Thursday, December 07, 2017
The Infamy of December 7th
On this day in 1941, the IJN attacked American bases at Pearl Harbor and elsewhere, as part of the imperialist expansion of Japan's totalitarian regime. In doing so, they, along with the Germans and Italians, helped end what had been a trend towards the civilizing of warfare, when at least governments would declare war before waging it.
And on this day in 1683, the great political theorist Algernon Sidney was executed for having written Discourses on Government, one of the greatest libertarian works, which held that governments only exist to protect individual rights, and that individuals have the right to abolish them if they fail to do so. It was the single most important work influencing the American Revolution.
It's a good day to remember Sidney's maxim: "This hand, enemy to tyrants, by the sword seeks peace with liberty."
And on this day in 1683, the great political theorist Algernon Sidney was executed for having written Discourses on Government, one of the greatest libertarian works, which held that governments only exist to protect individual rights, and that individuals have the right to abolish them if they fail to do so. It was the single most important work influencing the American Revolution.
It's a good day to remember Sidney's maxim: "This hand, enemy to tyrants, by the sword seeks peace with liberty."
