Happy Lysander Spooner Day!

[BuddyRey]

As some of you may know, for the last two years, I've made an effort to publicly commemorate the birth of one of the greatest, yet often unsung heroes of the early libertarian movement, the great abolitionist attorney and anti-statist thinker Lysander Spooner. Tomorrow, January 19th, marks 204 years since the birth of this uncompromisingly bold, brilliant, and intrepid defender of Natural Rights and individual sovereignty. And, appropriately enough, it's also the final debate for Ron Paul before the South Carolina primary. With apologies to Spooner's deist sensibilities, nothing pleases me more than to imagine him standing with Ron in spirit tomorrow night, and helping the good doc perform especially well!

Most of all, tomorrow is a day to revel in your individual liberty in its truest and most unalloyed form. A few suggested activities for a well-spent Spooner Day include calling your so-called "representatives" to demand they vote against SOPA, rereading some of Spooner's classic works, like "No Treason" or "An Essay on the Trial by Jury", or even just microwaving some popcorn and rewatching "V for Vendetta" for the 18th time. Let's live it up, and party like we've never even heard of NDAA!

[Lucille]

+rep Thank you! I'll be sure to honor him tomorrow, and those are all great suggestions. It's good luck for the debate. I know Lysander's up there pulling for him.

A man’s natural rights are his own, against the whole world; and any infringement of them is equally a crime, whether committed by one man, or by millions; whether committed by one man, calling himself a robber, ... or by millions, calling themselves a government.

[RiseAgainst]

Here here!

+rep

[BuddyRey]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfpn7BrzNao

[QueenB4Liberty]

Sweet! :D Good ideas for tomorrow! I love that there is a debate tomorrow as well. ;)

[BuddyRey]

+rep Thank you! I'll be sure to honor him tomorrow, and those are all great suggestions. It's good luck for the debate. I know Lysander's up there pulling for him.

A man’s natural rights are his own, against the whole world; and any infringement of them is equally a crime, whether committed by one man, or by millions; whether committed by one man, calling himself a robber, ... or by millions, calling themselves a government.

Epic quote is epic! +rep in return!

[BuddyRey]

Morning kickoff bump!

[BuddyRey]

One more bump and I promise I won't bother you for the rest of the morning! As to this afternoon however...I make no such promises! :D

[Lucille]

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s320x320/312749_10150845402810533_569330532_21217866_778585 589_n.jpg

That one made me LOL.

[Lucille]

"Do you really think, Sir, that such a constitution as this can avail to justify those who, like yourself, are engaged in enforcing it? Is it not plain, rather, that the members of Congress, as a legislative body, whether they are conscious of it or not, are in reality, a mere cabal of swindlers, usurpers, tyrants and robbers (http://lysanderspooner.org/node/60)? Is it not plain that they are stupendous blockheads, if they imagine that they are anything else than such a cabal? Or that their so-called laws impose the least obligation upon anybody?"

It's plain to me!

[BuddyRey]

"Do you really think, Sir, that such a constitution as this can avail to justify those who, like yourself, are engaged in enforcing it? Is it not plain, rather, that the members of Congress, as a legislative body, whether they are conscious of it or not, are in reality, a mere cabal of swindlers, usurpers, tyrants and robbers (http://lysanderspooner.org/node/60)? Is it not plain that they are stupendous blockheads, if they imagine that they are anything else than such a cabal? Or that their so-called laws impose the least obligation upon anybody?"

It's plain to me!

That guy had quite a way with words. Just the phrase "stupendous blockheads" made me crack up!

[Watch]

I really enjoy reading Lysander Spooner, but I have a reservation, if I may share, that I've often thought of concerning his view on social contract.
Could it not be used, his argument, for the justification of abolishing private property? To say for instance, that no one is alive when the property was drawn up, excluding new lines drawn upon previous lines, and so would this mean those contracts are invalid?
Nonetheless it could be a misunderstanding on my part, perhaps someone could clarify it for me.

[heavenlyboy34]

As some of you may know, for the last two years, I've made an effort to publicly commemorate the birth of one of the greatest, yet often unsung heroes of the early libertarian movement, the great abolitionist attorney and anti-statist thinker Lysander Spooner. Tomorrow, January 19th, marks 204 years since the birth of this uncompromisingly bold, brilliant, and intrepid defender of Natural Rights and individual sovereignty. And, appropriately enough, it's also the final debate for Ron Paul before the South Carolina primary. With apologies to Spooner's deist sensibilities, nothing pleases me more than to imagine him standing with Ron in spirit tomorrow night, and helping the good doc perform especially well!

