freedom

Free speech and insult: Britain and America

Turgon on March 9, 2011, 1:16 pm

| Readers 12

The Americans sometimes claim to be the world’s greatest democracy and the rest of the world enjoys laughing at and mocking such comments. Their commitment to free speech is, however, at times highly impressive. The Westboro Baptist Church campaigns against homosexuality by having protests at the funerals of American soldiers killed in the line of duty. At these protests they have banners suggesting “Thank God for Dead Soldiers”, “You’re Going to Hell” and “God Hates the USA/Thank God for 9/11”. …

Did capitalism end slavery?

Mack on June 25, 2010, 11:04 am

| Readers 2229

Don Boudreaux thinks so – The fact is that slavery disappeared only as industrial capitalism emerged. And it disappeared first where industrial capitalism appeared first: Great Britain. This was no coincidence. Slavery was destroyed by capitalism. To begin with, the ethical and political principles that support capitalism are inconsistent with slavery. As we Americans discovered, a belief in the universal dignity of human beings, their equality before the law, and their right to govern their own lives cannot long coexist …