For more of the student panel videos, check out the full playlist.

I love Students for Liberty and look forward to seeing how this organization will change the world in the future.

Post from: LibertarianChristians.com

My talk at the Students for Liberty Texas Conference 2010

The second segment is on war and society. Boaz’s first statement isn’t terrible; he says war is bad for a variety of reasons. It is costly and does not accomplish anything, and he even blames American occupations as the cause of terrorism. Then Boaz completely refutes Stossel’s suggestion that surge was a good idea. Good for him, that’s correct. But then the Q&A session starts (starts at 3:40) and I just about hit the ceiling.

A students asks, “True or false: slaughtering innocent people is never justified.” Stossel, without missing a beat, says that we “had to kill innocent people to end World War 2.” Really? Regulating aspirin? Oh no! That’s an attack on liberty! Incinerating a city full of civilians whose government is trying to surrender? Fully defensible. Fire-bombing Dresden just because it’s a German city? Fully defensible. But gee whiz, if nuking a city into oblivion isn’t wrong, is there any killing in war that is not justified?

Boaz counters the original question by saying that “slaughter” is a charged term and we need to rephrase the question. Even granting that Boaz’s first counter is true, that the question is loaded, his answer that follows is horrifying. Essentially, he argues that killing innocent people probably is justified if it leads to creating freer countries. “Self-defense and national independence are basically the only reasons” that killing innocents is justified. So he is implicitly affirming exactly what Stossel said. I don’t care that he said it “should not be undertaken lightly,” trying to justify deaths of innocent people is always taking an issue too lightly.

I’m kind of a fan of a certain principle of morality, one stating that you do not get special privileges to do certain immoral things if the “circumstances” are right. Killing innocent people is one thing only: murder. You don’t get a free pass to kill innocents so long as “freedom” is in sight. So, an innocent British traveler dies in the American Revolution because an American soldier became angry? Murder. No special rights because you’re a “freedom fighter.”

And if you concede that innocents die in every war, then you have only one conclusion to draw: War is mass murder. Get it?

I’ll give Stossel some grace considering he has not been very exposed to our philosophy except in limited amounts. He is not being thoughtful toward the issue. Perhaps he would come around just as he did on free markets given a substantive and fair presentation of the information. I met him in Austin about a year ago and I think he is a good fellow, and I truly hope he can figure out this critical principle of libertarianism.

How Boaz can hold such contradictory thoughts in his head, though, is downright baffling. I would plead with him to reconsider such positions. Liberty means liberty for all.

Dear Christian reader, I hope we will not make the same mistakes in our own thinking, lest we fall prey to the next justification for mass murder.

UPDATE: This post is getting a lot of traction right now due to it being highlighted in places like LewRockwell.com and others, so I just want to make absolutely clear that I still think Students for Liberty is a fantastic organization and I am not implicating them at all in this particular breach of libertarian principle. I also hold a lot of respect for the work that Stossel and Boaz have done and I am urging them to become better by talking openly about this.

Post from: LibertarianChristians.com

John Stossel and David Boaz at the SFL International Conference

What do Representative Ron Paul, Doug Bandow from the Cato Institute, Isaac Morehouse from the Institute for Humane Studies, Larry Reed from FEE, Thomas Woods from the Mises Institute, David Thoreaux from the Independent Institute, and Leo Tolstoy all have in common? They all hate statism, and they are all Christians.

Christianity sometimes gets a bad rap in libertarian circles. Certain fundamentalist Christians have a history of using the State to enforce their particular moral values upon others. The so-called “social gospel” proponents wish to dismantle the free market and have the State redistribute wealth the way they think is right. And of course, those significantly influenced by Ayn Rand have a very negative view of religion in general.

Yet, surely it doesn’t have to be this way. Christianity has historically been on the side of liberty. Classical liberalism developed from an understanding of the Christian worldview which placed a high value on man’s freedom to choose. In fact, in my opinion Christians ought to be among the greatest proponents of libertarianism on the planet. But first, we should very briefly discuss some of the misconceptions about Christianity that turn off some libertarians. Then, we need to clarify how exactly Christianity and libertarianism support each other, and describe what “Christian libertarianism” actually is.

Four Misconceptions about Christianity and Politics

Christianity does not advocate socialism. Some scholars think that Jesus essentially taught wealth redistribution, and that the early Christian community in Acts 4 was a form of socialistic organizational structure. Yet, one cannot deny that Jesus emphasized voluntary assistance, not coercion. The early Christians did not force people to be charitable, and in fact did respect private property. That old saying you’ve probably heard, “Money is the root of all evil,” is actually a misquote of the Bible. In reality, it reads, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,” and teaches us that greed often leads to sin.

