It is the greatest absurdity to suppose it [would be] in the power of one, or any number of men, at the entering into society, to renounce their essential natural rights, or the means of preserving those rights; when the grand end of civil government, from the very nature of its institution, is for the support, protection, and defense of those very rights; the principal of which ... are life, liberty, and property. If men, through fear, fraud, or mistake, should in terms renounce or give up any essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the grand end of society would absolutely vacate such renunciation. The right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of man to alienate this gift and voluntarily become a slave.
– Samuel Adams
HORNBERGER'S BLOG
December 5, 2019 The Right to Keep and Bear Arms
There are those among the gun-control crowd who advocate repealing the Second Amendment. They think that by doing so, they would be prohibiting people from owning guns. Unfortunately, they have a woeful lack of understanding of rights and the Constitution. People’s rights do not come from either the original Constitution or the Bill of Rights. That’s ...
The Libertarian Angle: Socialism in America, Part 3
by Jacob G. Hornberger and Richard M. Ebeling
A majority of millennials approve of socialism, and progressives are gaining more influence with every election. What ...
The Destruction of American Liberty
by Jacob G. Hornberger
The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, were a watershed event for the United States, not ...
Habits of the Heart and Character of Mind
by Richard M. Ebeling
In American election cycles all of the possible candidates for government office of both major political parties assure those who may vote for them ...
Thanksgiving and the Birth of Free Enterprise
by Richard Ebeling
Once more it’s that time of the year when most Americans gather with family and friends to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. The turkey is ...
Monsters and U.S. Foreign Policy
by Laurence M. Vance
It looks like the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity will be having some competition. The formation of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft ...
