The Police State

If law enforcement were to be governed by contractual principles, no one would need to fear that they were letting bulls into a china shop.

The efforts, spurred by Mayor Bloomberg, to ban large cans of drinks deemed too sugary have been much in the news lately; and a peculiar point in the mayor's defense of this measure is highly relevant to Laurence Vance's excellent book.

The threat of deadly force is implicitly present in every law, regulation, ruling, or decree that emanates from any government office, at any level.

Thomas DiLorenzo is probably best known to the public for his revisionist studies of Lincoln, but he has a wide range of economic and historical interests.

In the end, this is the choice we face: the total state or total freedom. Which will we choose?

Do the police exist to protect you? The clear answer is no.

Libertarians have as much claim to be champions of the working people — and, in many cases, a far better claim — than socialists do.

Vigilantism has deep roots in American history and culture. From tales of the Wild West to the caped-crusading Batman, the act of standing up to thugs is part of the national ethos. And the assumption of personal responsibility for self-defense is what drives the uniquely American pro-gun movement.

Governments can perpetuate violence in war and against the civilian population every day, but when a private person does the same for political reasons, a struggle ensues to see which line of thinking will pay what price.

This remarkable book is the most comprehensive, sweeping, compelling, and unsettling case ever penned against what is laughingly called the criminal-justice system. It is a classic, devastating at its core, that is made newly available to speak...