Volume 12, Number 15 | August 9, 2007
The Liberator Online
Contents
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE ADVOCATES
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
PERSUASION POWER POINT
#232
ASK DR. RUWART
PRODUCT REVIEW
Dear friends, Here's some great news -- and a great way for many Liberator Online readers to advance the cause of liberty. The Advocates has brought the World's Smallest Political Quiz to Facebook! Facebook is the incredibly popular and highly influential social networking site - with 25 million-plus users. We were one of the first organizations in the world to take up Facebook's offer to let outside organizations provide applications ("apps") and services to their readers. We created a World's Smallest Political Quiz application within Facebook -- and it's already a smash success. Over 1,000 people *per day* are now taking the Quiz at Facebook, and it's one of the most popular of all the political apps. A big Advocates "Thank you!" to the programming wizardry of Beau Gunderson! Now Facebook users can use the Quiz
*within Facebook* to spread the ideas of Perhaps you can help us make this an avalanche for liberty! FACEBOOK USERS: Help us make MAXIMUM USE
of the Quiz at Facebook. Please click NOT FAMILIAR WITH FACEBOOK? Click here to
learn more about it, why you might NOT INTERESTED IN FACEBOOK?: Even so, I
think you will be happy to learn about I think you'll be as excited as I am
about the innovative way we're bringing * * * This week -- August 11-15 -- I will have the honor of attending, and speaking at, the International Society for Individual Liberty's 26th WORLD FREEDOM SUMMIT. This event will be held in historic Williamsburg, Virginia -- the very place where the seeds of liberty planted 400 years ago in 1607 took root and grew into the United States of America. The theme of the conference: "The Refounding of America." There is a truly stellar line-up of
speakers and activities, including Liberator Online columnist Dr. Mary
Luxurious accommodations, meals, a tour of Colonial Williamsburg and much more are included in the conference package! Also, day rates are available for those who might be able only to attend for a partial conference. * * * For full details on the speakers
and conference program, go to: ISIL is a wonderful organization, linking thousands of libertarians on every continent together. This is their first conference in the United States since 1990. ISIL's conferences are legendary, life-changing events. This promises to be an grand experience. My speech will be "Sticking It To The State -- Linking Libertarianism to the 'Stickiness Revolution.'" We'll explore a new model that explains why some ideas take off and spread like wildfire, while other ideas simply die a quiet death. Could this model provide the path for a REAL BREAKTHROUGH for libertarianism? * * * FREE STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS TO ISIL SUMMIT! As we go to press ISIL still has openings for a few scholarships to attend the conference. Almost all room space is gone, but a few attendance slots are still open. But ACT FAST! (Scholarship includes ALL COSTS except your transportation.) Please contact ISIL scholarship chairman Richard Venable at mailto:Sufficit@aol.com for more information. * * * Welcome to 195 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: Great Summer Sale! 15% off ALL MERCHANDISE in our online catalog! Books, CDs, DVDs, T-shirts, Quiz cards, OPH kits... EVERYTHING! (The
only exceptions are
You can browse the catalog and place your order from here: (PLEASE NOTE: The prices you'll see at our catalog are our *regular*
prices. If you prefer to order by phone or mail, please see "Product Review" at the end of this issue. Great bargains -- and a GREAT WAY to support the Advocates! Thank you!
