December

468 Jamaica: No Free Market, No Miracle James Bovard Autarky as an economic policy has kept this country an island paradise lost. 473 Native Americans: Victims of Bureaucracy Michael Adamson American Indian policy has promoted government-guaranteed security over freedom. 477 The Polish Underground Lawrence W. Reed A firsthand account of the nature and effectiveness of those who oppose the Communist government in Poland. 481 A Reviewer's Notebook John Chamberlain A review of "The Politics of Unemployment" by Hans F. Sennholz. 483 Index for 1987 Compiled by Bettina Bien Greaves CONTENTS DECEMBER 1987 VOL. 37 NO. 12 THEFREEMAN IDEAS ON LIBERTY Published by The Foundation for Economic Education Irvington-on-Hudson, NY'10533 President of the Board: Robert D. Love Vice-President of Operations: Robert G. Anderson Senior Editors: Beth A. Hoffman Brian Summers Book Review Editor: Edmund A. Opitz Contributing Editors: Bettina Bien Greaves Jacob G. Hornberger Paul L. Poirot The Freeman is the monthly publication of The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc., Irvington-on-Hudson, NY 10533 (914) 591-7230.

FEE, founded in 1946 by Leonard E. Read, is a nonpolitical educational champion of private property, the free market, and limited govern ment. FEE is classified as a 26 USC 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization. Other officers of FEE's Board of Trustees are: Bruce M. Evans, chairman; Thomas C. Stevens, vice-chairman; Joseph E. Coberly, Jr., vice-president; Don L. Foote, secretary; Lovett C. Peters, treasurer. The costs of Foundation projects and services are met through donations. Donations are invited in any amount. Subscriptions to The Freeman are available to any interested person in the United States for the asking. Single copies $1.00; 10 or more, 50 cents each. For foreign delivery, a do nation of $10.00 a year is required to cover direct mailing costs. Copyright © 1987 by The Foundation for Eco nomic Education, Inc. Printed in U.S.A. Permis sion is granted to reprint any article in this issue, except "The Ancient Suicide of the West,"

provided appropriate credit is given and two copies of the reprinted material are sent to The Foundation. Bound volumes of The Freeman are available from the Foundation for calendar years 1969 to date. Earlier volumes as well as current issues are available on microfilm from University Micro films, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. The Freeman considers unsolicited editorial sub missions, but they must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Our author's guide is available on request. PERSPECTIVE The Nutcracker Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite" has brought joy to Christmas audiences for almost a century. The story of the ballet is simple. A little girl receives as a Christmas gift a comical nut cracker. In her dreams he becomes a handsome prince who carries her off to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. There graceful dancers per form to Tchaikovsky's delightful music. When the little girl awakes, her Prince Charming has reverted once more to a comical nutcracker.

But memories of the delightful dream linger on. During the Middle Ages, several centuries before Tchaikovsky wrote his music, most of PERSPECTIVE - John K. Williams them "high." After years of abuse, they be come suicidally "tolerant" of that which is de stroying them. Is it conceivable that a person committed to liberty can learn to "tolerate" viewpoints and practices which are utterly destructive of lib erty-viewpoints and practices one might be tempted to describe as "intolerable"? To put it bluntly, when does "tolerance" of political theorists and activists antagonistic to liberty be come de facto indifference to that antagonism and acquiescence in the erosion of liberty? At its best, "tolerance" hints of an attitude akin to that described by the ancient Greek his torian Thucydides who, in his immortal history of the Peloponnesian War, asserts that citizens of Athens "do not get into a state with [their] next-door neighbor if he enjoys himself in,his own way, nor do [they] give him the kind of black looks which, though they do no real harm, still do hurt people's feelings." That at titude, however, surely rests upon a positive re spect for the autonomy of human beings, and a passionate commitment to defend the political and economic structures that make the exercise of such autonomy possible. "Grudgingly to allow" people to exercise freedom, or mind lessly to acquiesce in actions which erode a people's freedom, misses the heart of the matter!

the people in Europe were ruled by petty princes and lived under the yoke of tyrannical governments. They were not free to move about, to work, to worship, to speak as they chose. Some unknown woodcarvers relieved their resentment of political authority by carving the faces of their rulers in caricature on comical wooden dolls or nutcrackers. So the idea for the lovely "Nutcracker Ballet" stemmed from political satire in an un free society. Out of adversity came joy. -BBG On Tolerance One of the joys of The New York Times is the daily crossword puzzle. A recent clue, how ever, made me pause and think. Clue: "Allow grudgingly." T 0 - - R T -. The answer was obvious: "Tolerate." The verb "to tolerate" and the noun "toler ance" typically loom large in the lexicons of men and women committed to liberty. Yet is tolerance, understood as "allowing grudg ingly," really an adequate term to capture the attitude to other people and their dreams the free society must enshrine? Does not the free society rest upon a positive attitude of respect, even reverence, for the autonomy of individual men and women that goes far beyond a willing ness "grudgingly to allow" people to dream their own dreams and peacefully to act in ways they believe and hope will lead to those dreams coming true?

Hence question one: Is "mere tolerance"-a patronizing, grudging allowance of visions of the "good life" one does not share or particu larly admire-the attitude to other people and their values defenders of the freedom philos ophy espouse? Or is something much more positive involved? A second and more difficult question: How does one distinguish between "tolerance" and ,'indifference' '? Maybe one widespread use of the word "tol erance" might highlight this problem. Over time, drug users develop a tolerance for their poison of preference. It takes ever-increasing doses of heroin or cocaine or alcohol to get Upcoming FEE Regional Seminars January 28 January 29 February 20 March 18 March 19 April 22-24 April 25 Boca Raton Orlando New Orleans Chicago Milwaukee Seattle Portland 444 THEFREEMAN IDEASON LIBERTY Scandals by Joseph S. Fulda I t is impossible to read a newspaper or listen to a newscast nowadays and fail to be im pressed by the degree to which our society is beset by scandals, large and small. This was not always so. There was a time when scandals were infrequent, if not rare, deviations from the norm. In short, they were scandalous. Today, they are the norm-commonplace and ex pected, almost natural.