Most of all, tomorrow is a day to revel in your individual liberty in its truest and most unalloyed form. A few suggested activities for a well-spent Spooner Day include calling your so-called "representatives" to demand they vote against SOPA, rereading some of Spooner's classic works, like "No Treason" or "An Essay on the Trial by Jury", or even just microwaving some popcorn and rewatching "V for Vendetta" for the 18th time. Let's live it up, and party like we've never even heard of NDAA!Thanks for the reminder, good sir! And a happy Lysander Spooner day to you too! To this day, statists have not defeated his arguments. :cool:

[heavenlyboy34]

I really enjoy reading Lysander Spooner, but I have a reservation, if I may share, that I've often thought of concerning his view on social contract.
Could it not be used, his argument, for the justification of abolishing private property? To say for instance, that no one is alive when the property was drawn up, excluding new lines drawn upon previous lines, and so would this mean those contracts are invalid?
Nonetheless it could be a misunderstanding on my part, perhaps someone could clarify it for me.
Spooner distinguishes legitimate contracts and fake contracts such as "social contract" theory held up by Constitutionalists which only exist in the minds of the people who originally agreed to the terms. Same as how no one has a legitimate right to pass one generation's bills on to the next (even with a contract). I don't have a copy of "No Treason" handy, but I'm sure buddy or someone else could give you some direct quotes to illustrate this.

[Lucille]

Spooner distinguishes legitimate contracts and fake contracts such as "social contract" theory held up by Constitutionalists which only exist in the minds of the people who originally agreed to the terms. Same as how no one has a legitimate right to pass one generation's bills on to the next (even with a contract). I don't have a copy of "No Treason" handy, but I'm sure buddy or someone else could give you some direct quotes to illustrate this.

All of his writings are here: http://www.lysanderspooner.org/

My kid is reading the Douglass autobiography in Lit and they study Spooner in the unit. He loves his Plan for the Abolition of Slavery (http://lysanderspooner.org/node/38), especially this part!:


We especially advise the flogging of individual Slave-holders. This is a case where the medical principle, that like cures like, will certainly succeed. Give the Slave-holders, then, a taste of their own whips. Spare their lives, but not their backs. The arrogance they have acquired by the use of time lash upon others, will be soon taken out of them, when the same scourge shall be applied to themselves. A band of ten or twenty determined negroes, well armed, having their rendezvous in the forests, coming out upon time plantations by day or night, seizing individual Slaveholders, stripping then and flogging them soundly, in time presence of their own Slaves, would soon abolish Slavery over a large district.

[BuddyRey]

Wow...I woke up this afternoon to see that Rick Perry had dropped out of the race and that Newt Gingrich is under fire again for his perpetual infidelities. This is the greatest Spooner Day ever!

[heavenlyboy34]

Wow...I woke up this afternoon to see that Rick Perry had dropped out of the race and that Newt Gingrich is under fire again for his perpetual infidelities. This is the greatest Spooner Day ever!
qft! W00t!!!

[FreeTraveler]

My favorite Lysander Spooner.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewtA3qcm3fo

[phill4paul]

I'll drink a beer to this! Happy Lysander Spooner day!

[Dark_Horse_Rider]

Nice !

[BuddyRey]

After Ron's debate tonight, I'll say it again.

Best Spooner Day EVAR! :)

[QueenB4Liberty]

Yes this Spooner day was awesome! :D

[Lucille]

After Ron's debate tonight, I'll say it again.

Best Spooner Day EVAR! :)

It's true!

Ron had an excellent night.

+rep all around!

[kcchiefs6465]

Bump.

[heavenlyboy34]

Bump.
Thanks! :) ~hugs~

[BuddyRey]

Love y'all for keeping this thread alive. And may this January's Spooner Day be especially rife with the spirit of defiance!

[heavenlyboy34]

Love y'all for keeping this thread alive. And may this January's Spooner Day be especially rife with the spirit of defiance!

Ur welcome! Thanks for making it! :D ~hugs~