The Conspiracy/Paranoia Trap [07/07/06] I recall, back in the early 80s, how I got "hooked" by a number of serious conspiracy theory books. Everything from tomes on the Illuminati and the Freemasons, to a Jewish global financial hegemony and New World Order. There were the small conspiracies. Then there were the large conspiracies. And finally, there were the conspiracies within conspiracies, and even the super- conspiracies. Of the latter much has been written of late - including putting all these "lesser" conspiracies under the umbrella of a super-cosmic one, involving aliens from other planets. Take your pick, or pick them all. (David MacGregor)

Free Speech Quagmire [06/30/06] The importance of free speech, in such situations, is that it is a necessary part of free enquiry. Science could not advance if all knowledge was "given" and incapable of being questioned. A scientist MUST have free speech or all scientific enquiry would come to a grinding halt. History is no different. If we want to understand ourselves, then a rigourous appraisal of historical events is essential. So are we now to jail those who don't agree with official history? (David MacGregor)

Demon Democracy [06/15/06] Well, it's official. Hamas won the Palestinian election fair and square. Democracy in action. And people are not happy! George Bush is not happy, but he's putting a brave face on it, and trying to work out how to deal with a democratic outcome which he cannot tolerate. Tony Blair and the Europeans are not happy, and like the US, they are threatening to withdraw financial aid to the Palestinians, unless Hamas renounces violence and its stated policy of wanting the destruction of Israel. (David MacGregor)

The Power of The Lie [06/08/06] Remember the movie "Groundhog Day"? It was the story of a man (Bill Murray) who was forced to continuously relive the worst day of his life, until he learned to become a better person. (David MacGregor)

The Totalitarian Impulse [06/02/06] What's the difference between: A drug addict and an alcoholic? A drug dealer and a liquor merchant? An international drug ring and an international alcoholic drink distributor? (David MacGregor)

Gold and Freedom [05/29/06] I've known for a long time that there are two levers of power that governments never consider giving up. And yet it is essential that these power levers are removed from the state's control - if we are ever to have a truly FREE society. (David MacGregor)

The 'War on Terror' Scam [05/16/06] The greatest threat to our freedom today is not terrorism, but what governments are doing to counter this perceived terrorist threat. (David MacGregor)

Hated: The Individualist In a Collectivist World [05/12/06] If you choose to live your life as an independent individualist, holding your life and your love of it as your highest purpose, desiring and seeking nothing but the best in all things, unwilling to sacrifice any good to any evil, which means, unwilling to subordinate any aspect of your life to any other or any aspect of another's life to yours, you will find yourself an alien in this world. (Reginald Firehammer)

How to Defeat Big Brother and Reclaim Your Freedom [05/04/06] George Orwell's "1984" is the story of a future society where individualism has been eliminated, where propaganda is used to control the masses, and where perpetual war is being waged to maintain the "peace". It's a world where false is true and wrong is right, where history is constantly being rewritten to support whatever the regime is currently doing - and where Big Brother watches your every move. (David MacGregor)

What Is an Individualist [04/14/06] In all the history of the world every advance in civilization, every gain in knowledge, and every improvement in the human condition has come solely through the efforts of independent individualists. They and they alone are the creators, innovators, and discoverers of the world. These men are all there is of positive importance in all of history; all the rest, the tyrants, the dictators, the famines and plagues, earthquakes, floods, famines, and wars were important only in the negative. (Reginald Firehammer)

Saving The World [04/06/06] Throughout history there have been endless schemes to, "save the world," and all of them have either done nothing at all or, have resulted in the worst horrors ever visited on the world. As evidence, consider the twentieth century's revolutions and governments. (Reginald Firehammer)

Individualism—Not Objectivism [04/03/06] In my articles on individualism, "Atlas Shrugged: A Model for Individualist Revolution" and, my latest, "Ayn Rand—Autonomist" I noted that both by example and, in her own words, Rand demonstrates that individualism is "the only aim," of all her writing and was, in fact, her, "mission in life." (Reginald Firehammer)

Ayn Rand—Autonomist [03/27/06] Most Objectivists do not know why Ayn Rand wrote philosophy at all, which is a wonder, since she stated it often enough, and even those who do, are not aware of what Rand's grand purpose was. Of course her ultimate purpose was the same as that of all men, the enjoyment of her own life, but what it was she had set as her specific purpose, the fulfillment of which would be the enjoyment of her life, very few people know. (Reginald Firehammer)

The Rise and Rise of China [11/18/05] My current three month sojourn in China is my fifth trip to this country since May 2004. And I have to say it has opened my eyes in many surprising ways. It has also caused me to reappraise many assumptions I had about the place, and to ponder the likely future of this huge country - and its impact on the rest of the world. (David MacGregor)

Cards, Cards And More Cards! [10/28/05] Back in the late 80s and early 90s I used to be the proud owner of three credit cards - a Visa card, MasterCard and a Gold Amex card. And oh boy, was I proud of that! Looking back, I don't know what I was so proud of, as I ended up with over $15,000 in debt due to those cards - or should I say my MISUSE of those cards. (David MacGregor)

Why an Offshore Account? [10/27/05] Having an offshore account conjures up many images in people's minds. Anything from the exotic - to the faintly criminal! One envisages wealthy people stashing their money in private banks, and lots of folks going around wearing sunglasses! But put simply, "offshore" means a place other than your place of residence. In other words, doing "business" somewhere else. (David MacGregor)

Living in a Topsy Turvy World [10/26/05] I've just returned from nine days in the magical old town of Lijiang, China. It was a respite made in heaven. After a couple of months in Chongqing, a major industrial city of 33 million, the sight and smell of clean, clear air was, well, "like a breath of fresh air"! (David MacGregor)

Reinventing The Good Life [09/017/05] The basic premise of "The Good Life" was that Tom and Barbara Good were sick of the rat race, and decided to become self-sufficient, right in the middle of suburbia, from their own home. So they kept their own animals, grew their own food, made their own tools—and generally opted out of the system. This greatly amused and sometimes annoyed their neighbours, and gave rise to many comic situations.

