Volume 12, Number 13 | July 12, 2007
The Liberator Online
Contents
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE ADVOCATES
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
PERSUASION POWER POINT
#230
ASK DR. RUWART
PRODUCT REVIEW
Dear friends, The Ron Paul for President campaign is the hottest political campaign on the Web. It's a genuine, grassroots phenomenon. Whether or not you personally support Congressman Paul, it is exciting to see the passion and enthusiasm for libertarian ideas the Ron Paul campaign is igniting. Whenever there is a mention of Ron Paul on the Web -- a news story, a blog entry, a video, a commentary -- you'll find lots of comments from loyal Ron Paul supporters. Literally millions of people will be reading Web comments about the Paul campaign, as well as other libertarian campaigns and issues. The power of the Web gives us an incredible outreach opportunity! As a non-partisan, non-profit educational organization, we don't endorse candidates or campaigns. But we DO believe strongly in the importance of good libertarian communication. Here are some guidelines on making your Web comments (concerning any issue or candidate) as effective and powerful as possible -- while avoiding common pitfalls that may turn people off to our ideas. 1) Always be polite! Remember, when you write or speak about libertarianism, you are an ambassador for the libertarian movement. You may be the very first libertarian many people encounter. If your comments are rude, vulgar, or otherwise off-putting, many people will think all libertarians are like this. You only get one chance to make a good first impression. And a bad impression may never be corrected. 2) Thank the person for covering the candidate or issue. Even if you disagree with the presentation, that person took the time to write, raising the issue and making further debate possible. It may not always be possible to say thank-you, if the coverage is obviously malicious. But most of the time, that's not the case. Bite your tongue and grit your teeth if you have to. 3) DON'T WRITE IN ALL CAPS! THIS IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING ON THE WEB! MANY PEOPLE FIND IT OFFENSIVE AND OBNOXIOUS AND NUTTY! USE CAPS SPARINGLY! 4) If you like the commentary, say so! Writers seldom get praise for the good work they do. They get far more criticism. If you can find cause for honest praise, be generous with it. They will appreciate it. 5) If you don't agree entirely, but can find an honest point of agreement, say so. We want to praise people when they get part of our message right. 6) If you disagree with something the commentator says, express your disagreement in polite, respectful language. And give facts and sources to back up your argument. 7) Don't accuse the commentator of being a tool of the evil corporate statist mass media, or some other sinister conspiracy group. Even if they are. :) 8) Don't be overly sensitive. If the article or video is largely favorable, or fair and neutral, it's a plus for your candidate or cause. Don't slam a generally favorable piece because of a few errors or disagreements. 9) Don't spam -- don't write multiple responses on a particular topic, and don't send responses under multiple false names. Ron Paul supporters have been widely accused, unfairly I believe, of spamming. Spamming harms your cause. The Web world hates spamming. Don't do it. 10) Don't troll (fish for arguments, pick unnecessary fights, be deliberately inflammatory, etc.). The Web world hates trolls and trolling. Don't do it. 11) Be articulate. Use correct grammar and spelling. 12) Provide links to reliable sources so readers can learn more about the issue or candidate. 13) Keep it brief. That gives you a much better chance of being read. 14) Consider thanking the commentator again in the closing. 15) Finally, think before you hit the "Post" button. Do a quick proof-read. Check your message against the guidelines above. Is your tone fair, intelligent, and persuasive? Will your message do our cause good -- or harm? Obviously, these guidelines won't all apply to every situation, But you get the idea. Here's an example of these guidelines in action. It's a little dry, because it lacks the personal touch you'll bring: ==================
================== Good, informative online comments can tremendously boost our cause, inform readers, and win more coverage for our ideas. Plus, good comments can drown out the inevitable obnoxious voices who, knowingly or not, hurt our cause rather than help it. * * * Welcome to 239 new Liberator Online subscribers this issue. Thanks for joining our subscription "family" of over 69,000 liberty-loving readers in more than 100 countries! To learn more about the Advocates and our work for
liberty: To learn more about libertarianism: -- Sharon Harris, President | Email: sharon@TheAdvocates.org PS: Thomas Paine said it: "Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it." We have GREAT GIFTS for you, if you can make a generous donation to the Advocates right now. It's vacation time. And unfortunately, donations take
a vacation too. Right now Will you take just a moment right now and make a
sizeable donation to the Here's our secure donation page: GREAT GIFTS for YOU! We've reserved some great gifts
for you as our thank-you Please support the world-changing work of the Advocates with a generous donation. It's an investment in liberty that will pay handsome returns right now and for decades to come. Thank you!
