In the topsy-turvy world we live in, this otherwise unremarkable letter calling for respect for free speech, published in Harper’s and signed by 153 writers, etc., has set off a nasty firestorm of statist-left criticism. It seems that some people are so insecure about what they think and who they are that they cannot tolerate a world in which others are free to say and write what they like. The hell with that. I’ll take John Stuart Mill.
Paine on War
"It may with reason be said, that in the manner the English nation is represented, it signifies not where this right resides, whether in the Crown, or in the Parliament. War is the common harvest of all those who participate in the division and expenditure of public...