 Historical nonsense from DiLorenzo, a member of the Von Mises Institute. The great man's name was unfortunately taken over by Murray Rothbard who labeled himself an anarchist, a believer in no state at all, every man for him or herself. Lew Rockwell is currently the power behind the institute now.
In this context we have DiLorenzo's constant diatribes against Lincoln, Sherman, and the attempt to free the slaves. He believes a state can leave the Union at whim, that no higher authroity or set of principles can limit their actions or institutions -- even the institution of slavery. He is more concerned with state rights, than human ones.
You will never hear from DiLorenzo that General Sherman had the least number of casualities in the war. Unlike Grant, Sherman's goal was the destruction of property, the will to fight. Sherman is the most hated of Union Generals by neo-confederates not because of the numbers of Southern Soldiers he killed, but by the number of cotten bales and plantations he torched, or pigs his men took for food. Whatever Sherman did after the war has nothing to do with his contribution to human freedom during the war. DiLorenzo will mention, over and over, what Sherman did to the indians, but never a peep about what the south did to millions of African-Americans.
As well, DiLorenzo attacks Lincoln for 'starting' the Civil War -- when all free thinkers realize that it is the initiation of force by an entity, man or nation, that determines blame. And it is the South that wins that dubious distinction. Ron Paul has even swallowed that line.
Give a state the right to secede from the Union at whim and that right will naturally and logically result in an increasing of secession -- cities from states, districts from cities, down to the individual level. Anarchists have the delusion that, somehow, individuals will agree on the resolution of conflicts, the imposition of justice. History does not carry that benevolent view of Man. What we will have, if they have their way, is a Hatfield/Mcoy society.
I don't believe DiLorenzo believes in the Constitution at all. The Von Mises Institute has, as one of it's heroes, Lysander Spooner who argued that "the Constitution is unfit to exist." Many of Spooner's articles have appeared in Ron Paul publications.
Again, a key here is that you will never here from DiLorenzo about the horrors of slavery, the rapes, the destruction of families. Check his archive on this site. I think it no coincidence that the Von Mises Institute, headed by Lew Rockwell, supports Ron Paul for President. Ron Paul's newletters in the past were laced with racist articles -- a situtation Ron Paul has admited, but never fully explained.
Currently there is a great rift in those that oppose the status quo and claim a love of individual liberty. We have the Cato Institute and the Libertarians dedicated to individual rights protected by the original intent of the Constitution (later by the limited government ideals of Ayn Rand) -- and the Von Mises Institute, dedicated to 'liberating' individuals from all shackles of authority, even rational ones.  Commented 4306 days ago |
