Volume 12, Number 18 | October 3, 2007
The Liberator Online
Contents
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
PERSUASION POWER POINT
#235
ASK DR. RUWART
PRODUCT REVIEW
Dear friends, Yesterday I received this email from a Texas high school teacher:
Isn't that great to hear? I love getting email like
that!
Here's another, from Joel W. Cade, a Philosophy instructor at Loyola University, Chicago: "I have found the Quiz to be amazingly accurate and an invaluable tool for my political philosophy courses." For years, the Advocates has been promoting the Quiz to educators. It is wonderful for classrooms, because it stimulates political debate and gives valuable accurate political insights to whomever takes it, regardless of their score. It makes politics come alive for students. In fact, the Quiz is now in the online supplemental material of OVER A DOZEN high school and college textbooks -- including some of America's most popular textbooks, by major publishers including McGraw-Hill, Prentice Hall, W.W. Norton, and Houghton Mifflin. * * * These textbooks are used in thousands of classrooms! * * * One example: "Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy" -- published by Pearson Education, the world's largest educational publisher -- sends students to "take the quiz that will indicate your political ideology." That's right: for untold thousands of students, libertarianism is now part of the curriculum -- and thus part of the political spectrum. What a breakthrough! We reach education leaders and teachers in many ways. Almost every month, through carefully targeted advertising, we promote the Quiz to: * 13,900 public school board presidents. These are the people who decide what is taught in America's classrooms -- and what is NOT. Further, we've sent THOUSANDS of cardstock Quizzes to teachers for classroom use -- at their request. This is breakthrough, world-changing work that is opening the minds of America's future citizens and voters. Instead of being ignored, as in the past, libertarianism is now becoming a vital part of the "political map" taught to students. And that's great news! By the way, if you're an educator, we'll be delighted to send you free Quizzes for your classroom. Just email or call us. Readers, if you think this is valuable work worthy of
your support, I urge you to become part of this educational revolution,
by supporting the Advocates: You can also call us toll-free at 1-800-932-1776. We
depend on your generosity to continue and expand this revolutionary
work. * * * Welcome to 226 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: For a limited time: Buy Mary Ruwart's wonderful book HEALING OUR WORLD -- praised by Ron Paul and other libertarian leaders -- and we'll give you a great CD featuring Mary Ruwart at her best, absolutely FREE! Her book is an acclaimed classic. And the CD "Healing Our World: How Liberty Can Bring About a Safer, Cleaner, More Abundant World for All" is the best and most informative speech I've ever heard Mary give -- and that is high praise indeed. You can learn more in our Product Review at the end of this issue. Or you can order now from: http://www.theadvocates.org/liberator-online-special.html But hurry -- this offer is good through October 17. Your order helps support the vital work of the Advocates. Thank you! PPS: Order now and we'll also send
you a free copy of our new outreach tabloid Discover Liberty!
What's Happening With The Advocates * MICHAEL CLOUD AT ILLINOIS LP CONVENTION, October 12-14: Libertarian communication master and Liberator Online columnist Michael Cloud will be speaking at the Libertarian Party of Illinois 2007 Convention in Rockford, Illinois. Michael will present the best ways to spread the message of liberty in a workshop and at the banquet Saturday night. Michael joins a great line-up of speakers and activities. For more information: http://www.lpillinois.org/convention/index.php * NEW DISCOVER LIBERTY OUTREACH TABLOID:
"Discover Liberty" is a full-color, eye-catching 8-page tabloid. It's a
high quality, attractive and friendly, designed for OPH booth volunteers
to hand out to the public. It's amazingly affordable -- as low as 2.9
cents each. AND we pay shipping! Learn more, and order yours today: * QUIZ ON FACEBOOK: The Advocates has brought the World's Smallest Political Quiz to Facebook, the world's fastest-growing social networking site! Over 1,000 people per day are already using it! FACEBOOK USERS: See how you can use our
new Quiz Facebook app to spread the NOT FAMILIAR WITH FACEBOOK? Click here to learn
more about it, why you might ******