The Road To Margaritaville [08/09/05] I get hordes of mail (though I’m not sure how many emails in a horde) saying “Dear Fred, I too am sick of my job, the country, dumb-ass wars, the creeping mommy-state, and the hyper-regulation of practically everything, and I too want to live in paradise with a dusky maiden and sip funny drinks with lots of tequila in them and maybe die of cirrhosis but everybody has to anyway and it’s more dignified than a car crash on the Fourteenth Street Bridge. How?” (Fred Reed)

Going For Galt's Gulch [05/27/05] This article by David MacGregor is a practical application of the principles first suggested in the Regi Firehammer article, Atlas Shrugged: A Model for Individualist Revolution. He begins, "Galt's Gulch is a high-tech retreat in Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged—a place where all the "disappearing" productive people can meet, relax and recharge." The rest of his article tells you how to get there. (David MacGregor)

Atlas Shrugged: A Model for Individualist Revolution [03/18/05] Revolution is not the theme of Atlas Shrugged, the theme is rebellion, a rebellion of men against the chains of slavery, chains they had themselves made and given to their masters. The result of that rebellion is a revolution, but revolution is not the purpose of the rebellion. (Reginald Firehammer)

Perfecting Wastrelsy In Messico [03/17/05] Guadalajara—The yearmeter hit 2005 coupla months back, I just hit fifty-nine, and I’m deciding what to do with my life. (Inexplicably you may not care what I do with my life, but I’m writing the column.) I’m going to screw off. You may ask how you could tell the difference. Dunno. I don’t do fine distinctions after lots of red wine. (Keep reading. There’s probably some kind of deep philosophical import in here somewhere.) (Fred Reed)

In The Shadow Of Fort Terror [02/09/05] I get mail saying, Fred, what’s with this expat thing? Sounds interesting. But what do you do all day? What is it like down there in Guadalahorror, or whatever strange and doubtless hazardous oddly-diseased third-world fleshpot you infest? Who do you hang with? Can you breathe the air? Do they have food in Mexico? Girls? Come on, spit it. (Fred Reed)

A Most Unlikely Freedom Haven [12/02/04] How would you feel about living in a place where you weren't compelled to wear seat belts or cycle helmets; where you could just set up "shop" on the pavement to sell your wares, without a license; where you could walk around in relative peace and safety; where jaywalking is encouraged, and the traffic seems to work in the absence of traffic cops and enforced speed limits; where you can eat a substantial meal for a couple of dollars; where you are not hassled when entering the country; where entrepreneurship abounds; where the gap between rich and poor doesn't breed envy, but aspiration; where smoking isn't a sin; where every modern convenience exists; where policemen are hard to find; where opportunity is everywhere; and where income tax is virtually non-existent? (David MacGregor)

The Moral Case Against Taxation [11/03/04] The irrefutable case against taxation is a moral one. And if we lived in a moral society, taxation itself would be illegal. Why? Because taxation is theft pure and simple. (David MacGregor)

How to Escape The Prison Camp: A Manifesto For Personal Secession [9/30/04] Is there a way to, "personally secede ... pack up your bags, tip your hat, and say goodbye to the moochers, looters, scumbags, politicians, bureaucrats, taxmen and other assorted dross that infest the modern welfare state?" David MacGregor says there is and tells us exactly how to do it. (David MacGregor)

The Price of Freedom [9/3/04] When discussing the nature of a free society, an admittedly hypothetical thing, it sometimes dawns on even the dullest of wits, that in such a society, no one may force anyone else to support them, pay their bills, or to clean up after them if they screw up their lives. That sudden revelation usually comes as a shock eliciting involuntary and demanding questions like, "you mean you would allow a homeless person to starve?" (Reginald Firehammer)

Freedom Now—3 [8/26/04] The point is, you do not have to make the world, or your country, or even your community free to be free yourself. I mentioned that most people do not really want freedom, because what most people want is security, safety, and guarantees. In fact, most people do not know what freedom is. (Reginald Firehammer)

Prospects For Freedom [8/18/04] The Autonomist has been accused of being very negative about the prospects for freedom. In this article, I point out that more people are beginning to become aware the issues of freedom and limited government, because the growing oppressive government is beginning to effect them. They are beginning to listen. (Reginald Firehammer)

Shoot The Bastards? [8/10/04] What are the different movements and who are the different people fighting for freedom. Which should we support, and who are our true friends in the struggle for individual liberty? (Reginald Firehammer)

A "Market" Announcement! [8/03/04] An invitation to readers and writers to the free market of ideas. (Reginald Firehammer)

Freedom Now—2 [7/27/04] Here is the second in The Autonomist "Freedom Now" series providing real information on the principles, methods, and tools for living free in the world today. (Reginald Firehammer)

Freedom Now [7/11/04] The first in a series of articles providing hard information, practical methods, and pointers to resources and tools for understanding the nature of individual freedom and achieving in one's own life. (Reginald Firehammer)