Wednesday, June 21, 2006

 

New Libertarian Film "Scariest You'll See This Year"

From the Liberator Online:

Libertarian Aaron Russo's sizzling new documentary "America: Freedom to Fascism" received this rave review from CBS's Todd David Schwartz: "FOUR STARS (Highest Rating): The scariest goddamn film you'll see this year. It will leave you staggering out of the theatre, slack-jawed and trembling. Makes 'Fahrenheit 9/11' look like 'Bambi.' After watching this movie, your comfy, secure notions about America -- and about what it means to be an American -- will be forever shattered. Producer/director Aaron Russo and the folks at Cinema Libre Studio deserve to be heralded as heroes of a post-modern New American Revolution. This is shocking stuff. You'll be angry, you'll be disgusted, but you may actually break out in a cold sweat and feel a sickness deep in your gut; I would advise movie theatre managers to hand out vomit bags. You may end up needing one." You can learn more and see the trailer at: freedomtofacism.com.

I've thoroughly explored the website and decided that the film's a little more on the left-libertarian than the right-libertarian side, but it seems to be solid, nonetheless. Russo seems to emphasize issues that will play well with a liberal audience - the environment, the central bank. But he also devotes time to taxes and the IRS. When it comes to Raleigh, I'll definitely see it. (And, of course, review it for Carolina Journal).

Comments:
Yikes.

I had not heard about the movie, but I have seen these issues brought up before. Back home a friend of mine has been convinced by books like "The Creature From Jeckyll Island" that the federal reserve is a private corporation that's robbing the American people. He's also convinced that the income tax is illegitimate for a variety of reasons.

There are two good websites to debunk these myths.

1) For the federal reserve: Professor Ed Flaherty came up with these about 6 years ago while he was still at College of Charleston. He's since left CoC and the website was moved the Geocities, but the info is solid.
Click Here

2) For income tax myths, Click Here
 
I totally agree that both the income tax and the Federal Reserve Bank are legal. Also, it's unlikely that either was designed to take over the world. However, legal and moral are different things.

Philosophically, I'm against the existence of both. It's clearly against man's natural rights to be denied the fruits of his labor - either directly (via taxation) or indirectly (via monetary policy).
 
I'm going to FEE in NY first weekend in August, and I think I'll go early just to catch this flick.
Nathan
 
The Sixteenth Amendment made it law, but that still does not legitimize the coercive power of government to seize funds as it so desires.

Also, "The amendment was rejected (and not subsequently ratified) by Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Utah"

How can the federal government legally collect federal income tax when the Sixteenth Amendment was not ratified by the States?
 
Because that's how the State's agreed amendments would be ratified two hundred and thirty years ago. If they don't like that, it can be changed with another amendment.
 
Student, you should read Lysander Spooner's No Treason. In it, Spooner discusses how to obtain the consent of the governed. He argues that the US Constitution never had it, and certainly cannot retain any authority it had in perpetuity. Why should we be constrained by decisions made over 200 years ago by a handful of men in Philadelphia?

In reality, of course, we are governed by the US government and our respective states and cities because they are the ones with the guns. Not because we have given our consent that it be so.
 
On the Income tax: Free Association
 
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