Harry Browne, RIP

When George H. W. Bush ran against Bill Clinton, I could not stomach voting for either man. So I voted for Harry Browne, the Libertarian candidate. Harry Browne died yesterday, after a long illness.

Browne was always an eloquent spokesman for liberty and the free market. His book HOW I FOUND FREEDOM IN AN UNFREE WORLD was a favorite of mine. Alas, Browne's books were in a box that was stolen when I lived in a coop, no doubt by some replitian leftists who believed property is theft. Oh well, that's what I get for living in cooperative housing.

After 9-11, Browne's influence, such as it was, waned quite a bit, due in no small part to his refusal to sanction any response to 9-11. His was a "protect our own, avoid foreign entanglements" philosophy, but that didn't resonate, even with some libertarians, after the U.S. was attacked on domestic soil.

Still, Browne was a principled, decent, and articulate man. A rarity among politicians.

God speed, Mr. Browne.