Happy MLK Day

Today we celebrate the legacy of a great America--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A man who was once seen as a great dividing force by those clinging to the evil relics of codified racial inequality has now become a symbol of non-violent action and hope for many.  One need not agree fully with all of Dr. King's actions or positions to admire the man, for he leaves much to admire. I, for one, greatly admire Dr. King's commitment to racial equality and non-violence. He was a true enemy of the state, and bless him for it.

Below is an excerpt from King's famous "Loving Your Enemies" speech.

To our most bitter opponents we say:

“We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering.

We shall meet your physical force with soul force.

Do to us what you will, and we shall continue to love you.

We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws because noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.

Throw us in jail and we shall still love you.

Bomb our homes and threaten our children, and we shall still love you.

Send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our community at the midnight hour and beat us and leave us half dead, and we shall still love you.

But be ye assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer.

One day we shall win freedom but not only for ourselves. We shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process and our victory will be a double victory.”

Are Tea Partiers Racist?

Morgan Freeman on Black History Month

Here is a clip of my favorite actor Morgan Freeman talking about his distaste for Black History Month.



Hat Tip: The Humble Libertarian

Freedom of Association Even in the Face of Racism

A recent article on the forming of a "whites only" professional basketball league brings up a topic that needs to be addressed. Many would demand the government get involved in said situation. I have heard the cries myself that government intervention is needed when it comes to combating racial prejudice. But this could not be farther from the truth. In fact, government mandating who must or mustn't be included in groups, leagues, businesses, clientele, etc., is a blatant violation of the right to freedom of assembly and an expansion beyond its constitutional role.

The league's founder is obviously motivated by some type of racial prejudice, but that should not matter. Racism is detestable, but it is not illegal in the private sector. In fact, it shouldn't be.

Racial prejudice can effectively be combatted by the free market. For example, if a store owner does not allow black patrons, I can refuse to provide them business and encourage others to follow suit. If enough people stand their ground, the business owner will feel the market effects which will influence the way he conducts business (or his ability to conduct business at all).

However, even if the market allowed the above store owner to prosper in society, that is still no reason for the government involved. Government involvement would mean the violation of freedom of association, and two wrongs never make a right. The price of the erosion of liberty is too much to pay.

Government cannot change hearts and convictions, and it definitely cannot through the erosion of our liberties.