by James W. Harris A startling new Gallup poll finds that Americans now "express less trust in the federal government than at any point in the past decade, and trust in many federal government institutions is now lower than it was during the Watergate era, generally recognized as the low point in American history for trust in government." Gallup has polled Americans about trust in government since 1972. This year's poll, conducted Sept. 14-16, found: * Barely half of Americans, only 51%, say they have a "great deal" or "fair amount" of trust in the federal government to handle international problems -- the lowest number ever. * Less than half -- 47% -- trust the federal government to handle domestic issues -- the lowest percentage since 1976. * Only 43% trust the executive branch. That's only 3% higher than just before President Nixon's resignation in 1974. * Only 50% trust Congress -- the lowest percentage ever. New candidates for office aren't doing much better. * Just 55% of Americans express trust in the "men and women in political life in this country who either hold or are running for public office." That matches the all-time low. This massive distrust of the federal government is echoed in another new poll, conducted by the Associated Press and Ipsos, Sept. 10-12. Among that poll's findings: * Only 33% said they approve of President Bush's overall performance. * Congress fared even worse than Bush. Only 26% approved of Congress's overall performance. * Only 28% think the country is moving in the right direction. The poll indicates that half of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, and large majorities of Democrats and independents, think the country is moving in the wrong direction. These findings are consistent with other Associated Press and Ipsos polls this past year, indicating that the public distrust of the federal government is consistent and long-lasting. Not all of this sentiment is pro-liberty. Some people are mad because the government has failed to successfully implement statist programs, such as national healthcare. On the other hand, much of it is broadly libertarian -- disgust with wars, restrictions on civil liberties, runaway spending, and so on. It's up to libertarians tap into this feeling and use it to win mass support for less government and more liberty. (Sources: Editor and Publisher, and Associated Press:
* * * Reefer Madness: Marijuana Arrests Hit All-Time High In the midst of a world-wide war on terror, limited law enforcement resources, and unprecedented government spending and deficits, our political leaders nevertheless found the time and money to arrest a record number of harmless marijuana smokers. Police arrested 829,625 persons for marijuana violations in 2006, according to just-released numbers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report. To fully understand that figure, consider: * This is the largest total number of annual arrests for pot ever recorded by the FBI. * This was a nearly 15% increase from just the previous year. * Almost all the arrests -- about 89% -- were for mere possession. * The other 11% of arrests were for
"sale/manufacture," a broad category that includes *all*
* Over 8 million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges in the past ten years. * Marijuana arrests now comprise nearly 44% of all drug arrests in the United States. * Annual marijuana arrests have nearly tripled since the early 1990s. * At this rate there is a marijuana smoker arrested every 38 seconds in America. * This record number of marijuana arrests far exceeded the total number of arrests in the U.S. the same year for all violent crimes combined, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. * The War on Marijuana is largely waged against young Americans. According to NORML, in past years, roughly 30% of those arrested were age 19 or younger. "These numbers belie the myth that police do not target and arrest minor marijuana offenders," said NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre. "This effort is a tremendous waste of criminal justice resources that diverts law enforcement personnel away from focusing on serious and violent crime, including the war on terrorism." "Arresting hundreds of thousands of Americans who smoke marijuana responsibly needlessly destroys the lives of otherwise law-abiding citizens," St. Pierre said. St. Pierre concluded: "Enforcing marijuana prohibition
costs taxpayers between $10 billion and $12 billion annually and has led
to the arrest of nearly 20 million Americans. Nevertheless, some 94
million Americans acknowledge having used marijuana during their lives.