Christianity does not glorify violence and war. It is truly unfortunate that modern American churches have abandoned the peaceful message of the Christian Gospel for the State’s means of “spreading democracy.” Jesus came to bring “peace on earth, good will to men,” and by extension the Christian’s goal ought to be the same.

Christianity does not advocate a theocratic state. While God did give the Israelites in the Old Testament a series of civil laws for their community’s well-being, there is absolutely no mandate in the New Testament for Christians to establish a new kind of state governed by Biblical law. It is not the Christian’s place to lord power over others. God rules within the hearts of his people now, not via a human ruler. As many early American revolutionaries stated, “We have no king but King Jesus.”

Christianity is not a theory to legitimize the state. Governments play a prominent role in the Bible, but in no way can one extend their presence to their rightness in the world. Even Romans 13 and the famous “Render unto Caesar” passages, which many take as the classic proof-texts in Scripture for the necessity of government, are more logically understood as prudential arguments for how to deal with the presence of government than as justifications for government.

Four Connections between Christianity and Libertarianism

Christianity supports a libertarian theory of property rights. Self-ownership with respect to other human beings is assumed in the Bible. Contrary to how many view the Old Testament, forced slavery was a capital offense. While all economic systems of organization have systems of ownership, Christianity in particular agrees with libertarians on the homestead principle, that the first user is the determiner of how a resource may be used. Those who misappropriate others property are considered aggressors and lawbreakers.

Christianity loves the free market and peaceful interaction. The Bible is full of examples showing clearly how voluntary interaction, that is, the free market, is far preferable to coercion. Besides showing the way to salvation, God’s message to men everywhere is that loving your neighbor as you love yourself ultimately results in peace and prosperity. Of course, this principle does not imply that bad things will not happen to us, but it does transcend momentary suffering and we can strive toward it.

Christianity affirms that no one should receive special privileges of position. God does not show favoritism, and therefore we are to do the same. All men are equal under God’s law. No one gets special moral permission to do what others cannot because they wear a uniform or because 51% of a population says they should.

Christianity says that the State is a rebellion against man’s true nature and purpose. Man was not intended to live under the constant threat of aggression from involuntary, arbitrary authority of other men. On the contrary, we are meant to live in peaceful, loving relationships with God and our neighbor. However, when one does not accept the rule of God, the tyranny of men through the evil of statism is likely to develop.  The State invariably sets itself up in opposition to God and pits men against each other.

These explanations are by necessity brief, and of course there are many additional theological topics and Scripture references that could be discussed. Nevertheless, we can clearly see here that Christianity and libertarianism have much in common. More and more Christians around the world are realizing that their previous way of understanding politics neither benefits others nor honors God. Christian libertarians have the answer: stop giving the government special theological and moral status and withdraw your consent. The State is not the Kingdom of God, and it never will be.

Post from: LibertarianChristians.com

SFL Lessons in Liberty: Christian Libertarianism

Student of the Year: Liya Pagashavili

Over the past year Liya has distinguished herself through her prolific writing and organizing on behalf of liberty.  Not only is she a strong leader of liberty, but a strong leader in her general university community as well, participating in her school’s debate team, honors society,  and resident advisor program.  She has been active on campus by hosting events and distributing pro-liberty materials as well as nationally by publishing op-eds and even joining Students For Liberty in a debate against Students for a Democratic Society. Some of her many accomplishments include publishing op-eds in a variety of outlets, interning at the Institute for Humane Studies, and helping lead the GMU Economics Society.

Liya is a wonderful person and I am proud to have had the opportunity to get to know her during the International Conference.

Group of the Year: Drexel University Student Liberty Front

The Drexel Student Liberty Front has taken over the political scene at their school.  Few other groups can match the quantity or quality of their events and activism for liberty.

In the past year the Drexel Student Liberty Front has hosted a wide array speaking events.  Last spring they held an event featuring both Cato Institute Vice President David Boaz and John Stossel.  This fall they held a number of events such as a Tenth Amendment Event featuring PA State Representative Sam Rohrer and economist Thomas Dilorenzo, a Police Militarization event featuring Reason’s Radly Balko, and a debate on “Minarchy v. Anarchy” featuring former LP Presidential Candidate Michael Badnarik and Freedomain Radio’s Stephan Molyneux.

