Entries from March 2008

March 31, 2008

Liberals and Libertarians: Common Ground?

I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.              -Doctrine and Covenants 38:27
Agree with thine adversary quickly.                -3 Nephi 12:25 
As a libertarian, I have thought about the many differences between myself and the establishment (liberal and conservative).  I would like to focus on common ground between a 21st Century liberal and [...]

March 27, 2008

Socialism in Seattle: Travel Reflections

I grew up in the great Pacific Northwest.  I recently visited my family there.
I immediately noticed construction of a government-run light rail system as we left the airport.  There wasn’t too much in the way of other construction I noticed.  Residential construction has slowed considerably.  While we pinch our pennies, the government takes money to [...]

March 25, 2008

Is Pre-Emptive War Justified?

Is pre-emptive war justified?  There are certainly moral and ethical justifications for such actions, but they come from such sources as Hitler and Machiavelli.  Hardly the bastions of traditional western morality, in my opinion.
I believe in the Just War Theory.  Wars are just if and only if they satisfy several criteria.  First, there must be [...]

March 17, 2008

Dying Community

What happened to the strong American community, as depicted, for instance, in Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town?”  Why is that a relic of the past rather than a reflection of the present?
Take the town I live in now.  My wife and I moved in about five months ago.  One neighbor gave us some banana bread as [...]

March 15, 2008

Brooke White sings “Let It Be,” Plus Reflections on Socialist Transport

Tuesday evening, as I was watching Mormon Brooke White sing The Beatles’ 1970 hit “Let It Be,” I couldn’t help but notice her sincerity, her passion, her gratitude, and her exuberance for the entire opportunity she had been given. I couldn’t help but admire her channeled musical energy and powerful emotion as she sung [...]