Liberty and Power
Encyclopedia
Liberty and Power is a group weblog established in 2003 and is part of the History News Network
of the Center for History and New Media
. The members share a libertarian
or classical liberal perspective. They are primarily university professors and represent diverse fields. Past guest bloggers have included Nicholas Von Hoffman
, a former 60 Minutes
commentator. Most, but not all, of the members are critical of the Iraq war.
Liberty and Power played an important role in shaping coverage of several news stories. For example, journalists Debra Pickett of the Chicago Sun-Times
, Ellen Barry of the Los Angeles Times
, and Jerry Mitchell of the Clarion-Ledger quoted David T. Beito
because of his entries on the Emmett Till
case. Beito had conducted the first interviews in decades with Henry Lee Loggins, an alleged participant in the crime, and Willie Reed, a trial witness.
Entries opposing the Academic Bill of Rights
sparked a running debate on Liberty and Power with David Horowitz, the chief sponsor of the bill. They were also instrumental in two articles on the subject for the American Historical Association
and the Organization of American Historians
.
History News Network
History News Network is a project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. Although the HNN resides on GMU's server, it operates independently of the university as a non-profit corporation registered in Washington State...
of the Center for History and New Media
Center for History and New Media
The Center for History and New Media at George Mason University was established by Roy Rosenzweig in 1994 to research and use digital media and information technology in historical research, education, digital tools and resources, digital preservation, and outreach.- Digital preservation...
. The members share a libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
or classical liberal perspective. They are primarily university professors and represent diverse fields. Past guest bloggers have included Nicholas Von Hoffman
Nicholas von Hoffman
Nicholas von Hoffman is an American journalist and author. He wrote for the Washington Post. Later, TV audiences knew him as a "Point-Counterpoint" commentator for CBS's 60 Minutes, from which Don Hewitt fired him in 1974.-Biography:He is of German-Russian extraction, descendant of Melchior...
, a former 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
commentator. Most, but not all, of the members are critical of the Iraq war.
Liberty and Power played an important role in shaping coverage of several news stories. For example, journalists Debra Pickett of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, Ellen Barry of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, and Jerry Mitchell of the Clarion-Ledger quoted David T. Beito
David T. Beito
David T. Beito is a historian and professor of history at the University of Alabama. He is the author of Taxpayers in Revolt: Tax Resistance during the Great Depression ; From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State: Fraternal Societies and Social Services, 1890-1967 ; The Voluntary City: Choice,...
because of his entries on the Emmett Till
Emmett Till
Emmett Louis "Bobo" Till was an African-American boy who was murdered in Mississippi at the age of 14 after reportedly flirting with a white woman. Till was from Chicago, Illinois visiting his relatives in the Mississippi Delta region when he spoke to 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant, the married...
case. Beito had conducted the first interviews in decades with Henry Lee Loggins, an alleged participant in the crime, and Willie Reed, a trial witness.
Entries opposing the Academic Bill of Rights
Academic Bill of Rights
The Academic Bill of Rights is a document created and distributed by Students for Academic Freedom, a public advocacy group spun off from the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, a think tank founded by former progressive, now conservative activist and writer David Horowitz...
sparked a running debate on Liberty and Power with David Horowitz, the chief sponsor of the bill. They were also instrumental in two articles on the subject for the American Historical Association
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
and the Organization of American Historians
Organization of American Historians
The Organization of American Historians , formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S...
.
Contributors
The regular contributors to Liberty and Power include:- Radley BalkoRadley BalkoRadley Balko is an American libertarian journalist, blogger, and speaker.- Education :Balko earned a B.A. in journalism and political science in 1997 from Indiana University.- Employment and publications :...
, senior editor at Reason magazine. - Jonathan BeanJonathan BeanJonathan Dobing Bean is an English cricketer. Bean is a right-handed batsman who occasionally fields as a wicket-keeper. He was born in Altrincham, Lancashire....
, professor of history at Southern Illinois UniversitySouthern Illinois UniversitySouthern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
. - David T. BeitoDavid T. BeitoDavid T. Beito is a historian and professor of history at the University of Alabama. He is the author of Taxpayers in Revolt: Tax Resistance during the Great Depression ; From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State: Fraternal Societies and Social Services, 1890-1967 ; The Voluntary City: Choice,...
, associate professor of history at the University of AlabamaUniversity of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. - Peter BoettkePeter BoettkePeter J. Boettke is an American economist of the Austrian School.-Early life and education:Boettke was born in Rahway, New Jersey to Fred and Elinor Boettke and remained there until he moved to Pennsylvania to attend Thiel College in Greenville and later Grove City College. He became interested in...
, professor of economics at George Mason UniversityGeorge Mason UniversityGeorge Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
. - Donald J. BoudreauxDonald J. BoudreauxDonald J. Boudreaux is professor of economics at George Mason University. He served as chairman from August 2001 and stepped down in August 2009. He previously served as president of the libertarian think tank Foundation for Economic Education, a post he accepted in May 1997...
, professor of economics at George Mason UniversityGeorge Mason UniversityGeorge Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
. - Mark Brady, associate professor of economics at San Jose State UniversitySan José State UniversitySan Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
. - Robert L. Campbell, professor of psychology at Clemson UniversityClemson UniversityClemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
. - Stephen D. CoxStephen D. CoxStephen D. Cox is the editor of Liberty magazine, an American monthly libertarian and classical liberal review. He is also a professor of literature at the University of California, San Diego and author of several non-fiction books....
, editor of Liberty magazine, and professor of Literature at the University of California at San Diego. - Steven J. Davies, professor in history at Manchester Metropolitan UniversityManchester Metropolitan UniversityManchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
. - Gus diZerega, Ph.D.
