Hors d'oeuvre: a Libertarian in the Lion's Den

Over at the Western Standard’s blog, it has been announced that the Libertarian Party of Canada’s newly-chosen leader has announced he will run against Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, in his Alberta riding of Calgary Southwest. Readers of my blog will know that I am not a libertarian and that I oppose libertarianism. However, because I do not believe a party can succeed in facilitating a freer society by bringing together people who oppose each other on matters of metaphysics, epistemology, or ethics, I do not hesitate to share my opinion on this matter publicly. In other words: I do not think this advice will help the libertarian movement, because nothing will, so I feel no need to keep quiet about the Libertarian Party leader’s decision. Read more

An Objectivist on a Life Boat

On August 26, 2008, I released a video that addressed the assertion – sometimes heard even amongst students of Objectivist philosophy – that “ethics don’t apply in life boat scenarios” or other emergencies. In the video, I spoke extemporaneously, but I thought my argument should nonetheless be made available in written format, for googlers and others who may prefer to read philosophical arguments, rather than to listen to them or to watch them. What follows is, for the most part (about 99% of it), a transcription of what I said in the video. However, I have removed contractions in most places and, in a small number of places where the spoken word left some ambiguity as to my meaning, I have made my meaning more clear. Read more

Winning the Election, Part 2: The Cities and Latte Liberals

The other day, the Toronto Star reported that Prime Minister Stephen Harper, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, attended rallies in the suburban ridings of the Greater Toronto Area. It appears that he is doing what he needs to do in those ridings: make it clear that his opponent, the Liberal Opposition leader Stéphane Dion is proposing changes, and that those changes come in the form of a hike in taxes. However, so far, his pre-election spiel is lacking something that is crucial if he is to extend the Conservatives’ seat count significantly: a message for those living in the increasing number of urban ridings in Canada. Read more

I've Chosen

A cheeky declaration.
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A Pre-fab Prime Ministerial Apology

Dear Prime Minister,

So that the matter of outstanding apologies to the descendants of people long since offended and dead by people long since dead might be dealt with once and for all, I have prepared a kill-#-birds with one stone speech for your use: Read more

Winning the Canadian Fall Election that Won't Happen: Liberal and Conservative Dos and Don'ts

I do not believe it likely that there will be a federal election in Canada this fall. Look for it to happen in October of 2009, at the scheduled end of the Conservatives’ term (federal elections are to happen every 4 years after that, except where Parliament is dissolved prior). That said, seeing at least one proposal that the Conservatives take advantage of a recent beheading incident and make the death penalty an election plank has me shaking my head and offering up this free advice. Read more

Atlas Shrugged, Freedom, and the Reincarnation of Whitaker Chambers

In an article titled “On Libertarian Bolshevism”, conservative blogger Adam T. Yoshida argues that we see two approaches being proposed to achieve a free society that not only are doomed to fail, but also make it more difficult for a “Reactionary Libertarian” to achieve a freer society. Yoshida implies that the Reactionary Libertarian has an approach that can achieve freedom in a society that is either indifferent to, or hostile to, the goal of a free society: “going back to some older social structures and institutions”. Read more

The Case Against "The Conservative Case for a Carbon Tax"*

Liberal Party of Canada leader Stéphane Dion may very well lose his job following the next election. His ouster might even be justified by the fact that his unprincipled “Green Shift” platform is politically costly yet offers nothing conservatives would recognize as a benefit. However, were conservatives to press ahead with “The Conservative Case for a Carbon Tax” described by National Post columnist Jonathan Kay, they would actually be functioning as the liberal collectivist’s most effective weapon against both conservativism and capitalist individualism. The leader of such a conservative movement would be more deserving of ouster than even Mr. Dion. Read more

NEW VIDEO – The Psychology of Green: The Death Cult of Zero Worship

On July 9, 2008, I was the guest of “Just Right” with Robert Metz on radio CHRW (FM 96.8, London, Ontario, Canada). The topic of the one-hour program was “The Psychology of Green”.

Over the course of the program, I contrasted rational individuals of high self-esteem with irrational individuals of low-self esteem. Read more

Three Ideas Implicit in the American Revolution

The Western Standard (www.westernstandard.ca) asked me to write “a short, 250-word comment on the ideas motivating the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. My submission is still online, together with a number of other distinguished individuals’ submissions on the same topic. It all makes for some great food for thought.

What follows is my submission, as headlined and bylined by the fine editors of the Western Standard. Read more

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