What's Happening With The Advocates * Republican Liberty Caucus Success with OPH: The RLC, an explicitly libertarian caucus within the Republican Party, had a booth at the National Young Republicans Convention, July 4-8, in Hollywood, FL. They used the Advocates' Operation Politically Homeless (OPH), which incorporates our World's Smallest Political Quiz, to make their booth grab attention and draw visitors. According to the RLC, the Quiz "was the highlight of the exhibit booth." Among those visiting the booth, and taking the Quiz was Cristian Mihai Adomnitei, the minister of education for Romania. Congratulations, RLC! A photo of the RLC OPH booth in action, with Cristian Mihai Adomnitei taking the Quiz, is currently on our home page. Check it out, and learn more about the amazing drawing power of OPH. * One-Minute Liberty Tips Now Online: Got a minute?
Make it a Liberty Minute! Sharon Harris's popular nuggets of
communication wisdom from her Liberator Online column have been compiled
online. Check it out: ******
by James W. Harris Glen Jacobs is a world-famous American professional wrestler who wrestles under the name "Kane" for the SmackDown! brand of World Wrestling Entertainment. He also played the lead in the 2006 horror movie "See No Evil." Jacobs is also a libertarian -- in fact, as he recently told the libertarian radio talk show Free Talk Live, he's a "big-time libertarian." He's a member of New Hampshire's libertarian Free State Project and the Libertarian Party. "Big-time" is probably a good way to describe anything
Jacobs is involved in -- the guy's a nearly seven- The movie "See No Evil" was released by Lions Gate Films on May 19, 2006. Jacobs stars as the hulking Jacob Goodnight, a character he describes as "an extremely large, violent, sadistic sociopath." Critics generally panned the slasher / gross-out flick, but some gore-movie fans gave it a thumbs-up and there are reports of spontaneous cheering and applause in theaters. Most importantly in the movie business, it was a financial success, and Jacobs has reportedly signed a contract for a sequel. Jacobs has wrestled under several ring names, but the Kane character (AKA "The Big Red Machine" and "The Big Red Monster") is his biggest success. Jacobs' great passion for liberty is evident in his eloquent endorsement of Barry Hess, Libertarian Party candidate for governor of California. Jacobs speaks of "the principles of individual freedom, personal responsibility, and small government..." and praises Hess for his belief that "the government should keep its hands off your property... your money is yours to keep, not the government's to spend... you, not the government, should be in charge of your children's education... the government is not a vehicle by which other individuals can impose their values on you." We've reported in past issues on another world-famous and solidly libertarian WWE wrestler, Sean Morley AKA Val Venis. Is a libertarian tag-team in the making? (Sources: * * * The War Against Un-American U.S. Flags Starting Jan. 1, 2008, it will be a crime -- punishable by a $1,000 fine or three months in the slammer -- for retailers in the free state of Minnesota to sell a U.S. flag made outside America. It will not surprise savvy Liberator Online readers to learn that this law is strongly supported by the Flag Manufacturers' Association of America.