- Anthony Gregory, research assistant the Independent InstituteIndependent InstituteThe Independent Institute is a libertarian think tank based in Oakland, California. Founded in 1986 byDavid J. Theroux , the Institute sponsors studies of major political, social, economic, legal, environmental and foreign policy issues. It has more than 140 research fellows. The Institute was...
. - Kenneth Gregg (deceased).
- Walter E. Grinder, former head of academic affairs for the Institute for Humane StudiesInstitute for Humane StudiesThe Institute for Humane Studies is a classical liberal non-profit organization whose stated mission is “to support the achievement of a freer society by discovering and facilitating the development of talented students, scholars, and other intellectuals who share an interest in liberty and in...
. - Keith Halderman, Ph.D. candidate in history at American UniversityAmerican UniversityAmerican University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
. - Gene HealyGene HealyGene Healy is an American political pundit, journalist and editor.Healy is a Vice President at the libertarian think tank Cato Institute, as well as a contributing editor to Liberty magazine...
, policy analyst at the Cato InstituteCato InstituteThe Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
. - Robert HiggsRobert HiggsRobert Higgs is an American economic historian, economist combining the insights from the Public Choice, Institutional and Austrian schools of economics, and a classical liberal or libertarian in political and legal theory and public policy...
, senior fellow at the Independent InstituteIndependent InstituteThe Independent Institute is a libertarian think tank based in Oakland, California. Founded in 1986 byDavid J. Theroux , the Institute sponsors studies of major political, social, economic, legal, environmental and foreign policy issues. It has more than 140 research fellows. The Institute was...
. - Steven HorwitzSteven HorwitzSteven Horwitz is an American economist of the Austrian School.-Early life and education:Horwitz was born in Detroit, Michigan to Ronald and Carol Horwitz. He was raised in Oak Park, Michigan and graduated from Berkley High School in Berkley, Michigan in 1981. He graduated cum laude with an A.B...
, professor of economics at St. Lawrence UniversitySt. Lawrence UniversitySt. Lawrence University is a four-year liberal arts college located in the village of Canton in Saint Lawrence County, New York, United States. It has roughly 2300 undergraduate and 100 graduate students, about equally split between male and female....
. - Lester H. Hunt, professor of philosophy at University of Wisconsin.
- Karen KwiatkowskiKaren KwiatkowskiKaren U. Kwiatkowski is an American activist and commentator. She is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel whose assignments included duties as a Pentagon desk officer and a variety of roles for the National Security Agency. Since retiring, she has become a noted critic of the U.S....
, Ph.D. former Air Force colonel and Iraq war critic. - Jason Kuznicki, Research Assistant at the Cato InstituteCato InstituteThe Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
. - Roderick LongRoderick LongRoderick Tracy Long is a professor of philosophy at Auburn University and libertarian anarchist blogger. He also serves as a senior scholar for the Ludwig von Mises Institute, an editor of the Journal of Ayn Rand Studies, director and president of the Molinari Institute, and an advisory panel...
, associate professor of philosophy at Auburn UniversityAuburn UniversityAuburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
. - Wendy McElroyWendy McElroyWendy McElroy is a Canadian individualist anarchist and individualist feminist. She was a co-founder along with Carl Watner and George H. Smith of The Voluntaryist in 1982.-Sex-positive:...
, columnist at Fox News. - Charles W. Nuckolls, professor of anthropology at Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. - James OttesonJames OttesonJames R. Otteson is an American philosopher. Formerly the chairman of the department of philosophy at the University of Alabama, he has also taught at Georgetown University...
, professor of philosophy at the University of AlabamaUniversity of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. - Sheldon RichmanSheldon RichmanSheldon Richman is an American political writer and academic, best known for his advocacy of libertarianism.He is the editor of The Freeman, a magazine published by The Foundation for Economic Education, a Senior Fellow at the Future of Freedom Foundation, a Research Fellow at The Independent...
, editor of The FreemanThe FreemanThe Freeman: Ideas on Liberty is one of the oldest and most respected libertarian journals in the United States. It is published by the Foundation for Economic Education . It started as a digest sized monthly study journal; it currently appears 10 times per year and is a larger-sized magazine. FEE...
. - Chris Matthew SciabarraChris Matthew SciabarraChris Matthew Sciabarra is a Brooklyn, New York-based political theorist. He is the author of three scholarly books—Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical; Marx, Hayek, and Utopia; and Total Freedom: Toward a Dialectical Libertarianism—as well several shorter works...
, visiting scholar in politics at New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. - Sudha ShenoySudha ShenoyDr. Sudha Shenoy, Ph.D , was an Austrian school economist and economic historian. From 1986 to 2004, she worked as a lecturer in economics at the University of Newcastle in Australia...
, honorary associate in economic history at the School of Policy at the University of Newcastle, AustraliaUniversity of Newcastle, AustraliaThe University of Newcastle is an Australian public university that was established in 1965. The University's main and largest campus is located in Callaghan, a suburb of Newcastle in New South Wales...
. - Aeon Skoble, associate professor of philosophy at Bridgewater State CollegeBridgewater State CollegeBridgewater State University is a public liberal-arts college in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is the largest college in the Massachusetts state university system outside of the University of Massachusetts system. The school's mascot is the bear.-History:BSU was founded by...
. - Amy H. SturgisAmy H. SturgisAmy H. Sturgis is an author, speaker and scholar of science fiction/fantasy studies and Native American studies. She earned her Ph.D...
, Ph.D., assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies at Belmont UniversityBelmont UniversityBelmont University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is the largest Christian university in Tennessee and the second largest private university in the state, behind nearby Vanderbilt University.-Belmont Mansion:Belmont Mansion...
.