Volume 13, Number 11 | June 26, 2008
The Liberator Online
Contents
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
PERSUASION POWER POINT
#251
ASK DR. RUWART
PRODUCT REVIEW
Dear friend, "Crazy Exciting Politics: Area high school, college students showing interest in upcoming election." That was the title of a fascinating article earlier this year in the Wichita Falls, Texas Times Record News. According to the article, high school and college students in Wichita are getting excited about politics -- and the Advocates' World's Smallest Political Quiz is helping fuel that excitement. Here's my favorite part of the article: "Rider High School government teacher Deborah Goodman said she sees more interest in this election than she's seen in her 29 years of teaching. "She's moved up everything in her curriculum about the political parties, voting, and elections so that students learn it all in time for election night. "Her students had a lot of fun with The World's
Smallest Political Quiz, found online, which helped
The article goes on to tell how this young generation of voters is relying heavily on the Internet for political information and guidance. What's true for Wichita Falls is true for the entire
country. In fact, the Quiz is in the online digital content of at least a dozen popular high school and college textbooks. This includes some of the most popular textbooks in America, used in thousands of classrooms, published by the most prominent names in the educational publishing field, including the McGraw-Hill Companies, Prentice Hall, W.W. Norton, and Houghton Mifflin Company. This is great news! Every student who takes the Quiz learns, instantly, that libertarianism is an important part of American politics. Every one of them comes away with an idea of what libertarianism is. And for those students who want to learn more about
libertarianism, there's no friendlier and clearer place to go than our
popular introductory Web site, www.Libertarianism.com . And that's why the Advocates' Internet outreach is so crucially important to the future of liberty in America. Advocates donors make this world-changing work possible. Could you join them? For just ten dollars a month, barely the cost of a pizza, you can help take the ideas of liberty to millions of people each year. Please click here to donate: Or call us toll-free at 1-800-932-1776. Please note, we have some great thank-you gifts in appreciation of your donation. Students across America are getting involved in politics this year. Let's make sure they learn the libertarian alternative! * * * Welcome to 72 new Liberator Online subscribers this issue. Thanks for joining our subscription "family" of over 70,000 liberty-loving readers in more than 100 countries! Learn more about the Advocates
and our work for liberty. -- Sharon Harris, President | Email: sharon@TheAdvocates.org PS: We have a very special, limited-time offer for you: Save 40% on "The Best of Harry Browne!" Take advantage of this, and you'll get... * Harry Browne's last published book, LIBERTY A-Z. (A
$13.95 value.) All of this is yours for only $20 (plus shipping and handling). This is a $33.95 value -- so you save $13.95. That's more than a 40% savings on two great speeches and an extraordinary book by one of America's greatest libertarian communicators. Act today! This offer is good through July 9, 2008. To order, or learn more, see "Product Review" at the
end of this issue. Or
visit: Your purchase supports the great work of the Advocates. Thank you! ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
What's Happening With The Advocates *
Doctors give him 6-20 months to live, with a 50-50 chance of living one year. Marshall is facing this challenge with his characteristic courage and good spirits. You can read Marshall's thoughts and send him a message at: www.MarshallFritz.com * Freedom Cruise: Announcing the Eleventh Annual
"Freedom Cruise" -- a glorious
12 day
******
by James W. Harris We've reported in the past on proposals to create "fat taxes" to penalize the selling or eating of politically-incorrect (i.e., high-fat or high-calorie) foods. But now busybody bodyweight bureaucrats in Japan have gone way, way beyond that. A new national law requires all citizens between the ages of 40 and 74 to have their waists regularly measured annually. That's over 56 million waistlines, about 44 percent of the population. According to U.S. News & World Report: "If a man's
waist is more than 33.5 inches or a