It makes no sense to continue to treat nearly half of all Americans as
criminals for their use of a substance that poses no greater -- and
arguably far fewer -- health risks than alcohol or tobacco." * * * Bad Zoning Made Me Fat Last issue we reported on "health zoning" -- proposals by Los Angeles politicos and others to combat obesity by imposing zoning limits on new fast-food restaurants. Here's a great reply to that
"I am feeling slightly overweight and out of shape. "I made resolutions to eat better and to exercise more regularly. But then I spread out on the couch to watch 'American Idol,' and that feeling passed like a 24-hour flu. Later, after much reflection over a burrito and a cola, I came to my senses and realized that this was not a problem of discipline and exercise -- but one of zoning. "Yes, zoning. The problem, you see, was not that I made bad choices or neglected my health. The problem was that others had been allowed to build fast-food restaurants in my neighborhood. I was just a victim of bad zoning, unable to make decisions for myself... "While I initially hesitated at the thought of more government control at the expense of personal freedom, I simply repeated those warm and fuzzy words that always accompany attempts to limit our freedom: 'It's for the children.' "I can already feel the pounds melting away." (Source: "Zone my love handles away, L.A." Los Angeles
Times:
* * * As chairman of the Federal Reserve for 18 years, Alan Greenspan was, quite simply, one of the most powerful and influential people in the world. He served six presidents as either Fed chairman or adviser, until his retirement in 2006. Now he's
In it, Greenspan declares that he is a libertarian, more specifically, a "lifelong libertarian Republican." The new book is igniting controversy among conservatives for its condemnation of the out-of-control spending of President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and the Republican-controlled Congress. "The Republicans in Congress lost their way," writes Greenspan. "They swapped principle for power. They ended up with neither. They deserved to lose [the 2006 election, when they lost control of the House and Senate]." Greenspan says his goal in government was to help move America towards free markets and limited government. Thus he was initially pleased to see the Bush administration bringing in allegedly pro-market conservatives he had known for decades. "I indulged in a bit of fantasy..." Greenspan writes of the early days of the Bush administration. "I thought we had a golden opportunity to advance the ideals of effective, fiscally conservative government and free markets." However, he says he was quickly appalled at the virtually unmatched spending spree the Bush administration launched. "Little value was placed on rigorous economic policy debate or the weighing of long-term consequences," he writes. (Talk about understatement!) Greenspan has long been controversial in libertarian circles. He first drew the attention of the freedom movement as a close associate of Ayn Rand in the 1960s. Greenspan's excellent essay "Gold and Economic Freedom" appeared in Ayn Rand's 1967 book, Capitalism, the Unknown Ideal. In it, Greenspan made a strong and persuasive argument for the gold standard and against a federal central bank. An excerpt: "Deficit spending is simply a scheme for the confiscation of wealth. Gold stands in the way of this insidious process. It stands as a protector of property rights. If one grasps this, one has no difficulty in understanding the statists' antagonism toward the gold standard." (That article is still well worth reading, and is available at the URL below.) Greenspan became active in the federal government shortly after this article appeared, and many libertarians criticized Greenspan for having "sold out" and betrayed his free-market principles by becoming Fed chair. Particularly in his last years in office, he was accused by many of abandoning his zeal for hard money. Others, however, applaud his pragmatism, and argue that he never abandoned or repudiated his core libertarian principles (including those in the above article). For example, as Fed Chairman, Greenspan once told a Senate committee that all economic regulations should have sunset laws -- that is, they should have to be periodically renewed by Congress, and if not, abolished. This appalled the senators. One of them, Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) archly asked Greenspan if that meant the Federal Reserve System should have a sunset provision, too. Greenspan answered without hesitating: yes. He then repeated his long-standing support for a gold standard. Bill Bradford, former editor of the libertarian magazine Liberty, noted in 1997: "[I]t appears Greenspan has tried to implement policy changes coherent with laissez-faire capitalism whenever it was possible, and he has articulated his case when given the opportunity." Whatever one's opinion of Greenspan and his actions in office (and please note, we at the Advocates favor the abolition of the Fed and private sector provision of money), it's certainly interesting and significant to see one of the world's most influential public figures using the label libertarian to describe himself. (Sources: New York Times:
* * * OUR DEBT TO BUSH: "Whatever happens over the next 16 months, President Bush will leave office having presided over one of the fastest accumulations of government debt in the history of the United States. During his time in office, federal debt held by the public -- Washington's equivalent of a credit-card balance -- will have increased by more than 50 percent, to about $5.5 trillion. Uncle Sam [more precisely, American citizens -- ed.] will be paying interest on that sum for years to come." -- "Bush's fiscal legacy: bigger debt", Christian