In Tennessee all U.S. flags bought with tax dollars must be U.S.-made. And similar bills are being considered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Still, for its harshness and invasiveness, the Minnesota law is the worst (so far) and it has generated news stories around the world. The libertarian Foundation for Economic Education summed the whole mess up nicely in a three-word analysis: "This is embarrassing." (Sources: Irish Independent newspaper * * * Millions For Jet The Pentagon Doesn't Want Thanks to the government, pigs will fly. Or at least, pork will. Reports the Boston Globe: "For the second year in a row the Pentagon has insisted that it doesn't need another engine for its next-generation fighter jet. And again, Senator Edward M. Kennedy and other powerful lawmakers are forcing it to build one anyway. "Tucked in the annual defense bill moving through Congress is $480 million to develop a spare engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter even though the Air Force concluded in 2005 that it was redundant -- and two independent review boards agreed. "That didn't trump pork-barrel politics. ... Last month, Kennedy personally "earmarked" $100 million for the engine. "Other lawmakers whose home states could also benefit inserted the rest of the funding." (Source: Boston Globe, July 6, 2007. * * * "Cost of Government Day" 2007: How Long Did You Work for the Government? Each year the anti-tax group Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) calculates "Cost of Government Day." ATR defines that as "the date of the calendar year on which the average American worker has earned enough gross income to pay off his or her share of spending and regulatory burdens imposed by government on the federal, state and local levels." This year's Cost of Government Day arrived (at last!) on July 11. That's two days later than last year. And it's a full 11 days later than 2000. Says ATR: "With July 11th as Cost of Government Day, working people must toil on average 192 days out of the year just to meet all the costs imposed by government. In other words, the cost of government consumes 52.6 percent of national income." Observes economist Mark Perry of the excellent Carpe Diem blog: "Isn't it sobering and ironic that we celebrate our freedom from King George III on July 4, which is more than a full week before we're free from Uncle Sam?" (Sources: Americans for Tax Reform: * * * * * * * * "It's the people vs. the government." Sounds like a libertarian bumper sticker, doesn't it? But that phrase is from the title of a June 30 CNN.com story by CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider. The story describes new polls showing the American people are fed up with President Bush, Congress, and government and politics and politicians in general. "President Bush is doing terribly -- an average of 30 percent job approval in six recent polls," Schneider reports. But "Congress is doing worse -- 25 percent on the average in five polls." And what about the Democratic and Republican parties? Voters give them thumbs down, too. "Just a bare majority of Americans now holds a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party (51 percent). But only 36 percent like the Republicans. That's the Republican Party's second-lowest rating in 15 years." Different factors -- some libertarian, some not -- play into this raging distrust of the federal Leviathan. Voters are fed up over the Iraq War, mishandling of immigration, political corruption, abuse of political power, and more. "Americans don't believe that their government is representing them, is acting on their behalf," said Sen. Jon Kyl, (R-Arizona) in the article. "The polls show it." Here's another bumper sticker statement from the article: "The new dynamic in American politics right now isn't Democrat versus Republican. ... The new dynamic is the people versus the government." Sounds like fertile ground for libertarian ideas! (Source: CNN.com: THEN AND NOW: "First, picture the material standard of
living you could have afforded back in 1979 with the median [U.S.]
