MFP Commentary:
Adam Kokesh’s “Freedom” in a very short book that explains the concepts of freedom that the government schools make sure that none of you ever learned there. Consider this a crash course on Rothbard’s “For a New Liberty”. You can get it for free here.
~MFP
Here is a quote from the book:
“……A truly free society does not exist just because we have been convinced we are free. A truly free society
cannot exist when we have been so thoroughly propagandized as to define “freedom” in terms of governmentgranted privilege rather than as a universal moral principle. However, a free society is inevitable because the
global paradigm is shifting as we learn how to better assert our right of self-ownership…..”
“….. II. Government
Very few people, even among government workers, have taken time to consider a precise definition of
government. Governments get away with what they do because their true nature is obscured by propaganda.
Most definitions describe “government” as the people in charge, but the foundation of control is always the
threat of force. The authority claimed by governments is unique because it is considered license to use force or
coercion against peaceful people. There is simply no way around it: government is control by force.
Government apologists claim it’s acceptable for a government to do something that an individual would
never be allowed to do. This is why governments come up with special words to obscure what they’re really
doing. War is mass murder. If an individual commits murder on their own, it is a crime and they should face
consequences. But if an individual commits murder as part of a massive organized effort they might get a medal.
Taxation is theft. If an individual kidnaps you for not giving them half your income, they go to jail. But if
someone does that to you on behalf of government, they get a nice salary as a tax collector. No justification for
these actions changes their fundamentally immoral nature. Nothing about the “divine right of kings,” the “will
of the people,” or the “rule of law” has the power to justify an immoral act. Violent enforcers are essential to
governments because without them, their threats would be meaningless.
To say that governments are premised on immorality is not to say everything they do is immoral. They often
claim monopolies over very important functions in society, like helping the poor or protecting natural resources.
The poor would be much better off and the environment would be much better protected if we did not entrust
8 FREEDOM!
those functions to the same people who make war. Even when a government gives money to someone in need
it must first steal that money from someone else. No noble act can excuse theft, as much as governments would
like us to believe.
Government is fundamentally immoral because it is based on violating the rights of individuals…….”
