My old friend Dan Garrett sent me this remarkable judicial opinion: “USA vs. William J. Ruehle.” Read it and be happy that some countries have independent judiciaries.

For the news, see: “Broadcom: Court Drops Backdating Charges Against Nicholas, Ruehle; Vacates Samueli Guilty Plea” (My recent remarks on the rule of law here.)

I had the pleasure of speaking Thursday night at Wabash College in Indiana and had made a condition of accepting that I would get to visit the Goodrich Room in the Library. I’m standing with two of my hosts under the names of Gilgamesh (one of my favorite epics) and the Mahabharata (another of my favorite epics). You can take your own virtual tour of the room here and you can find out about Pierre (pronounced “Peer”) Goodrich here. He was a remarkable visionary and a great benefactor of the cause of liberty.

It was bitter cold, but the reception was warm, the students posed quite interesting and intelligent questions, and I found the discussion very agreeable. Moreover, going to dinner with my hosts and autographing copies of Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice after the lecture were enjoyable.

The New York Times features my friend Hannes Gissurarson of the University of Iceland, who suffered from Britain’s outrageous libel laws, in today’s story: “Britain, Long a Libel Mecca, Reviews Laws“

The discussion with Tyler Cowen reminded me again that we had disagreed (agreeably) on a number of things in an online discussion of Libertarianism: Past and Prospects, which was kicked off by Brian Doherty, author of the really fine book Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement.

Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice may be just the thing for those looking for Hannukah/Christmas/Kwanzah/Sylvesterabend gifts. (I’ve not forgotten Eid; it’s not too early for next year!) It’s got something for nearly everyone: political theory, economics, sociology, history, political science, foreign policy, popular journalism, legal theory, practical politics, law and economics, sharp and careful responses to critics of libertarianism, and an extensive annotated bibliographical essay on “The Literature of Liberty.” It’s also got a Facebook Fan Page for discussion and has been endorsed by a range of media, academic, and political figures, including:

“Tom Palmer has the ability to make the complex understandable and to go to the heart of the most difficult problems. He is a valuable resource for journalists and others in search of historical and economic scholarship and philosophical insight, especially about the impact of government intervention and the reasons for respecting the freedom and responsibility of individuals.”
—JOHN STOSSEL
ABC News

“The libertarian conception of individual autonomy is often attacked as fostering narrow and selfish individuals who take scant notice of the larger world around them. Tom Palmer’s great contribution in this collection of essays is to lay those misconceptions to rest. He shows how autonomous individuals use their powers to promote exchange and cooperation, which enrich all facets of social life. He exposes the cultural imperialists whose high-falutin’ rhetoric is all too often the prescription for economic protectionism and social stagnation. He reminds us yet again that individual liberty is our most precious social good.”
–RICHARD A. EPSTEIN
James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law, University of Chicago; author of Simple Rules for a Complex World

“Tom Palmer has been long involved in fighting the battle of ideas; in confronting collectivism, extensive government intervention, and the suppression of human freedom and economic prosperity. This book should be read by all who care about freedom. It is important to remind each generation that freedom can never be taken for granted. Collectivist, anti-libertarian ideologies did not cease to exist at the moment the Iron Curtain fell.”
—VACLAV KLAUS
President of the Czech Republic

“Tom Palmer has been one of liberty’s most eloquent and learned spokespersons for many years. It is a joy to have so many of his lucid, readable, and trenchant essays, written over most of those years, between one set of covers. The essays are independent of each other, enough so that you can sit down and read one here, one there, without needing to know also the hundred or two hundred pages in between. Whatever sort of essay you pick, I guarantee you a good read.”
—JAN NARVESON
University of Waterloo; author, You and the State: A Short Introduction to Political Philosophy and The Libertarian Idea

“Much of this book is devoted to lively defenses of classical liberal and libertarian rights theory against critics and false friends of many sorts. Even more interesting than these sharp rejoinders, though, is Palmer’s reframing and recharacterization of that rights theory. Drawing on his extraordinary interdisciplinary learning, Palmer offers a sociologically, institutionally, and historically informed libertarianism–one that is true to the rich legacy and tradition of classical liberalism.”
—JACOB T. LEVY
Tomlinson Professor of Political Theory, McGill University; author, The Multiculturalism of Fear

A few other links: Book Forum with Tyler Cowen of GMU and the New York Times, Lecture at Oxford (drawn from the book)

You can purchase Realizing Freedom from Amazon.com, from the Cato Institute, or from other retailers.

