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Thomas_Paine
06-18-2008, 11:54 PM
Ron Paul actually cited Lysander Spponer at least once in the campaign, I am still blown away that he would claim such a radical philosophical ally. I invite everyone to learn about the incredible life and philosophy of one of the greatest Americans to have ever lived, Lysander Spooner

http://www.lysanderspooner.org/

Also I invite everyone to listen to this audio Spooner piece about Taxes, great stuff

http://ia341231.us.archive.org/1/items/nonfiction001_librivox/taxation_spooner_rs.mp3

Fields
06-19-2008, 12:59 AM
bump for education.

Truth Warrior
06-19-2008, 04:15 AM
Ron obviously does not agree with Lysander on everything. For one major issue between them, the validity of the US Constitution. :)

OhioMichael
06-19-2008, 05:24 AM
Lysander Spooner was influential abolitionist, entrepreneur, philosopher, and legal theorist of the 19th century.

Spooner made headlines in the 1840's when he founded the American Letter Mail Company. This company was to compete directly with the United States Post Office, which he considered to be an illegal monopoly. Spooner's company was run efficiently and turned a profit, but it was short lived. The federal government legally challenged to keep its monopoly over the mail and Spooner was forced to close the company under the weight of legal fees.

In the years leading up to the Civil War, conventional wisdom advocated that the institution of slavery was not only legal, but directly authorized by the constitution. Spooner's most famous text - The Unconstitutionality of Slavery (full text here (http://books.google.com/books?id=bkqmtAhzVwsC&dq=the+unconstitutionality+of+slavery&pg=PP1&ots=uwhKEIDBZn&sig=B0XOPH14MOO1jAZxSA1Lkgd2k-Y&hl=en&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dthe%2Bunconstitutionality%2 Bof%2Bslavery%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail#PPA14,M1)) - argues that "natural law ties the contract of government, and declares it lawful or unlawful, obligatory or invalid, by the same rules by which it tries all other contracts between man and man."

Spooner, as we can agree today, notes that slavery is: "entirely contrary to natural right, so entirely destitute of authority from natural law, so palpably inconsistent with all the legitimate objects of government that nothing but express and explicit provision can be recognized in law as giving it any sanction. No hints, insinuations, or unnecessary implications can give any ground for so glaring a departure from and violation of all the other the general and the legitimate principles of the government."

Essentially, he argues that slavery cannot be legal because it violates the basic principals of natural law. He goes further, pointing out that while the constitution seems to heavily imply slavery in its directives, the institution is never mentioned by name in the national constitution or in any of the constitutions of the States. So how can a practice that is unnamed in concrete law and is contrary to natural law be allowed to continue?

Although he was one of the fiercest opponents of slavery (even advocating violence in ending the practice), Spooner was a harsh critic of the Civil War. He supported the South's right to secede from the Union. He held the belief that many of the day held, that secession is non-violent way to solve irreconcilable differences between states.

He was a fierce critic of Abraham Lincoln, which may be a reason that he is not recognized in today's history books.

Later in life, the philosophies of Lysander Spooner shift from a Libertarian perspective to a perspective that borders on Anarchy. He argues that citizens have not individually consented to a particular government, instead they were born into it. In the absence of consent, all government is invalid.

While we as individuals may agree or disagree with the teaching of Spooner, it is difficult to deny his importance in this era. But somehow, our schools have largely chosen not to teach anything about this man. For example, one text that remains in my possession from my schooling is a comprehensive, 1000 page tour of American history. Spooner's name and voice is notably absent in the text. Even the communist Eugene Debbs is mentioned.

Learn more at http://www.lysanderspooner.org/

Truth Warrior
06-19-2008, 05:45 AM
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.lysanderspooner.org/bib_new.htm

;)

Truth Warrior
06-19-2008, 05:47 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysander_Spooner

Truth Warrior
06-19-2008, 05:49 AM
"Later in life, the philosophies of Lysander Spooner shift from a Libertarian perspective to a perspective that borders on Anarchy. He argues that citizens have not individually consented to a particular government, instead they were born into it. In the absence of consent, all government is invalid."

BINGO!!!


:D

MsDoodahs
06-19-2008, 06:41 AM
:D