What is a natural right as opposed to a right acquired by contract?

Natural rights begin with the idea that a human being is a form of property. The question becomes “who is the owner?” There are three possible alternatives: each person is a self-owner; someone else owns him (slavery); or he is an unclaimed good.

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For my previous article introducing the topic of free-market justice, please click here.

The individualist-anarchist view of justice is based on a two-pronged approach: (1) eliminating the state; and (2) replacing it with voluntary associations in which defense is viewed as a commodity or service, like education. Defense associations would function in a manner similar to modern insurance companies. Beyond a basic coverage, customers would choose the particular level and type of service they desire, just as they currently choose the deductible on their car insurance and whether or not to cover collision damage.

Would such a system include trial by jury?
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I have a fundamental objection to the prison system that I rarely hear raised. Why does a man who steals a loaf of bread lose his freedom of speech? Why does a woman who vandalizes a car lose the freedom to associate with her children? These questions are a challenge to those who view rights as social constructs as well as those who believe they are inalienable. Stated in more general terms, how is it that aggressors lose virtually all freedom because of what might be a minor transgression?
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For part 1 of this article, introducing the theme of private currencies, click here.

Benjamin Tucker, the great 19th-century libertarian, argued that nothing was more important to freedom than destroying the monopolies created and maintained by the state. The most destructive monopoly and, therefore, the most important to destroy, was legal tender and the banking system. (more…)

Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is exploding like a force of nature into the streets and around the globe. Libertarian anarchists are deeply conflicted in their responses to the protest, because the movement’s message is deeply flawed and often cacophonous.

One of the voices rising from the pavement is that of libertarian-leaning Chris Savvinidis, whose entire message can be summed up in three words: “End the Fed.”

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