household income then of $16,461. Now picture the mix of goods and
services you could buy in 2004 with the median income of $44,389. Which
is the better deal? Only the most blinkered ideologue could fail to see
the dramatic expansion of comforts, conveniences and opportunities that
the contemporary family enjoys." -- "The Culture Gap," Brink Lindsey,
Cato Institute, July 10, 2007. * * * HEY, YOU CAN ALWAYS VOLUNTEER: "When a campaigner
tells you in his speech that he thinks taxes should be raised, smile
sweetly and ask him how much he added to his tax bill last year. After
all, if he thinks you should pay more taxes shouldn't he already be
doing so voluntarily himself?" -- Tim Worstall, TCS Daily. * * * * * * * *
Think Small -- and Change the World by Michael Cloud The American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson, Tom Paine, George Washington, Sam Adams, Patrick Henry, and a handful more. "Common Sense," the "shot heard 'round the world," the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere's ride, the Declaration of Independence, Yorktown, and more. When you think of the American Revolution, do you think of the major figures and the major events? Do you think of a few key individuals? Of a few critical events? I do. Most people do. It's understandable. History is usually written in terms of the Great Men and the Great Events. But to focus only on the vital few is to miss 80% of the truth. Maybe 90%. Because the vital few, the great men and women, the key events were indispensable and necessary to what happened -- but they were *not* sufficient to make it happen. Without the vital, indispensable small actions of many forgotten individuals, the great events would have faltered, fizzled, and failed. Consider "Common Sense" by Tom Paine. The pamphlet that ignited the American Revolution. Tom Paine wrote it. That was indispensable and necessary for "Common Sense" to galvanize the American colonists. But it was not enough. What if no one had published it? It would have died stillborn. It would have changed nothing. But someone did publish it. 120,000 copies in 3 months. 500,000 by year's end. What if no one had marketed and sold these 120,000 copies? What if readers had failed to recommend and promote "Common Sense"? What if there were no word-of-mouth urging others to buy it and read it? It would have been used to light fireplaces, rather than ignite the American Revolution. It would be forgotten. And would have made no difference. We do not know the names of the individuals who made "Common Sense" a bestseller. But we do know that without their small individual actions, we might have had no American Revolution. One person read "Common Sense" and enthusiastically recommended it to a brother, a sister, a neighbor, or a friend. He thought small. He took small actions. And reached a handful of people. Some of those who read it did the same thing. Each urged a father, a mother, a co-worker, or a fellow church member to buy and read "Common Sense." Some did. And like those before them, they engaged in positive word-of-mouth. These individual small actions cost little or no money -- and took little or no time. Individually, each was small. Yet they set in motion multiple chains of events. Multiple influences. With them, the American Revolution was possible. Without them, American liberty and independence might never have been. Big results. From each person thinking small. Taking small actions. Reaching small numbers. Think small -- and change the world. One small action: Hand out 10 copies of the World's Smallest Political Quiz to people you know -- and ask them to take the Quiz. One small action: If 1 or 2 or 4 or 6 of them score in the Libertarian quadrant, tell them that there is a growing movement of people who agree with them. And ask if they would like to hear more about it. One small action: Invite them to sign up for the Liberator Online. Ask them to read a few issues and tell you what they like best. One small action: Call them a couple of days after the latest Liberator Online comes out, and talk with them about the essays and articles. Which ideas do they find interesting, intriguing, or captivating? One small action: After they become more familiar and comfortable with libertarian ideas, recommend one of the libertarian books that the Advocates sells. Ask them to buy it and read it. American colonists did *not* have to write "Common Sense" -- to use it to change the world. You do *not* have to write "Libertarianism in One Lesson" (by David Bergland) -- to use it to change the world. You do *not* have to write "Why Government Doesn't Work" (by Harry Browne) -- to use it to change the world. You do *not* have to write "Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion" (by Michael Cloud) -- to use it to change the world. Think small. Start small. Work small. For liberty. You can change the world. * * * * * * * * In 2000, Michael was honored with the Thomas Paine Award as the Most
Persuasive Libertarian Communicator in America.
BUILDING THE CASE FOR LIBERTY
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Dr. Mary Ruwart is a leading expert in libertarian communication. In this column she offers short answers to real questions about libertarianism. To submit questions to Dr. Ruwart, see end of column. * * * QUESTION: One of my main objections to libertarianism is that it would eliminate what I believe to be the legitimate use of government, which is to temper absolute, ruthless capitalism. I fear libertarian society would make it OK for business owners to discriminate in hiring and service... that it would leads to home sales that say "No blacks or Hispanics..." Also, I fear that pollution enforcement would be gutted. MY SHORT ANSWER: Our politicians do claim that
government does things like "temper absolute, ruthless capitalism."