By some estimates more than half of Japan's men in this age group are expected to fail the measuring test. And this law has sharp teeth. Private companies and local governments will be hit with hefty financial penalties if their employees fail to meet the waistband quotas set by Japan's Ministry of Health. NEC, Japan's largest maker of personal computers, estimates it faces up to $19 million in penalties should its employees fail to measure up. Or measure down. Or whatever. In response, some companies have created mandatory diet programs, counseling, and weight-loss boot camps for their employees. As U.S. News & World Report says, these new laws have "given the government and employers ... places at the dinner table in ordinary Japanese homes." How lovely. How long before Food Nazis in the U.S. glom onto this idea and demand it be implemented in The Land of The Free? We'd guess about... three or four weeks? (Sources: U.S. News & World Report: Center for Consumer Freedom: * * * U.S. Senate Can't Even Run a Restaurant The U.S. Senate constantly set rules for the American economy, and tells Americans in excruciating detail precisely how to conduct their economic affairs. Yet the Senate's all-powerful central planners can't even run... their own restaurant. For over 40 years the Senate's government-run restaurant and affiliated cafeterias and coffee shops have lost stunning amounts of money: about $2 million this year alone, reports the Washington Post. Furthermore, the food and the service are lousy --
"noticeably subpar," according to Sen. D Now these fed-up senators have decided to... privatize the Senate food service. In a late-night voice vote -- yes, you can bet some of them were embarrassed -- the Senate voted to contract out its restaurant to the same company that handles the U.S. House food services. Unlike the money-pit Senate bureaucracy, the private company running the House restaurant makes a nice profit -- while offering better food, more choices, and better service. The company expects to do the same for the Senate -- earning a profit within three years while paying nearly a million dollars in annual commissions to the Senate. There you have it: a virtual side-by-side demonstration of the superiority of the market to the government. Let's hope U.S. senators remember this lesson in the months ahead, as this same Senate -- which has now admitted it can't even successfully operate a restaurant -- debates running America's $2 trillion health care system. (Source: Washington Post: * * * John Stossel Vs. the War on Drugs "After years of reporting on the drug war, I'm convinced that this 'war' does more harm than any drug. ...
"In turn, some buyers steal to pay the high black-market prices. The government says heroin, cocaine and nicotine are similarly addictive, and about half the people who both smoke cigarettes and use cocaine say smoking is at least as strong an urge. But no one robs convenience stores for Marlboros. "Alcohol prohibition created Al Capone and the Mafia. Drug prohibition is worse. It's corrupting whole countries and financing terrorism. ... "While drugs harm many, the drug war's black market harms more. "And most importantly, in a free country, adults should have the right to harm themselves." -- "Legalize All Drugs," by libertarian columnist and
ABC 20/20 co-anchor John Stossel * * * Another REAL ID Victory! Arizona Rejects REAL ID Add Arizona to the growing list of states that have rejected the police-state REAL ID national ID scheme. On June 17, Gov. Janet Napolitano signed House Bill 2677, which prohibits Arizona complying with the federal Real ID program. The measure passed both the Arizona House and Arizona Senate with near-universal support. Gov. Napolitano cited costs as a main factor, arguing that REAL ID is an unfunded federal mandate that would cost the state billions of dollars to implement. But civil liberties concerns were also strongly behind the measure for many voters. "Governor Napolitano deserves praise for standing up to the federal government," said Dan Pochoda, legal director of the ACLU of Arizona. "Real ID is a real nightmare. The people of Arizona will not just lie down and play dead while this administration continues to dictate unfunded and unconstitutional mandates to the states." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is threatening that citizens will be penalized if their states fail to support REAL ID. For example, according to Homeland Security, by the end of 2009 citizens will be required to carry REAL IDs to fly or enter federal buildings. Nonsense, says the ACLU's Pochoda: "I can guarantee that 25 percent of airline travelers will not be banned from the purchasing of airline tickets in 2009." Thus far, about 20 states have passed either
resolutions or statutes against the As we wrote last issue, REAL ID is a federal mandate that would force a national ID card on all Americans by standardizing state drivers licenses and loading them with sensitive personal information. This information would be held in massive databases, which would make it easy to routinely track, monitor, and regulate the movements and activities of all citizens. The REAL ID card could be required to do almost anything in America: get a job, fly, buy over-the-counter medicine, enter a federal building, and more. In short, REAL ID is a real bad idea. And it seems more and more Americans are waking up to that realization. (Sources: Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0618real-id0618.html * * * * * QUICK SHOTS... * SLAVERY IN AMERICA: "Let's do a thought experiment
asking whether Americans are for or against slavery. You might say,
'What are you talking about, Williams? We fought a war that cost over
600,000 lives to end slavery!' To get started, we might find a