The Student Liberty Front also hosted a number of entertainment events to promote liberty.  These included a SLF Barbecue, a “V for Vendetta” movie screening, and a “Free Philly” concert.

Perhaps their most defining characteristic is their activism.  To open the semester they hosted an event packed Students Rights Week which included: numerous tabling events where they passed out Cato Pocket Constitutions, speaker events with FIRE experts, and even brought in a Philadelphia Public Defenders Office representative.  But they do not limit their activism to their own campus, participating in many community activism events such as the Philadelphia End the Fed Rally.

These accomplishments themselves might be enough to qualify the Drexel SLF for a nomination for group of the year.  However, in a just over a 1 week span they held two events which make them truly stand out.  On October 28th the Drexel Student Liberty Front hosted a special student-focused edition of Judge Napolitano’s Freedom Watch.  The event was held in the lobby of the Main Building of Drexel University and featured special guests such as Stacy Litz and Pericles Niarchos of the Drexel Student Liberty Front, Aaron Moyer of the Philadelphia Forum for Freedom, Alexander McCobin of Student For Liberty, Jeff Frazee of Young Americans for Liberty, and Irena Schneider of the AU SFL.

Then, just over a week later, the Drexel SLF hosted the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Students For Liberty Conference, which claimed the largest attendance of any Regional Conference this fall.  It is truly impressive what they have been able to accomplish in the two years since their founding.

Event of the Year: Ron Paul at Wake Forest

Today’s Event of the Year profile is of Ron Paul’s first ever on campus Young Americans for Liberty Event.  On April 20th, 2009 the Wake Forest University Young Americans for Liberty filled Wait Chapel, the largest auditorium on campus, for the good doctor’s speech.  They did a fantastic job of promoting the event, using a creative flyer campaign and local media to get the word out.  They even slipped handouts under every dorm room door on campus.

The event was covered by local media outlets such as the Winston-Salem Journal and YES! Weekly.  Perhaps the most impressive fact is that they drew over 1300 attendees at a school of only 4400 students.  The line to get in wrapped all the way around the quad.  To top it off, the group made a video documentary of the whole process which tells the story much better than I can.

Congratulations from LibertarianChristians.com to all of these esteemed young men and women for their dedication to the cause of liberty!

UPDATE: The official SFL post is now live.

Post from: LibertarianChristians.com

Students for Liberty Award Winners

ISFLC Introduction Video from Students For Liberty on Vimeo.

Post from: LibertarianChristians.com

Students for Liberty: Remember the Name

Take heart, fellow liberty-lovers, for the next generation is on its way to make an impact for liberty!

See the original press release here. Find more information and see past winners here.

Nominees:

Dennis Craig, George  Washington University Liberty Society, President
Dennis was the president of the Temple Libertarians during the Spring of 2009 and transferred to George Washington University in the Fall.  There he re-founded the GW Liberty Society, hosted Patri Friedman, hosted FIRE President Greg Lukianoff, organized an informational meeting on getting internships, hosted IJ’s Robert McNamara, and took leadership of the DC Forum for Freedom.

Jackie Silseth, St. Cloud State University College Libertarians, Former President
Jacqueline Silseth is the founder and former President of the St. Cloud State Libertarians, an assistant organizer for the Libertarian Party of Minnesota, Chair of Legislative Affairs at SCSU, and founding board member and Volunteer Coordinator & Executive Secretary of the Year of Youth project.

Mike Sertic, California State University-Sacramento Students for Liberty, President
Mike Sertic founded Students for Liberty at CSUS where there had been no previous liberty presence.  He organized regular group meetings along with round table discussions, held numerous Operation Politically Homeless outreach events on campus, passed out pocket Constitutions on Constitution Day, screened Indoctrinate U, and earned local media coverage on health care issues.

Liya P., George Mason University Economics Society, President
Liya was a Koch Summer Fellow in 2009; is President of GMU Econ. Society; published an article for Citizens Against Government Waste, “Beach Houses: Owned by the Rich, Paid for by Everyone”; earned the Southwestern Economic Development Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement and Howard R. Bloch Economic Scholarship; hosted numerous high-calibur speakers such as Robert Higgs, Larry Reed, and Peter Boettke; is active in the DC Forum for Freedom; published a healthcare op-ed in Philadelphia Inquirer; and was a participant in the SFL v. SDS debate.

Congrats to all of the nominees from everyone here at LibertarianChristians.com and from all the Libertarian Longhorns as well!

Post from: LibertarianChristians.com

Students for Liberty Award