Howard Zinn Passes Away at 89

Howard Zinn died of a heart attack today at age 89.

Zinn was a prominent anti-war activist in the last half of the twentieth century, speaking out against wars ranging from World War II to the American Civil War to the current war in Afghanistan. Zinn also recently wrote a piece critical of the Nobel's decision to award the Peace Prize to Obama.

“Historically, government, whether in the hands of Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals, has failed its responsibilities until forced to by direct action from the people... Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for direct action by concerned citizens," Zinn wrote back in March 2008.

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Comment: A lot of libertarians - including myself - have significant issues with many of Zinn's positions, but it is indisputable that he was a stalwart against wars, whether conducted by a Democrat or Republican. And I have a gut feeling that if Zinn was growing up as an activist in OUR generation - a generation that has seen, more than any other, the severe abuses of the federal government - he would likely be on the side of Liberty. RIP