What's Happening With The Advocates * Summer time is the perfect time
for Operation Politically Homeless (OPH) libertarian outreach! Learn how
this acclaimed "event in a kit" can help you discover dozens or even
hundreds of libertarian-leaning folks in your community. Details here: * New "Libertarian Celebrity and VIPs"
profiles: We've been updating and * Sharon Harris in LP NEWS: Advocates President Sharon Harris
is now writing a column on successful libertarian communication for
Libertarian Party News, the monthly newspaper of America's third-largest
political party. You can read back issues of LP News, and learn more
about the Libertarian Party, at their Web site: ******
by James W. Harris August 2 marked the 70th anniversary of federal marijuana prohibition. On that day in 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the deceptively-titled Marijuana Tax Act (actually a prohibition measure) into law. The bill was passed after a Congressional "debate" that reads like a Marx Brothers (Groucho or Karl, your choice) screenplay. That half-baked "debate" was preceded by a federal campaign of outrageous lies, racism, and utter claptrap. So how's that working for us, seventy years later? "It's h MPP points out: * Federal government estimates indicate that marijuana use has increased approximately 4,000 percent since the Marijuana Tax Act took effect. * A study by researcher Jon Gettman, Ph.D., published in December 2006 and based on government data, found marijuana to be the country's number-one cash crop, exceeding the value of corn and wheat combined. * The federally funded Monitoring the Future survey reports that approximately 85 percent of high school seniors describe marijuana as "easy to get" -- a figure that has remained virtually unchanged since the survey began in 1975. * In 2005 (the most recent figures available), U.S. law enforcement made an all-time record 786,545 marijuana arrests -- 89 percent for possession, not sale or trafficking. We could add more. Marijuana prohibition is a giant federal subsidy to criminal gangs. It keeps a proven therapeutic substance out of the hands of untold thousands of desperately sick people who, doctors and researchers agree, could benefit from it. It wastes precious law enforcement and criminal justice resources. All this for an impossible ban of a substance that is safer than alcohol or tobacco. And finally, in a country allegedly based on individual liberty, the idea that people can't grow, smoke, and sell a common plant, is outrageous. "Marijuana prohibition is easily the government's biggest long-term failure since its disastrous experiment with alcohol Prohibition from 1919 to 1933, but the marijuana prohibition disaster just lives on," Kampia said. "It's time to steer a new course and regulate marijuana like we do alcohol." Well said. (Except that we'd like to see alcohol deregulated, too!) (Source: Marijuana Policy Project: * * * Why Do We Need a Surgeon General, Anyway? As the debate ramps up over who should be surgeon general of the United States, the Cato Institute's Michael Tanner asks this very sensible question in the Chicago Tribune: "Do we really need a surgeon general at all?" "When you get right down to it, the surgeon general doesn't do very much. The office was originally established in the 19th Century to ensure medical care for the Navy. For years, surgeon generals labored in quiet obscurity, until C. Everett Koop dragged the old Navy-style uniforms out of mothballs and discovered television. "The truth is, nowadays the surgeon general is little more than the 'national nanny,' nagging us to stop smoking, lose weight, and never leave home without a condom. Tanner notes that President Bush has nominated Dr. James W. Holsinger for the post, because Holsinger is an expert in childhood obesity. However, responds Tanner: "I've been flipping through my copy of the Constitution, and I can't find the part where the federal government is charged with making our kids eat better." Tanner concludes: "There are plenty of private groups that are fully capable of instructing us on how to be healthy, wealthy and wise without government involvement. The American Lung Association can tell us not to smoke. Alcoholics Anonymous can preach sobriety. The American Medical Association can lecture couch potatoes on the benefits of losing weight and exercising more. Planned Parenthood and the Family Research Council can fight it out over when and how we should have sex. Surely someone can deal with overweight children. "Given the government's track record of efficiency, being the nanny for 300 million Americans seems a little beyond its ability." We salute that! (Source: * * * Rolling Stone Magazine: Ethanol Is Dangerous Bulls**t Rolling Stone Magazine: Ethanol is Dangerous Bulls**t >From an article in the current issue of Rolling Stone, perhaps the world's most influential music and youth culture magazine: "[Ethanol] is not just hype -- it's dangerous, delusional bulls**t. "Ethanol doesn't burn cleaner than
gasoline, nor is it cheaper. Our current ethanol production
