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John deLaubenfels's picture
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Joined: 2009-08-30
Columns on STR: 17
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Male

Short bio:

John deLaubenfels is a 61-year old native born citizen of the United States, a programmer by profession and music lover by avocation, who is passionate about preserving (and restoring) the basic freedoms of this country, and, if possible, the world.

Columns by John deLaubenfels

A Quick Response to Per Bylund
6.4
John deLaubenfels 2011-02-17 04:00
Column by John deLaubenfels.   Exclusive to STR   Per Bylund's most recent column on STR is titled Why Minarchists Are the Enemy. That's a pretty strong statement, especially as it identifies minarchists not as AN enemy, but THE enemy, and the text of his column reinforces rather than softens the message. We read, for example, that (in some sense at least) "minarchist...
Sorry, Wendy and Lew
3.8
John deLaubenfels 2010-01-19 04:00
Exclusive to STR Because I send occasional feedback to libertarian-leaning websites, I tend to get added to their lists and solicited for donations.  Two such sites are WendyMcElroy.com and LewRockwell.com.  To each, when I'm asked to part with hard-earned cash, I write back saying that I cannot in good conscience donate to them because of their opposition to all forms of...
Dissecting Boldrin and Levine: An Alternate View of Intellectual Property
1
John deLaubenfels 2009-01-25 17:00
January 26, 2009 Every few months, some new tract or book is announced, with great fanfare, that purports to demolish any remaining argument for legal protection of Intellectual Property (IP). Then, when the new offering fails to convince the intransigent masses, who cling to the antiquated notion that creators deserve protection, something new is issued a few months later. Inevitably, however...
The Myth of 'Wage Slavery'
0
John deLaubenfels 2007-02-21 17:00
Exclusive to STR February 22, 2007 A recent edit of Strike The Root (archive here) by "Chemical Ali" Massoud contains a link to this column along with the commentary:
In Defense of Abortion
0
John deLaubenfels 2005-03-20 17:00
I was surprised to find Strike The Root running a column urging libertarian-minded people to oppose legal abortions, and even more surprised to find that the column was "Recommended" by the editor. Though I do not expect anybody's rebuttal to get the same glowing review, I'll give a stab at responding.
My Personal Declaration of Independence
0
John deLaubenfels 2004-04-22 16:00
I pledge allegiance to the ideals Upon which this country was founded Not one nation indivisible But millions of sovereign individuals Trading peacefully among themselves With liberty and justice for all On my honor as a human being, I solemnly pledge to give zero respect, support, or obedience to illegitimate laws upcoming and present: - The law, coming soon, which will forbid private...
Suggestions for Healthy Living
0
John deLaubenfels 2004-03-11 17:00
It's hard not to despair. George W. Bush is a statist thug, a liar, murderer, thief, and coward, and we're either going to get four more years of him, or . . . John Kerry: Another statist thug, with all of Shrub's faults excepting perhaps cowardice. And yet the vast majority of Americans seem blissfully unaware, believing both men, or at least one of the two, to be decent, honest human beings...
No Patents for Drugs?
0
John deLaubenfels 2004-01-05 17:00
I happened across Lew Rockwell's Illusions of Power recently. Rockwell is a guy I agree with 95% of the time, and this column, like most, is both hard-hitting and inspirational. But just as I was getting into the second chorus of "Right on!" I hit a sour note: The issue of the price of prescription drugs will be a big one in this coming campaign. The problem is high prices. Popular wisdom has...
IP and Third Parties
0
John deLaubenfels 2003-10-22 16:00
In a previous column, I defended intellectual property (IP) rights. Several readers responded with points which deserve to be addressed. One referred me to an article by N. Stephan Kinsella that goes into great detail on the subject, but which, in my opinion, reaches the wrong conclusions. Suppose filmmaker A borrows 100 million dollars to make movie B, which is shown in theater C, and is...
Long Live Intellectual Property Rights!
1
John deLaubenfels 2003-10-20 16:00
In a recent STR column, Roderick Long argues that, "Either intellectual property means slavery, or it means nothing at all." I would beg to differ. Let us view the question from the standpoint of the right of individuals to voluntarily engage in private contracts with others. This right is taken as being one of the core inalienable freedoms by virtually all people of a libertarian...