description that
"The average American worker toils from January 1st to the end of April, and has no legal claim to the fruits of his labor for that period. Federal, state and local governments, through the tax code, take what he produces. A small portion of the fruits of his labor is used to provide for the constitutional functions of government. Most of what's taken, up to two-thirds, is given to some other American in the forms of farm and business subsidies, Social Security, Medicare, welfare and hundreds of other government handout programs. As in slavery, one person is being forcibly used to serve the purposes of another person." -- "Are Americans Pro-Slavery?" by libertarian
syndicated columnist Walter Williams * OOPS: "According to a Pentagon report this week, more than 1,000 nuclear missile components in the U.S. arsenal are lost and cannot be located. We can't even find our own weapons of mass destruction! Anyway, the Air Force, in their defense ... said today, there's a big difference between something being missing and just not being able to find it. Which would be okay if you're talking about a pair of lost sunglasses." -- Jay Leno, The Tonight Show, June 20, 2008 * * * * * * * *
The Persuasion Method No One Can Resist by Michael Cloud "This hypnotic sales system will turn virtually every prospect into a buyer. It's so effective, they'll remain delighted customers for years!" says one training program. "This subliminal persuasion program bypasses the person's critical faculty -- and directly influences their unconscious to do what you want," promises another. "Using neuro-linguistic programming technology, this product will make you absolutely, positively irresistible," offers a third. I resisted all three ads, so we know their claims were false. They do NOT persuade 100% of the people, 100% of the time, under 100% of circumstances. All three sales appeals were based on what many people
wish were true: that there was an Aladdin's Lamp, a
Many such appeals claim to be based on sound scientific findings. Some walk you through their summaries and interpretations of scientific research. In most cases, they salt science in the program the same way con artists salt gold nuggets in a fake gold mine -- so their mark will believe there's more, and part with his money. But don't let people hawking counterfeit persuasion approaches keep you from getting the genuine article. While perfect persuasion, irresistible persuasion is NOT an option, becoming more effective is. While "perfect" is unattainable, excellence is possible. But effectiveness and excellence are built on a foundation of science. Empirical, experimental science. Proposing and testing hypothesis after hypothesis. Much of this experimenting is done by professional scientists, but a remarkable amount is done in everyday life by uncredentialed amateurs. "How many buyers did this advertisement bring in?" asks the small business owner. "How does that compare to the last ad?" "Did this rearrangement of merchandise improve sales this month?" ask the boutique owner. "Does having my sales people wear blue suits increase sales?" asks the men's clothing store owner. (They did. 44%.) "Does salting the collection plate with $10's and $20's increase our church collections?" asks the minister. (It did. Over 25%.) "Does advertising and promoting the candidate as a family man improve his support among group X?" asks the political consultant. "Will she open up and talk with me if I buy her a coke?" asks a teenage boy. Many of us are experimenting, tracking our results, and, when appropriate, using this knowledge to guide our actions. You can learn from the professional research scientists -- or the amateurs. But whatever you learn, test it. Measure it. Compare it to what you did before. Better results? Worse? How much? Kiss perfect goodbye. Walk away from the promises of irresistibly persuasive. Walk toward better and better. Walk toward excellence. * * * * * * * * In 2000, Michael was honored with the Thomas Paine Award as the Most Persuasive Libertarian Communicator in America. * * * * * * * * In 2000, Michael was honored with the Thomas Paine Award as the Most
Persuasive Libertarian Communicator in America.
HARD EVIDENCE 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: Recent public demonstrations in the U.S., by both legal and illegal Mexican immigrants, make it clear to me that many have a true allegiance to Mexico, not the U.S. The "open borders" policy you advocate makes me fear the Balkanization of America. I can foresee a time when I may feel like a tourist in my own country if this trend continues unabated. Surely a law making English the national language is needed, isn't it? MY SHORT ANSWER: Ironically, it is the tightening of our borders about 10 years ago that encouraged illegal immigrants to enter the United States permanently with their families, while remaining loyal to the Mexican government. Prior to the tightening of the border, Mexicans came into the U.S. and took their earnings back to their families in Mexico, since the U.S. dollar went farther there.