"So why bother? Because the whole point of corn ethanol is not to solve America's energy crisis, but to generate one of the great political boondoggles of our time. Corn is already the most subsidized crop in America, raking in a total of $51 billion in federal handouts between 1995 and 2005 -- twice as much as wheat subsidies and four times as much as soybeans. Ethanol itself is propped up by hefty subsidies, including a fifty-one-cent-per-gallon tax allowance for refiners. And a study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development found that ethanol subsidies amount to as much as $1.38 per gallon -- about half of ethanol's wholesale market price. "The ethanol boondoggle is largely a tribute to the political muscle of a single company: agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). "Today, ADM is the leading producer of
ethanol, supplying more than 1 billion gallons of the fuel additive last
year. Ethanol is propped up by more than 200 tax breaks and subsidies
worth at least $5.5 billion a year. And ADM continues to give back:
Since 2000, the company has contributed $3.7 million to state and
federal politicians..." * * * Do mentally sound, terminally ill patients have a constitutional right to choose to take promising experimental drugs not yet approved by the FDA? No. Not even if it would save their lives, declared the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, in an 8-2 ruling Tuesday, August 07: "This case presents the question whether the Constitution provides terminally ill patients a right of access to experimental drugs that have passed limited safety trials but have not been proven safe and effective. . . . we conclude that there is no fundamental right 'deeply rooted in this Nation's history and tradition' of access to experimental drugs for the terminally ill . . ." Full FDA testing and approval for a new drug can take up to 10 years -- a long time to wait, if you're terminally ill. The Abigail Alliance for Better Access to Developmental Drugs had argued that dying patients should have access to unapproved medicines that have cleared early safety tests. Ironically, every drug the Abigail Alliance has sought access to over the past six years eventually was approved by the FDA... but too late for many patients. The ruling is bad news for dying patients
who might benefit from promising new drugs. However, perhaps they will
take some comfort, as they suffer and die, in knowing that the FDA
protected them from possible side-effects of drugs that might have saved
their lives. (Sources: LEAVE IT TO THE GOV'T to spend a dime to make a nickel: "At the current specifications for these coins, it costs the government 1.7 cents to make a penny, and 10 cents to make a nickel," says U.S. Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Illinois). -- Washington Times, August 6, 2007: * * * AND NOW SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS:
"Here in America, where it's already possible that the
-- "We're becoming a nation of sheep,"
editorial, Tribune-Georgian: * * * * * * * * ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
"The Refounding of America"! ISIL INTERNATIONAL LIBERTARIAN WORLD FREEDOM CONFERENCE August 11-15, 2007 -- in historic Williamsburg, Virginia, the birthplace of America. * Great speakers! Legendary surroundings! Don't Miss It! Check out the
FABULOUS
line-up of speakers and more!
SOME FREE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS STILL AVAILABLE!
APPLY
IMMEDIATELY! ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Catch Them Saying Something Right by Michael Cloud "Catch people doing something right," Blanchard and Johnson teach us in 'The One Minute Manager.' Look for it. Notice it. Acknowledge it. Appreciate it. Affirm it. Celebrate it. Reinforce and reward the behavior you do
want. Ignore the behavior you don't With most people, under most circumstances, this is a very effective approach to getting more of the behavior you want. But most of us do the opposite. We look for what people are doing wrong. We catch people doing something wrong. We dwell on what they're doing wrong. And we scold, threaten, and punish them for it. It makes them feel bad. It makes us feel bad. And it usually doesn't work. Why not try something that makes you feel good, them feel good, and usually does work? Catch people doing something right. Make it your mission, your cause, and your calling. You will be effective and you will be cherished. While you're at it, how would you like to have the same results with your libertarian conversations? Would you like your libertarian conversations to feel good for you, feel good for those you talk with, and make people more receptive and responsive to your libertarian ideas? Catch people *saying* something right. That's right, catch people saying something pro-liberty. Something pro-free market. Something pro-small government. Catch them saying something libertarian. It doesn't have to be 100% perfect. Blanchard and Johnson tell us to begin by catching them saying something almost right. Something that's mostly free market. Something close to small government or private property or individual responsibility. Because when people's almost desirable behavior or speech is recognized and rewarded, they soon move to desirable behavior or speech. "The deepest principle in human nature is
the craving to be appreciated," A close second is the desire to be acknowledged. So look and listen for pro-freedom
insights and remarks from your family, friends, and co-workers. Notice
their tax cut comments. Acknowledge their conclusions that government is
too big. Appreciate their suggestion that we ought to reduce or remove a
Big Government program. Affirm their desire to make government small.
