that being that blacks (and everyone!) should stop relying on government hand-outs and instead take action in order to reclaim the independence and equality that everyone wants and deserves. To "X", like today's libertarians, government "gifts" are never honest, and always come with dangerous strings attached.

As an alternative to this, he suggested that the oppressed should carry the load, as it were, and provide for their own community needs. Though providing one's own schools, buisinesses, etc. is more difficult, I would aggree that the short-term difficulties of self-sustained living are overshadowed by the long-term benefits that result.

Although Martin Luther King, Jr. did not seem to aggree with Malcolm Little on self-sufficiency issues, he did advocate that it was not only immoral, but counterproductive to remain silent on issues of grave importance when one has the opertunity to speak out for change. His issue was Vietnam, but this truth remains today.

In a similar vein, you may wish to check out this formatted transcript of a recent edition of the News Hour on PBS, hosted by Gwen Ifill. It's an exclusive interview/dialogue with Nadine Strossen of the ACLU, and Viet Dinh, former Deputy Attorney General and primary draftee of the USA PATRIOT Act(s)*.

*From now on, I shall use the "(s)" symbol to denote the fact that very few people, if any, know the entire extent of this legislation. It contains very little original legalese of itself, but instead makes systematic additions, removals, and re-wordings of dozens and dozens of preexisting articles of legislation.