Naturally, Americans living on the border are upset that illegal immigrants use their property as a conduit. Until the borders were tightened, prospective immigrants rarely crossed this way. Our immigration officials have no time to defend the property of these beleaguered Americans, since they are too busy patrolling the public borders (i.e., the roads), thereby driving the Mexicans to cross the border on private property. As usual, government creates problems, instead of solving them. I live in Texas, which is now home to many Mexicans. America is the great "melting pot," where tortillas and potatoes, spaghetti and pad thai, tea and espresso, sushi and steak, salsa and fondue, Spanish and English, exist side by side. We can delight in these differences or spend our time and energy trying, futilely, I suspect, to stop their introduction into our society. If we want to preserve our heritage, the qualities that make our nation great, our focus should be, not language or custom, but on a reverence for freedom and a tolerance for diversity. If our immigrants speak English, but are unacquainted with these fundamental principles, our nation will indeed be endangered. LEARN MORE: Libertarians sometimes disagree on the issue of immigration. For a pro-immigration argument:
"Closed Minds on Open Borders," by Jacob G. Hornberger: Here's a recent article about free-market
conservatives who favor open borders:
"Open Border Conservatives Speak Out" by Matt Purple: To read a libertarian argument against free
immigration, see:
"The Fallacy of Open Immigration" by Stephen Cox: * * * * * * * * 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
Answering the "Utopian" Criticism by Sharon Harris Sometimes libertarians are dismissed as being
unrealistic utopians. Impractical drea That's because we advocate a society in which force or fraud are not acceptable. Such a society has never existed and will never come about, critics say. So, calling for it is utopian, silly, and hopeless. Libertarianism is thus not serious or realistic. How do you deal with this criticism? It may be helpful to use a comparison to show that this criticism is not fair. Point out to your listener that there's nothing utopian, or impractical, about spelling out and advocating an ideal. Take the issue of murder. Murder has plagued human society forever. Yet virtually everyone is against murder. All of us want to live in a society where murder does not occur. We do not believe that an occasional murder or two is acceptable and should be tolerated. We don't believe murder is sometimes all right, if it is used to achieve one's personal goals. We are, all of us, absolutists on this issue. Yet no one considers this 100% anti-murder position wildly impractical or utopian -- just the opposite. Being against murder -- all murder -- obviously does not mean that you think that all murder can be banished from human society. Rather, our common belief that all murder is wrong is the statement of an ideal, a goal, that lets us plan steps to move in that direction. In the same way, it is not utopian or unrealistic to advocate a libertarian society, a society in which force and fraud are outlawed, a society in which all people are free to live as they choose as long as they don't interfere with the lives or property of others. Indeed, defining such a society, and advocating this ideal, is a necessary step in building a freer world. This vision becomes our map, our blueprint, our North Star -- a necessary guide to make sure our political efforts are moving in the right direction. It is also a measuring stick we can use to judge our present society. Thus, having a political vision is not at all utopian. It's as practical and necessary as having a map for a journey, or a blueprint for constructing a building. Our vision will guide us accurately to an ever-freer world. What could be more practical than that? Of course, you still have to convince your listener that a more libertarian world is a desirable goal. But this handles the objection that your commitment to that goal is somehow utopian and therefore self-obviously absurd.
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them see where their
beliefs put them in the political landscape." 
Marshall Fritz Health Update: Marshall Fritz -- the
legendary and beloved
founder of the Advocates for Self-Government, the father of the
world-famous
World's Smallest Political Quiz, and all-around amazing guy -- has been
diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. 
cruise through the Mediterranean, focused on Italy and the Greek
islands: Venice; Dubrovnic; Corfu; Argostoli; Santorini; Catania;
Naples; Rome;
Florence; and Barcelona. The date: September 29--October 11, 2008. The
event is organized by Ken Bisson of Freedom Cruises. Great food, an
amazing itinerary, and fine company! (This isn't an Advocates event, but
Ken is on our Board of Directors, and libertarians who have been on past
cruises rave about them.) For more details, visit:
as low as 2.9 cents
each. AND we pay shipping! Learn more, and
order yours today:
woman's more than 35.5 inches, they
are considered at risk and referred for counseling and close
monitoring." 
ianne Feinstein (D-CA). It's so
bad, in fact, that many Senate staffers prefer to trek over to the
tastier House restaurant -- which, not coincidentally, has been run by
private contractors since the 1980s. 
"Few drug users hurt or rob people because they are
high. Most of the crime occurs because the drugs are illegal and
available only through a black market. Drug sellers arm themselves and
form gangs because they cannot ask the police to protect their persons
and property. 
captures the essence of slavery. A good working
description is: slavery is a set of circumstances whereby one person is
forcibly used to serve the purposes of another person and has no legal
claim to the fruits of his labor. 
Philosopher's Stone,
a Midas Touch of persuasion. A secret process that would make them
irresistibly persuasive. 
However, when border crossing became more difficult,
many Mexicans smuggled their families into the U.S. and remained. A
popular news program earlier this year featured this story. (Perhaps
reader can remind me which program it was.) 
mers. 