Science Monitor, 9/27/07 NO HAND-OUTS: "I don't want money, and I don't want hand-outs. I want trade agreements....I believe in a liberal [free market] economy and have never put much faith in the state-run economy, because it fails....The state should intervene only to create the conditions necessary for the private sector to thrive. I am counting on the private sector, because it is crucial to Senegal's future." -- Abdoulaye Wade, President of Senegal: * * * * * * * *
When People Know What You Know
about Freedom, by Michael Cloud "If Americans don't wake up and see what's going on in
Washington, this "Most Americans are too ignorant to care what happens
in America," wrote a "Why don't Americans realize that Candidate X is the
only hope for making I have seen over 1,000 similar comments in essays,
articles, and comments at I understand how these writers feel. I have felt the same way many, many times. But there are simple, easy, and effective ways to wake up Americans. There are quick and enjoyable things you can do to turn things around. You can start doing them right away. But before we get to that, we need to understand a few things. First, realize that most Americans have NOT rejected
freedom. They have NOT Second, realize that most Americans are NOT stupid. Most Americans are NOT corrupt or wicked or evil. They have NOT made a pact with the devil -- or "gone over to the dark side of the Force." What is the problem? Most Americans don't know what you know. They haven't
read the books you've Until they know what you know about freedom, they won't do what you do for freedom. The solution? Teach what you know. Share what you've learned. Pass on the most persuasive pro-freedom essays and articles you've read. Talk with others about freedom. You don't have to educate every American. You don't have to teach everyone. Just initiate pro-freedom conversations with the people in your life who know you and like you and trust you. Your family, friends, and co-workers. The people you do business with -- on a first name basis. The people you socialize with. These are the people most receptive and responsive to you -- and what matters to you. These are the people most willing to give you a full and fair hearing. The people who know you and like you and trust you. The people you know, you like, and you trust. Next issue, I'll share with you some simple, easy, and effective ways to teach freedom to these important people -- and why that is so important. * * * * * * * * 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. * * * MY SHORT ANSWER: In a situation such as you describe, the victim's insurance company would probably pay the damages and go after the estate of the drunk driver to recover what they could. If the survivors weren't insured, then they would have to sue the estate of the deceased drunk driver. FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: That's one of my concerns about libertarianism: it seems reactive, not pro-active. If the perpetrator (in this case, the drunk driver) is dead or unable to make reparations, aren't the victims of his or her crimes just stuck, in that situation? MY SHORT ANSWER: Restitution IS pro-active -- it's the best deterrent known! In Japan, offenders have to negotiate compensation with their victims to avoid serious jail time. Young offenders quickly learn the folly of harming others and don't repeat their mistakes. Consequently, Japan is the only industrialized country where crime rates dropped after World War II. What we call "prevention" today isn't deterrence. Instead, we regulate an entire population to stop a small percentage of potential offenders. Because this is so wasteful, few resources are left to catch aggressors, who are more likely than not to escape justice. Even if they are apprehended, they are often paroled. Our system thus teaches that crime does pay and actually encourages it. Of course, not all criminals will be able to compensate their victims. A perfect world is not an option for us. Most individuals will insure their property and person against loss, much as they do today, to make up any difference. (Furthermore, insurance would be greatly less expensive in a free market society, and incomes higher, thus making insurance far more widespread.) Libertarianism doesn't offer a perfect world, nor does any other political system. However, libertarianism offers a substantial improvement over today's system, by strongly deterring would-be aggressors more effectively and making them as responsible as possible for their actions. * * * * * * * * 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
Word Choices: Instead of "Capitalism" by Sharon Harris, Advocates President For some audiences, the word "capitalism" is a
positive word, and is fine to use. If there are liberals or liberal-leaning people or
young people in your audience, the word "capitalism" likely will not
convey your message to them, and will likely turn them off. Further, in today's world, far too much "capitalism"
is actually "state capitalism" or "crony capitalism," where big
businesses partner with the government for legislation that gives them
unfair advantages in the marketplace. And this is something libertarians
strongly oppose. (This arrangement, of course, is what produces a lot of
the negative imagery I mentioned above.) See more One-Minute Liberty Tips! •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
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cultivation
offenses -- even those where the marijuana was being grown for personal
or medical use. 
nanny-state
notion. It's from an op-ed in Los Angeles Times by Laine T. Wagenseller:
written
a controversial and bestselling new memoir, "The Age of Turbulence:
Adventures in a New World." In mere days it rocketed to the number one
spot on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction bestseller list.
elching poisons and destroying the environment. They may
actually picture ugly, greedy men smoking huge cigars! For many the word
evokes anger, resentment and fear. 
This
is an outstanding, comprehensive examination of libertarian principles
and ideas. It is clearly and convincingly written. It is chock-full of
facts, figures and examples, and makes fine reading for novice and
veteran libertarians alike. 