Celebrate their intention to vote to End the Income Catch them saying something right about individual liberty and small government. You will soon find them saying a lot more things right. And doing something right. Doing something to advance the cause of individual liberty and small government. * * * * * * * * 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: Assuming that the right to property has already been justified, how do libertarians justify specific property boundaries? In other words, whether I own my house because I mixed my labor with it, created it, or claimed it first, how do we get from there to a claim that "the nice and neat 1-acre square surrounding it is justifiably mine"? MY SHORT ANSWER: The classical way that homesteading occurred in the American West was quite simple. People marked their boundaries. These boundaries were recognized as legitimate unless someone could demonstrate prior claim. In case of disputes, the parties either worked it out or asked someone to mediate. When all were in agreement, the government recognized the boundaries formally with a deed. In many of today's Third World nations, by contrast, government never gave homesteaders a deed. Although people create their own paper titles and sell "their" property, without legal title, they cannot use it as collateral for loans. They improve it as little as possible, since the government could one day evict them. Researcher Hernando de Soto, in his acclaimed book, "The Mystery of Capital," points out that the "poor" of the Third World actually hold valuable property but are unable to utilize it fully without legal title. When he helps people jump through the miles of red tape necessary to obtain clear title to their homesteaded land, property values often double overnight. Making it difficult to obtain clear title to their land is just another way in which Third World governments impoverish their people. * * * QUESTION: How would I, as a pagan, fit into the libertarian movement? I see a lot of talk about libertarianism and Christianity, but little on my religion. MY SHORT ANSWER: A libertarian is someone who believes in individual freedom and responsibility. Libertarians refrain from physical force, theft, or fraud except in self-defense. If they violate this "Good Neighbor Policy," they compensate their victims to make them as whole as possible. Clearly, people of all faiths and persuasions can and do practice these principles. In its early years, the modern libertarian movement attracted a disproportionately large number of atheists, because some influential libertarian spokespeople were heavily influenced by Ayn Rand, who was an atheist. Many of these early libertarians believed, erroneously, that Christians couldn't be libertarians. As a result, libertarians who were
Christians, or who understood the concerns of Christians, engaged in
educational efforts to correct this -- and to reach out to other
Christians with the ideas of liberty. (The Advocates for Self-Government
was a pioneer in this effort, and created material such as "Discovering
Self-Government: A Bible-Based Study Guide" You might enjoy this article by
libertarian and pagan Kathryn A. Graham: I have personally met libertarians who are pagans. When you become involved in the libertarian movement, I'm sure you'll meet them too! * * * * * * * * 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
Don't Begin with an Apology by Sharon Harris, Advocates President
Once you've given them an honest, positive description of libertarianism they'll be able to clearly see the benefits of liberty. And if they hear negative things about libertarianism, or have concerns, they can ask you -- or, even better, they'll correct the misconceptions themselves! ******** See more One-Minute Liberty Tips! •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
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Contents copyrighted © The Advocates for Self-Government,, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization. Donations tax-deductible in U.S. All rights reserved. |
Ruwart
and Advocates board member Dr. James Lark III. Visit here
shipping, applicable taxes, seminars, and magazine
subscriptions, whose price we do not control.) 
ard to think of a more
spectacularly bad, long-term policy failure than our government's
70-year war on marijuana users," said Rob Kampia, executive director of
the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) in Washington, D.C. "Since the
federal government banned marijuana in 1937, it's gone from being an
obscure plant that few Americans had even heard of to the number-one
cash crop in the United States." 
represents
only 3.5 percent of our gasoline consumption -- yet it consumes twenty
percent of the entire U.S. corn crop, causing the price of corn to
double in the last two years and raising the threat of hunger in the
Third World. And the increasing acreage devoted to corn for ethanol
means less land for other staple crops, giving farmers in South America
an incentive to carve fields out of tropical forests that help to cool
the planet and stave off global warming. 
government is
reading your mail, listening to your phone conversations and
intercepting you Internet communications, all without a warrant; where
it's possible to be declared an "enemy combatant" and deprived of due
process indefinitely; and where the president has assumed the power to
declare martial law and use the military as a domestic police force when
and if he sees fit, the addition of a wide array of surveillance cameras
is just one more insult to the Founding Fathers' ideal of America and to
the America that so many have fought and died for throughout our
history." 
honest!"
