Make Iran Great Again?
Why Iran’s Rage Won’t Set It Free: A Tocqueville Warning A Tocqueville Liberty Institute Analysis By Colonel Pete The dream of a free, secular, and prosperous Persia…
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Writing on the three legs of liberty — faith, commerce, and civics — and what Tocqueville still has to teach a republic under strain.
New essays now publish on our Substack. Everything below is the archive from 2025–2026.
Podcast Episode: Make Iran Great Again?
Pip: The Tocqueville Liberty Institute — where the nineteenth century’s sharpest observer of democracy gets applied to the twenty-first century’s messiest problems…
Read moreRepealing the Seventeenth Amendment: Restoring the Republic’s Guardrails
The Seventeenth Amendment was sold to Americans as a Progressive Era triumph of democracy. Before 1913, state legislatures chose senators. The direct election of…
Read moreThe President Who Pushed Me Into Bitcoin Wasn’t Who You’d Expect —
It Was George W. Bush By Colonel Pete Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel | Founder, Tocqueville Liberty Institute The man who inspired my first Bitcoin purchase wasn’t a…
Read moreWas FDR the first American communist?
Sen. Mike Lee recently challenged the widespread ranking of Franklin D. Roosevelt as the “greatest” U.S. president. For years, I have shared this skepticism. FDR’s New…
Read moreCivic Duty: The Third Leg of a Stable Democracy
Published on TheTocque.org A three-legged stool is one of the most elegant structures in all of engineering. Remove one leg, and the entire thing collapses — not…
Read moreThe Faith Leg – Why Liberty Needs Belief
Alexis de Tocqueville saw in 1835 that American liberty stands on a three-legged stool: faith, economics, and civics. The faith leg is the moral foundation. Without…
Read moreLiberty’s Three-Legged Stool
Imagine a stool with three legs. It looks simple, but it’s actually very clever. As long as all three legs are strong and equal, the stool stands steady. Shorten or…
Read moreThe Commerce Leg of Liberty: Why Sound Money Matters More Than Ever
I’m wrapping up the Bitcoin Conference 2026 today, and one truth keeps ringing louder than ever: sound money is the commerce leg of liberty’s three-legged stool. Alexis…
Read moreTaiwan’s Untold Story: Part 2 – Post-War Turmoil and the Road to Democracy
Introduction Welcome back to Taiwan’s Untold Story, a three-part series from the Tocqueville Liberty Institute. I’m your host, Colonel Pete, and in this second…
Read moreTaiwan’s Untold Story Part 1 – From Indigenous Roots to Colonial Transitions
Introduction Welcome to Taiwan’s Untold Story, a three-part series exploring the rich and often overlooked history of Taiwan. I’m your host from the Tocqueville Liberty…
Read moreFractional Reserve Banking: How It Legally Plunders Wealth from Americans
Introduction Welcome to the Tocqueville Liberty Institute! I’m your host, Colonel Pete, and today we’re tackling a topic that impacts your money every day, yet most…
Read moreLiberty and Bitcoin: The Genesis of the Tocqueville Liberty Institute
Introduction Hello, I’m Colonel Pete, the founder and president of the Tocqueville Liberty Institute. In this blog post, I’ll share the story of why I founded the…
Read moreUnderstanding Patriotism: Principles and Emotions
Being patriotic for many is an emotional feeling for one’s country. To me it’s more than that. Yes, I do get emotional at times when a rousing anthem or patriotic…
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