Volume 12, Number 19 | October 18, 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, Hooray! This week we reached a truly exciting libertarian milestone. The online World's Smallest Political Quiz has now been taken more than TEN MILLION TIMES since it was first put on the Web in 1995. The Quiz has become an Internet legend -- the first, and by far the most popular, Internet political Quiz. Almost as exciting: we hit the *9*
million mark less than a year ago, in February 2007.
That's an incredible pace. We're currently averaging 4,000 Quiz takers a day -- and we're gearing up for a huge increase as the presidential elections near. Add to that the 8 million-plus Quiz cards we've distributed, and the additional millions more people who are encountering the Quiz in classrooms, newspapers, books, on talk radio, at Facebook, and elsewhere. This is fantastic news for libertarians. Because the Quiz is arguably the most effective tool for libertarian understanding and outreach ever invented. When people take the Quiz: * They learn that libertarianism is a major part of the American political spectrum -- that there is more to politics than just left versus right. * They get insights into their own political views, and they think about some of today's most important -- but often ignored -- political issues. * They learn that, on many key issues, libertarians are their allies, even if they consider themselves liberals or conservatives or centrists. * A large percentage of Quiz takers discover they are libertarians, or have more in common with libertarianism than any other political philosophy. * At our Web site, Quiz takers are given instant access to outstanding information about libertarian ideas. Their questions are answered. They are given the opportunity to become active in the libertarian movement. And they are offered tools and training to help them become ever more effective and successful in their libertarian outreach. Please note: the amazing success of the Quiz is no accident. We've spent many years developing the Quiz into a fast, fun, effective, and honest educational tool that gives reliable and useful insights to those who take it. A tool so reliable that non-libertarian educators, journalists and others can -- and do -- use it and recommend it. Furthermore, we have promoted it extensively for many years to literally thousands of journalists, educators, national and local office holders, political activists, and other opinion leaders. That's why today you'll find the Quiz in the supplementary material of a DOZEN major textbooks, used in thousands of high school and college classrooms. That's why today the Quiz is seen in magazines, newspapers, and on thousands of Web sites. This is tangible, real-world outreach success. And it is making a real difference. So many times I have met people who became libertarians after encountering the Quiz. And, just as importantly, many people have told me that, while they aren't libertarians, thanks to the Quiz they now understand what libertarians believe, and realize they share many of those beliefs. Multiply those remarks by millions -- and you'll see why Quiz success is such great news for liberty. We're finding and educating the libertarian leaders, activists and supporters of tomorrow! This is just part of the work the Advocates does for liberty. But in so many ways, the Quiz is central to everything we do. I hope you'll join me in celebrating this great Quiz success. SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS to David Nolan, creator of the chart that is the centerpiece of the Quiz, and to Marshall Fritz, who, by adding ten short questions to Nolan's chart in 1987, created the amazing tool that is the Quiz. PLEASE NOTE: NONE of this success would have been possible without the help of the many wonderful people who support the work of the Advocates with their generous donations, large and small. These HEROES OF LIBERTY have made it possible for the Quiz to reach so many people in such an effective way with the ideas of liberty! If you would like to join these HEROES OF
LIBERTY by becoming an Advocates donor, we have some fantastic "thank
you" gifts for you. Check them out here: Or call us toll-free at 1-800-932-1776. Most importantly, you'll have the great satisfaction of knowing you're making so many crucial programs possible -- including the Quiz, and the Liberator Online -- that the liberty movement relies upon. Help us reach the NEXT ten million Quiz takers. Thank you! * * * Welcome to 190 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: 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: 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 * 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 Who's that reading over your shoulder in the airport? It might be the federal government. According to the Washington Post: "The U.S. government is collecting electronic records on the travel habits of millions of Americans who fly, drive or take cruises abroad, retaining data on the persons with whom they travel or plan to stay, the personal items they carry during their journeys, and even the books that travelers have carried, according to documents obtained by a group of civil liberties advocates and statements by government officials. "The personal travel records are meant to
be stored for as long as 15 years, as part of the
That's right. Fifteen-year-long records are created and stored, regardless of your innocence, without your knowledge or consent. That can include even the books you travel with. The Post reports that a group of activists requested information on their travel records, and found the records included a description of a book on marijuana one of them carried. " What other personal information is Homeland Security collecting (all to keep you free, of course)? Lots -- like, for instance, the kind of hotel bed you sleep in. Notes The Washington Post: "The [Department of Homeland Security] database generally includes 'passenger name record' (PNR) information, as well as notes taken during secondary screenings of travelers. PNR data -- often provided to airlines and other companies when reservations are made -- routinely include names, addresses and credit-card information, as well as telephone and e-mail contact details, itineraries, hotel and rental car reservations, and even the type of bed requested in a hotel." The Washington Post also told the story of Zakariya Reed, a Toledo firefighter, who said he has been detained at least seven times at the Michigan border since fall 2006. Twice, Reed said, he was questioned by border officials about "politically charged" opinion pieces critical of U.S. policy in the Middle East he had published in his local newspaper. Once, during a secondary interview, he said, "they had them printed out on the table in front of me." Incidentally, your DHS travel file is exempt from Privacy Act requirements. So you have no right to correct even erroneous information that might be there -- waiting to bite you. (Source: Washington Post * * * Atlas Shrugged: Fifty Years Later Fifty years ago this month -- October 10, to be exact - Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged was published. Rand spent fully 14 years writing the epic 1,168 page tale. Since then, Rand's "novel heard 'round the world" has changed untold millions of lives and inspired political movements -- and continues to exert enormous influence today. It combines an uncompromising individualist theme with a gripping adventure yarn filled with unforgettable heroic characters.