Drug War Addiction
0
John deLaubenfels 2003-09-11 16:00
It is difficult for me to write about the drug war, not because I feel less passionately about it than other pressing matters, but because I feel so passionately that it is pure unadulterated evil. An exaggeration? Here's a reminder of the kind of horror the drug war brings to the lives of innocents.
Ike Skelton, Capitol Hill Genius
0
John deLaubenfels 2003-07-11 16:00
From the Washington Post comes a report of General Tommy Franks appearing before the House Armed Services Committee. Much verbiage is wasted on pointless sparring over whether resistance to U.S. occupation in Iraq qualifies as "guerrilla warfare" or does not yet. But just when you're ready to yawn and click to the next news link, along comes Rep.
Clueless Army Wives
0
John deLaubenfels 2003-07-08 16:00
A recent article in the Guardian tells of the frustration of military families in Hinesville, "The Fastest Growing Town in South-Eastern Georgia," adjacent to the now-deserted Fort Stewart. Relatives of troops stationed in Iraq are understandably anxious for their loved ones, and are irritated that their deployment has stretched on months longer than expected, with no promised end in sight.
Human Decency
0
John deLaubenfels 2003-03-28 17:00
Now that the war has started, there are juicy quotes everywhere. One this morning particularly caught my eye: "'With each passing day and every day an increasingly desperate Iraqi regime violates many international laws and all norms of human decency,' Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clark said Wednesday."
Fluff Piece
0
John deLaubenfels 2003-03-27 17:00
Many things are sources of intense frustration today. Just seeing George W. Bush's face anywhere, for example. I spend a healthy amount of time doing "therapeutic ranting" each and every day, and the targets of my rants are many.
The Geneva Convention
0
John deLaubenfels 2003-03-24 17:00
Donald Rumsfeld defies belief. Here he comes, right on cue, after American prisoners are shown on Iraqi television, to scream that the Geneva Convention has been violated. Would that be the same Geneva Convention that the U.S. has given the finger to so dramatically in the last year and a half, with the same Donald Rumsfeld leading the way?
"The Time for Debates Has Ended"
0
John deLaubenfels 2003-03-20 17:00
I was watching CNN Wednesday night, on the eve of the start of shooting in Bush's war of aggression, and one of the innumerable talking head commentators was on. "Many conflicting opinions about war have been expressed in the past months. Now the time for debate has ended," he intoned, "as all of us rally behind our president and our troops." He spoke this line as if it were Received Wisdom,...
A Quick Response to Per Bylund
6.4
John deLaubenfels 2011-02-17 04:00
Column by John deLaubenfels.   Exclusive to STR   Per Bylund's most recent column on STR is titled Why Minarchists Are the Enemy. That's a pretty strong statement, especially as it identifies minarchists not as AN enemy, but THE enemy, and the text of his column reinforces rather than softens the message. We read, for example, that (in some sense at least) "minarchist...
Sorry, Wendy and Lew
3.8
John deLaubenfels 2010-01-19 04:00
Exclusive to STR Because I send occasional feedback to libertarian-leaning websites, I tend to get added to their lists and solicited for donations.  Two such sites are WendyMcElroy.com and LewRockwell.com.  To each, when I'm asked to part with hard-earned cash, I write back saying that I cannot in good conscience donate to them because of their opposition to all forms of...
Long Live Intellectual Property Rights!
1
John deLaubenfels 2003-10-20 16:00
In a recent STR column, Roderick Long argues that, "Either intellectual property means slavery, or it means nothing at all." I would beg to differ. Let us view the question from the standpoint of the right of individuals to voluntarily engage in private contracts with others. This right is taken as being one of the core inalienable freedoms by virtually all people of a libertarian...
Dissecting Boldrin and Levine: An Alternate View of Intellectual Property
1
John deLaubenfels 2009-01-25 17:00
January 26, 2009 Every few months, some new tract or book is announced, with great fanfare, that purports to demolish any remaining argument for legal protection of Intellectual Property (IP). Then, when the new offering fails to convince the intransigent masses, who cling to the antiquated notion that creators deserve protection, something new is issued a few months later. Inevitably, however...