Harry Browne has died. Liberty has lost one of its greatest champions.
As I wrote before, it was Harry Browne who first introduced me to libertarianism during his run for president in 1996. When I saw him in the third party debate on C-SPAN (really the third, fourth, fifth and sixth party debate), I realised there was a name for the way I thought. His opposition to the government’s involvement in any aspect of the lives of the people never wavered. When I first interviewed him, I was shocked to hear him say, “No taxation.” I didn’t even ask a follow-up, because I just assumed he meant “for anything aside from basic constitutional nessessities like national defense.” He didn’t. He meant it. No taxation. Taxation is extortion. Extortion is always wrong. How simple is that? How many of us never understood until Harry explained it?
His opposition to the warfare state after September 11th was just as steadfast as before. He immediately wrote a four-part series for WND about the reasons for the attacks, and urged restraint against a tidal wave of bloodlust.
I was honored to meet him in Atlanta at the LP convention in 2004.
His essays in the time since – always ripping at the hypocrisies of our so-called leaders – reveal that never wavered in his convictions for justice. To me, he will live on as an example and reminder of my responsibility to teach liberty.
I will always regret that we never did set up that last interview we had talked about in October.
All good things, and all good men, come and go.
Harry’s last essay, “Why You Are A Libertarian”
Eric Garris’s eulogy.
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