However, if you look closely, you'll see For example, the #1 polluter in the U.S. and the world is government at local, state, and national levels. We don't hear much about it because governments usually claim "sovereign immunity," which means that they don't pay compensation even when their victims prevail in court. (For more detail, see Chapter 16 in my book, "Healing Our World," available through The Advocates (2003 edition) or as a free download (1992 edition) at www.ruwart.com. ) A little-known facet of black history is the remarkable progress that many ex-slaves made immediately following the Civil War. Many were elected to Congress, married whites, or had thriving businesses doing the work that Southern gentlemen didn't know how to do. Had this trend continued, discrimination would already be a thing of the past. However, powerful whites who didn't want integration stopped it through legislation that prohibited interracial marriage, made written tests a condition of working in the trades, and forbade the races to use the same public facilities. In a libertarian society, such wholesale discrimination wouldn't be possible, because government wouldn't be empowered to make such laws. Decades of legalized discrimination gave people the idea that blacks were inferior, a prejudice that is only now being overcome. Please note that civil rights activists, willing to lay down their lives, truly changed these attitudes. Our representatives altered the laws in response to the change in public opinion. This didn't stop government agencies from continuing
to discriminate in adoption cases, however. Public agencies refused to
place black children with eager white parents, leaving them to grow up,
feeling unloved and unwanted, in a sequence of foster homes. Adoption is
probably the single most effective way to blend two societies. The
government, however, refused to allow this natural integration. It ended
only when the libertarian Institute for Justice, Freedom may permit individuals to discriminate, but it prevents wholesale discrimination from being nationalized. Minorities have much more to fear from the latter than the former. * * * * * * * * Due to volume, Dr. Ruwart can't personally acknowledge all emails. But we'll run the best questions and answers in upcoming issues. Dr. Ruwart's previous Liberator Online answers are archived in searchable form at: http://www.TheAdvocates.org/ruwart/categories_list.php Dr. Ruwart's outstanding books "Healing Our World" and "Short Answers
to the Tough Questions" are available from the Advocates:
http://www.TheAdvocates.org/Merchant2/merchant.mv
"Cross-Dressing" for Liberty by Sharon Harris, Advocates President What if you want to convince a conservative friend that the War on Drugs should end? Suppose you want to persuade a liberal relative that anti-gun laws are a bad idea? You'll likely get nowhere talking with the conservative about civil liberties and the right of an individual to decide what goes into his body. And you may scare the liberal half to death if you start talking about bearing arms. There's a better way. Dubbed "political cross-dressing" by persuasion coach and author Michael Cloud, it dramatically increases your chances of changing someone's mind. (And no, it doesn't require changing your clothes.) The key is to tailor your message to your audience. Think about the specific concerns of the person you're talking to. Conservatives are typically concerned about law and order and about economic issues. Liberals are typically concerned about civil rights and taking care of those less fortunate. Fortunately, libertarian solutions address ALL of these concerns. To the conservative, talk about the tremendous cost of the drug war, the fact that it actually causes more crime, that it diverts law enforcement resources away from fighting violent crime, and that it actually makes drugs more available to children. To the liberal, present the idea that guns can -- and often do -- protect the weakest among us. Talk about guns being "equalizers" for women, give examples of totalitarian governments disarming citizens, show gun ownership as a civil liberty. So lead with your strong suit! You'll start out on the
same page as your listeners, and they'll be much more open to seeing the
issue from a different perspective. See more One-Minute Liberty Tips! •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
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foot-tall mountain of
muscle. He was a record-setting basketball player and NCAA all-star at
Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman University) in the late
1980s, before switching to football, where he was equally impressive.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in English he almost had a
shot at playing for the Chicago Bears, but concerns over a college knee
injury ended that. Pro-football's loss became pro wrestling's gain, as
Jacobs has risen to become one of the WWE's most popular figures.
But let's not pick too harshly on Minnesota. In
Arizona, flags in schools and colleges must be U.S.-made. 