I’ll be in Afghanistan over the holidays and I’m bringing copies to my friends (some of the essays have already been published in Persian), along with a sack full of other books and materials.

(Image from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snowman.gif)

How can they make something so, um, unappetizing look so beautiful? “Timelapse of swarming monster worms and sea stars”
HT: MarginalRevolution.com

It’s getting pretty cold in Afghanistan, so my wardrobe will have to change. I got some nice Afghan togs (kurtas and vests) in the summer (which are very comfortable and really suited to the heat), but they’ll be much too thin and inadequate for the December weather. So I hope I can visit the clothing shops in Kabul again for warmer clothes. I’m looking forward to the visit and meeting again some remarkable scholars, thinkers, and activists for human rights, peace, and freedom.

I just remembered, after Tyler Cowen’s very generous comments on my book Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice that I had criticized his views in this podcast: ““The Nature of Liberty: A Response to Tyler Cowen,” Cato Institute Podcast, March 22, 2007

NOTE: The podcast in which Tyler made his remarks is here, and the essay in Cato Unbound is here.

P.S. I got several (three) abusive emails (with the usual obsessive sexual references: you can find the type on the Mises.org blogs) from the followers of a certain cult expressing faux surprise and mockery because I would disagree on something with a person who said nice things about my book. It’s a sign of the dogmatic and religious mentality that disagreement is seen as a form of personal animosity. In my view, reasoned disagreement can be one of the fruits of friendship.

I heard Deirdre McCloskey make this argument recently in Berlin, where I attended two conferences on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the publication of Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments. This is going to be a very interesting book: “Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can’t Explain the Industrial Revolution“

A surprisingly interesting critique of the “Pledge of Allegiance” (to a flag…ugh!) from Michael Lind: “The Pledge of Allegiance is un-American: Shouldn’t the government pledge allegiance to the people rather than the other way around?”

The French in this is very fast, but my colleague Dr. Emmanuel Martin (editor of UnMondeLibre.org) takes on a smooth French politician, Bernard Deflesselles, member of parliament (Député), right-hand man of the Minister of the Environment, and French reporting counsellor to the United Nations Climate Change conference in Copenhagen, COP15.

So, here it is, cold politics vs. hard facts. (The politician is very good at trying not to let Emmanuel get a word in edgewise, but Manu persists in raising the issues of evidence.)

P.S. Don’t forget to sign the petition against “green protectionism.”

The FreedomToTrade.org campaign is organizing a petition to resist calls for “Green Protectionism.” I’ve signed and I encourage others to do so, as well.

Held at the Unirule Institute on November 20: “自由贸易与公民社会对美国、中国和世界的冲击“*

*Translated, and not by me!

I’ll be in Indiana for some meetings and to speak at Wabash College at 8 pm on December 10. I was promised a visit to the Goodrich Room, which provides an intellectual history of the development of liberty, at Wabash College, as well. I’m looking forward to the trip. Then I’ll be back for a few days and then off to Afghanistan for meetings, lectures, and seminars over the holidays.

ClimateGate- Are Climate Scientists afraid of peer review? from Atlas Global Initiative on Vimeo.

Climatologist Pat Michaels on the Email Scandal….

I’m looking forward to the new Cambridge University Press book on Poverty and Morality (William A. Galston and Peter Hoffenberg eds., Cambridge University Press, 2010), in which I have a rather long essay on classical liberalism and poverty. All the jots and tittles have been added, graphs and charts sent, etc., etc. I consider the tradition of classical liberal thinking and work in economic and institutional history, ethical philosophy, intellectual history, economics, sociology, and other disciplines. It was enormously fun to write. (And I’m not only looking forward to seeing my own name in print, as enjoyable as that may be, but to reading the other contributions, from other ethical perspectives.)

It should be available for pre-ordering soon. (Not in time for Isaac Newton’s upcoming 367th birthday, unfortunately, but for the 368th, for sure!)

At noon, eastern standard time (you can watch online, too):

Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice [Facebook page on the book]

BOOK FORUM
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
12:00 PM (Luncheon to Follow)

Featuring the author, Tom G. Palmer, General Director, Atlas Global Initiative for Free Trade, Peace, and Prosperity, and Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; with comments by Tyler Cowen, Professor of Economics, George Mason University, and General Director, Mercatus Center.

And don’t forget that it just might make a fine present for libertarian thinkers, people interested in political theory, history, or economics, and for your favorite thoughtful socialist or conservative who might enjoy an intellectual challenge. (Note: all proceeds from sales go to a good cause, the Cato Institute.)