Though generally reviled (and badly misunderstood) by critics when published, it immediately found an eager audience -- and that audience has continued to grow. A 1992 Library of Congress survey found it to be the most influential book in the country -- second only to the Bible. In a world where entrepreneurs are typically portrayed in fiction as evildoers, Atlas Shrugged glorifies their role. No wonder, then, that it has won special praise from thousands of business leaders. Among them are such business luminaries as: Ed Snider (Comcast Spectacor, Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers), Fred Smith (Federal Express), John Mackey (Whole Foods), John A. Allison (BB&T), T.J. Rogers (Cypress Semiconductor), Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia), Kevin O'Connor (DoubleClick), David Morrison (Twentysomething)... and many, many more. But the book has a far broader audiences. Barry Goldwater told Rand: "I have enjoyed very few books in my life as much as . . . Atlas Shrugged." The Libertarian Party was founded largely by people inspired by Rand. Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spiderman and one of the greatest comic book artists of all time, is deeply influenced by Rand. The list goes on and on and on. (Yes, it's no coincidence that the daughter of the president of the Advocates for Self-Government is named Dagny, after Atlas Shrugged heroine Dagny Taggart!) As we've reported in past issues, a film of Atlas Shrugged is well underway, helmed by admirers of Rand who are deeply committed to preserving the integrity of the work. Among them is Michael Burns, a longtime Rand fan and vice chairman of Lionsgate studio, which is producing the film. Burns first read Atlas Shrugged at age 17, and attended Ayn Rand's funeral in 1982. So Happy Anniversary, Atlas Shrugged! The best days are still to come. * * * Congress: School Choice For Me, But Not For Thee More than a third of members of Congress think their children's education is too important to risk to government schools. However, many of these same Congress critters strongly oppose school choice legislation that would give the same opportunity to other families. In other words, while America's
disastrous government schools aren't good enough for *their* children,
Although they didn't put it quite that way, that's the implication of a new report by the conservative Heritage Foundation, which has found that 37 percent of Representatives and 45 percent of Senators in the 110th Congress have sent their children to private schools -- almost four times the rate of the general population (11.5 percent). Notes Heritage: "Based on the survey results, if all of the Members who exercised school choice for their own children had supported school choice in policy, every major legislative effort in recent years to give parents school choice would have passed." Highlights of the study's findings include: * Over 37 percent of Representatives and 45 percent of Senators responded that they had sent their children to private school; * Over 23 percent of House Education and Labor Committee members and 33 percent of Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee members exercised private school choice; * 52 percent of Congressional Black Caucus members and 38 percent of Congressional Hispanic Caucus -- who represent populations that have fared poorly academically in public schools and that stand to benefit the most from educational options -- sent at least one child to private school. (The study categorized Members of Congress who have sent at least one child to private school at any time as having exercised school choice.) A growing body of studies indicates that private schools perform better and are safer. So tell your congressional representatives... oh, that's right, they already know. Look where they send their own kids. (Source: Heritage Foundation
* * * RON PAUL SENDS A MESSAGE: "In some
ways Ron Paul is the antidote for every problem that plagued
- David Boaz, Executive Vice President of
the of the Cato Institute * * * GET SERIOUS: "If you want to get
serious, if you want to reduce crime by 70% in this country overnight,
end this War on Drugs. You want to get serious, seriously serious about
crime and violence, end this War on Drugs. ... this War on Drugs is an
abject failure." * * * * * * * *
Part 2: When People Know What You Know
about Freedom, by Michael Cloud Last issue I promised you simple, easy, and effective ways to teach freedom to 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. Here they are. 1. Appetizers. Find short appetizer pro-freedom essays. Convincing and compelling essays. Essays that would wake you up -- if you weren't already an advocate of small government and individual liberty. 2. Offer these appetizers to a few people you are trying to educate. Don't make a big deal about it. Just say, "I read this interesting essay. It only took me four minutes to read, but it really got me thinking. I liked it so much, I wanted to share it with you." 3. Request. Ask them, "Will you do something for me? Will you read the essay, think about it for a few minutes, and tell me what you like best about it?" 4. Let them simmer, stew, and steep
themselves in the idea for a day or two. Then ask them: "What did you
find most interesting about the essay? What did you like best about it?
What parts were you skeptical about?"
