Walter Block's essays on reparations

Economics Political Theory
1

On LewRockwell.com today, within Dr. Block’s article ‘J’Accuse’ he links to several older essays of his on reparations (for slavery), of which he is moderately in favor of.

http://tinyurl.com/2b75fl

There doesnt seem to be any definate libertarian position on it (that I am aware of). I admit, I was taken back by these, being from a family who did own slaves. But it does beg the question - how far do we go back, to find what property may or may not have been ill-gotten 300 years ago? Will many of us in the US constantly be defending ourselves from Indian land claims in a libertarian society? Should there be a statue of limitations on this sort of thing?

2

I would be in favor of reparations from slaveowners to newly emancipated slaves; this would actually be compensation for the tort of false imprisonment. But reparations from people who never owned slaves to people who never were slaves makes no sense. It would be an ex post facto law, and corruption of blood. There is no logical starting point or stopping point on reparations for wrongs done to ancestors.