Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Ryan McMaken

“Throughout its history, liberalism — the ideology today called ‘classical liberalism’ or ‘libertarianism’ — has suffered from the impression that it is primarily against things. This is not entirely wrong. Historically, liberalism coalesced as a recognizable ideology in opposition largely to mercantilism and absolutism throughout western Europe. Over time, this opposition extended to socialism, protectionism, imperialism, aggressive warfare, and slavery as well. In this regard, liberals have for centuries fought against a wide array of moral and economic evils that spread poverty, injustice, and misery. Being ‘against’ things, however, has never been sufficient in itself, and liberals have never contented themselves with being so.” (10/10/24)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/why-its-not-enough-hate-state

Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp

“As a free speech fundamentalist, I’m not seeing much of value on offer from either Democrats or Republicans in this year’s presidential election. While I’m not especially surprised, I am somewhat unsettled by just how open both campaigns are about their desire to suppress speech that reflects negatively on either their ideas or on their candidates as people, sometimes while cosplaying as ‘free speech’ supporters. I’m not unsettled because I want to shout ‘fire’ in a crowded theater (unless there IS a fire), or use racial slurs, or convince you that bad actors with space lasers are controlling the weather, or whatever. Nor is it that I want to hear other people doing those particular things, although I do — because it tells me who those people are and that I shouldn’t trust them with anything, especially political power. It’s because I’ve read George Orwell’s most popular work, 1984.” (10/10/24)

https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/19068

Source: CounterPunch
by Jon Grinspan

“There’s one question I get every time I give a talk. I’m a curator of political history at the Smithsonian Institution, and when I discuss the deep history of political division in our country, someone in the audience always asserts that we can’t possibly compare past divisions to the present, because our media landscape is doing unprecedented harm, unlike anything seen in the past. I’m always struck by people’s belief in a placid media landscape in the past, a time of calm before the internet blew everything up. In fact, the most divided period in the history of U.S. democracy – the mid-1800s – coincided with a sudden boom in new communications technologies, confrontational political influencers, widespread disinformation and nasty fights over free speech. This media landscape helped bring the Civil War.” (10/10/24)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/10/10/how-a-newspaper-revolution-sparked-protesters-and-influencers-disinformation-and-the-civil-war/

Source: Bitcoin.com
by Corbin Fraser

“A college degree has long been seen as the key to a stable career. But the landscape is changing fast, driven by ed-tech, AI, and a rapidly evolving workplace. Many previously unheard of career paths will be available to your children. Just like early adopters of the internet founded and built web2 giants like Google, Microsoft, Paypal, and Amazon, those who understand cryptocurrency and blockchain will enjoy a blue ocean of opportunity as the next evolution of the internet is built. Here’s why learning crypto and blockchain skills will be more valuable for your kids than a traditional degree.” (10/10/24)

https://news.bitcoin.com/why-your-kids-need-crypto-more-than-college/