5. Do NOT pressure or push them. Do NOT interrogate or intimidate them if they don't immediately understand and agree with you. Be as gentle and patient as the best teacher you can imagine. 6. Listen to them. Totally and completely listen to what they say. 7. Talk with them. Tell them what you liked best about the essay the first time you read it. What you found interesting. What you were unsure or skeptical about. Let them respond. 8. Leave them wanting more. End the conversation before everything has been asked or said. This will often leave your friend thinking about it after you've left. 9. Repeat the process with another essay. Several times. Once every week or two. This will often whet their appetites for a longer essay or book. Suggest the best you can find. This is how most freedom ideas were spread just before and during the American Revolution. This is how Ayn Rand's philosophy was spread in the 1950s and 1960s. This is how the modern libertarian movement was launched in the early 1970s. This is a simple, easy, and effective way you can bring others to individual liberty and small government. A way to do your share of waking up Americans to the cause of freedom. When you do this, the people you teach will teach their families, friends, and co-workers about freedom. Your reach may go further than you imagine. When the people in your life know what you know about freedom, they will do what you do for freedom. * * * * * * * * 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: Several cities in the U.S. don't use zoning (e.g., Houston). Instead, properties carry deed restrictions, such as "residential use only." A person buying the property knows exactly what he or she is getting. In zoned communities, however, residential property can be converted overnight to commercial at the whim of the zoning board. [Editor's note: This happened in my neighborhood recently, where a huge new factory now sits on land once zoned residential. The zoning was changed at the stroke of a politician's pen, and those living nearby were silenced from going to court by the threat of expensive lawsuits. So much for zoning "protection."] Deed restrictions are usually altered by neighborhood consent. For example, someone wishing to use their property commercially might get permission from adjoining homeowners. Alternatively, he or she might start the business if objections are unlikely and have the change "grandfathered" in. Of course, if neighbors unexpectedly protest, the new business owner might have to relocate or compensate the neighbors. One way or another, changes in deed restrictions ultimately require consent of surrounding neighbors. * * * QUESTION: Who would pay for city streets in a libertarian society? Surely it would be impractical to charge a toll for every urban or even county road. (I agree it makes sense with highways and interstates.) MY SHORT ANSWER: Most local roads would probably be owned communally. Even today, approximately 20% of all roads are owned this way, by homeowners associations. In St. Louis, many city streets are now being bought and maintained by residents. Thus, the precedent for local road ownership has already established and works quite well. * * * * * * * * 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
Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking by Sharon Harris, Advocates President The liberty movement needs more public speakers, and maybe you would like to be one of them. Great! But you might find yourself nervous about the idea. If so, you're not alone. You know how
deer freeze in their tracks when they see headligh It's normal to be nervous before making a speech. But don't let it stop you. Here are a few tips that will help control your nervousness: 1. The biggest thing that will set you at ease is confidence that your speech is a good one and you can deliver it effectively. To create that confidence, do these things: * Plan your speech. Outline the speech in advance. Then write out your entire speech and read it out loud to see how it sounds, before you begin learning it. * Time your speech. Know the time allotted for you, and make sure you don't go over the time limit. Allow extra time for audience response, particularly if you're using humor (because, hopefully, the audience will interrupt you with laughter!). * Practice, practice, practice. Give your speech in front of a mirror. Record your speech and play it back to yourself so you can assess your progress. * Be ready. Look forward to sharing your thoughts with others. Remember that you have something valuable to say. Remind yourself that you are prepared. 2. Right before the speech, use these techniques to get ready: * Take deep, slow breaths and relax as much as possible before it's your turn to speak. * Let your nervousness work for you. If you pay attention to the physical effects of nervousness you'll notice that they are very similar to the physical effects of excitement. Tell yourself you're not nervous -- you're excited! * Visualize yourself giving a great speech and your audience enjoying and benefiting from it. 3. Finally... take the plunge! Over and over again. Take advantage of every opportunity to speak, and give the same speech numerous times. As Tony Robbins says, "Repetition is the mother of Mastery." You'll improve each time -- and experience will prove to you that you can succeed. There are few things as satisfying as successfully delivering a speech. It's a great feeling. Go for it! See more One-Minute Liberty Tips! •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
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Department of Homeland
Security's effort to assess the security threat posed by all travelers
entering the country." 
The federal government is trying to
build a surveillance society," John Gilmore, a libertarian and a heroic
civil liberties activist, told the Washington Post. "The job of building
a surveillance database and populating it with information about us is
happening largely without our awareness and without our consent."
Incredibly,
Atlas Shrugged has remained available in hardback since its publication
-- almost unheard-of for a novel. (Of course, paperback editions are
available as well.) About 150,000 new copies are sold each year -- more
than the first year it was published. 
they're
just fine for yours. 
Republicans
in 2006: Voters were tired of Republican corruption, and Ron Paul has
never succumbed to the temptations of Washington. They were fed up with
overspending, and he's the original anti-spender. They're disillusioned
by the seemingly endless war in Iraq, and Ron Paul opposed that war from
the beginning. He's appealing to fed-up traditional Republicans and to
younger voters who haven't yet been Republicans. . . . Republican
leaders should think about what his surprising appeal is telling them."
ts?
Well, rumor has it that it's not because they're afraid of cars -- it's
because they think the light is a spotlight and they're expected to give
a speech! 
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. 