On Becoming and Being a Libertarian

Murray N. Rothbard (1925-1996)
Fellow blogger God's Lonely Man recently posted the following excellent piece on Libertarianism:Call to Arms
I recently came across a beautiful and fascinating article from 1977 by Murray Rothbard on the Ludwig von Mises Institute website about what it means to be a libertarian. The article is a sort of call to arms, or a call to intellect, rather, for advocates of liberty everywhere. It serves as a reminder to all of us why liberalism is the only legitimate means by which individuals should be governed:

"Too many libertarians have absorbed the negative and elitist conservative worldview to the effect that our enemy today is the poor, who are robbing the rich; the blacks, who are robbing the whites; or the masses, who are robbing heroes and businessmen. In fact, it is the state that is robbing all classes, rich and poor, black and white, worker and businessman alike; it is the state that is ripping us all off; it is the state that is the common enemy of mankind."

"I am convinced that our primary task, now, as libertarians, is not to hassle with each other on the precise role of the courts or the police in the eventual free society, nor over the proper detailed strategy or tactics of achieving it. As important as these questions are, our most vital task is for each and every one of us to achieve the baptism of will, that is, to adopt and hold high — forever — the victory of liberty as our primary, overriding political goal. This is what we are all about, we libertarians." More here...

Tags:Murray N. Rothbard,Mises Institute,libertarianism,liberty,government