Honest opinion about government from James J. Kilpatrick, Jr.:
The one great, precious factor that distinguishes a free society from a totalitarian society is the absence of unwarranted governmental restraint upon the free man. Within the broadest possible limits the free man may work as he pleases, come and go as he pleases, think, read, write, vote, and worship as he pleases. His liberties, of course, are not absolute…but…extend to the point at which Citizen A causes some serious loss, risk, or inconvenience to Citizen B.
The Smut Peddlars, 1960I had supposed it to be a fundamental principle of conservatism to challenge every doubtful intrusion of the state upon the freedom of the individual. The more serious the intrusion, the more it must be resisted. Only the most compelling interests of society can justify a major invasion by the government of a person's rights to be left alone…. If these are not fundamental principles of conservatism, I have wasted thirty years in the contemplation of that philosophy.
National Review, 1967
A prolific columnist and author, James J. Kilpatrick began his long writing career as a newspaper reporter, then became an editorial writer, and later a syndicated columnist (currently syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate). He has been a television commentator, won numerous awards (including the Medal of Honor for Distinguished Service in Journalism from the University of Missouri), and written several books, including The Sovereign State (1957), The Smut Peddlars (1960), and The Writer's Art (1984).
Quotation and short bio from The Quotable Conservative: The Giants of Conservatism on Liberty, Freedom, Individual Responsibility, and Traditional Values. Rod L. Evans and Irwin M. Berent, editors. Holbrook, Mass.: Adams Publishing, 1996.