"Lincoln was a master politician, which means that he was a consummate conniver, manipulator, and liar."
--Murray Rothbard, "Just War"

As the Party of Lincoln's Utah affiliates gather this month to pay tribute to their murdered -- and murderous -- namesake, local corporate statists will genuflect before one of their own who employed political means to enrich himself, Larry H. Miller.

Propagandists reinforce illusions that keep the powerful in power with monuments, holidays, official proclamations, and the "party line."

What are some of the myths perpetuated by the political class that empowered Lincoln, empowers Miller, and will empower future crony capitalists until they are widely debunked by a free people?

Chief among these myths is the Republican Party's alleged support for free enterprise.

As Lincoln revisionist historian Thomas DiLorenzo writes:

When Lincoln first entered state politics in 1832 he announced that he was doing so for three reasons: To help enact the Whig Party agenda of protectionist tariffs, corporate welfare subsidies for railroad and canal-building corporations ("internal improvements"), and a government monopolization of the nation’s money supply.... He was a devoted mercantilist, and remained so for his entire political life.

The myths don't end with the one about Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation either, which -- because it didn't apply to any states under Union control at the time -- didn't free a single slave.

Professor DiLorenzo has further summarized the legacy of the U.S. president called the "American Stalin" and "King Lincoln" thusly:

The Dictator Lincoln invaded the South without the consent of Congress, as called for in the Constitution; declared martial law; blockaded Southern ports without a declaration of war, as required by the Constitution; illegally suspended the writ of habeas corpus; imprisoned without trial thousands of Northern anti-war protesters, including hundreds of newspaper editors and owners; censored all newspaper and telegraph communication; nationalized the railroads; created three new states without the consent of the citizens of those states in order to artificially inflate the Republican Party’s electoral vote; ordered Federal troops to interfere with Northern elections to assure Republican Party victories; deported Ohio Congressman Clement L. Vallandigham for opposing his domestic policies (especially protectionist tariffs and income taxation) on the floor of the House of Representatives; confiscated private property, including firearms, in violation of the Second Amendment; and effectively gutted the Tenth and Ninth Amendments as well.

Given their abandonment of small government policies it makes all too much sense why Red State Fascists are not ashamed of their namesake, but continue to exalt Lincoln, who rightly deserves credit as the father of Big Government in America.

The libertarian movement rejects aggression, opposes slavery in all its forms, and embraces a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.

But Lincoln's assassination serves as a reminder that political practitioners operating in a seeming culture of impunity can realize their comeuppance outside of campaigns, courts, and committees.

You know this guy ... has made millions off of corporate welfare.

Speaking of economic collectivism, in his recent book, The Big Ripoff: How Big Business and Big Government Steal Your Money, investigative reporter Timothy P. Carney carries on Gabriel Kolko's work in The Triumph of Conservatism. Both authors are among many who have closely examined how big business and big government collude to cheat the consumer, the entrepreneur, and the taxpayer.

Which brings me to Larry H. Miller.

Despite his reputation as a bully, Miller can't be all bad. His businesses sell many products and services that consumers want. And he gives millions to charitable organizations, although some gifts may be self-serving. For example, will Miller's latest public-private/government-business partnership help groom his own militia?

But just because he buys enough advertising from Utah's mainstream print and electronic media to discourage critical analysis of his business dealings by its news reporters, doesn't mean the rest of us must stop asking questions or close our eyes:

• To the entertainment and sports welfare Miller has received. (No wonder a Utah Transit Authority television commercial has featured Miller praising TRAX, which delivers patrons directly to his downtown arena.)
  
  
• To the Brokeback Bigot's taste in movies.
  
  
• To the federal exemption from liability for the nuclear industry -- purely a creature of government -- which subsidizes the bottom line for companies like EnergySolutions so it can afford to enlist Miller's aid to keep the party going.

Indeed, many who have taken stock of his legacy have organized a boycott of Miller's businesses.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a national organization with local affiliates that -- through its generations of support for crony capitalism -- has stood for a perverted notion of individual opportunity and free enterprise.

The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce's lavish feting of Miller on February 7, 2007 will be a good opportunity to reflect on the institutions and myths that separate those attending the festivities from those of us who won't.

Yours in liberty,

Rob Latham, Chairman
Libertarian Organizing Committee