Volume 13, Number 8 | May 8, 2008
The Liberator Online
Contents
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
PERSUASION POWER POINT
#248
ASK DR. RUWART
PRODUCT REVIEW
Dear friends, The World's Smallest Political Quiz was recently praised in the Congressional Record -- the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It happened on April 15th, when libertarian U.S. Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) rose to the floor of Congress to pay tribute to Bernie Baltic. Bernie, who passed away recently, was a wonderful champion of liberty. Bernie was also a great friend and supporter of the Advocates, from the earliest days of this organization. Among other contributions, Bernie played a crucial role in the creation of the World's Smallest Political Quiz. Here's the story. When Marshall Fritz conceived the Quiz over twenty years ago, he first thought of it as a computer game. He showed a rough print-out of this computer Quiz, complete with chart and questions, to Bernie. Bernie looked at it, thought a moment, and then told Marshall he should consider shrinking it to business-card size -- so people could carry Quizzes wherever they went and hand them out. What an insight! Marshall printed a few sample cards at a copy shop -- and they went like hotcakes. The Quiz cards grabbed the imagination of almost all who saw them. In those pre-Web days, millions of Quiz cards were sold and distributed. When the Web was born, the Quiz was put online, where it quickly became an Internet legend. It has been taken over ten million times online -- and that number increases by the thousands daily. But Bernie's inspiration -- the Quiz cards -- continues to sell in huge numbers today. Here is what Congressman Paul said about Bernie and the Quiz: ====================================== "Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Mr. Bernie Baltic of Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Baltic, who recently passed away, was a tireless champion of liberty. His advocacy of applying the freedom philosophy to the issues of the day was made all the more effective by his voracious reading of both the classics of liberty and the latest policy studies. "Any politician or bureaucrat at any level of government who threatened individual liberty was sure to hear from Mr. Baltic. Mr. Baltic also worked to educate and mobilize his fellow citizens in the cause of liberty through writing letters to the editor, and by directly challenging anti-liberty officials at forums such as city council meetings. In addition to his own activities, Mr. Baltic generously shared his support and counsel with numerous organizations that work to advance the cause of liberty. "Perhaps Mr. Baltic's most lasting contribution to the freedom movement came when then-President of the Advocates for Self Government Marshall Fritz showed Mr. Baltic a computer game Mr. Fritz developed that identified an individual's political philosophy based on responses to ten questions on economic issues and ten questions on civil liberties. Mr. Baltic, who was quite impressed with the chart, suggested that the Advocates produce business-card sized versions of the graph and quiz. The result was the "World's Smallest Political Quiz," one of the freedom movement's most recognized and effective outreach tools. "Bernie Baltic set an example for all those wishing to effectively advance the cause of liberty. Madam Speaker, I salute Bernie Baltic for his many contributions to the freedom movement and extend my condolences to Mr. Baltic's family and friends." ====================================== Bernie spent his life spreading the good news of liberty. He would have loved it that his passing, too, would continue that. Thank you, Congressman Paul, for a wonderful tribute to a wonderful man, my friend and a friend to all who love liberty: Bernie Baltic. * * * MARSHALL FRITZ EVENTS UPDATE I was blown away by the outpouring of joy and love at last weekend's "A Celebration of the Life of Marshall Fritz," sponsored by the Advocates. Dozens of friends, loved ones, and admirers of Marshall Fritz joined him in Atlanta to celebrate his extraordinary life. This was one of the most awesome events I have ever attended. I will be reporting more on it next issue, along with photographs and other details. If you haven't heard yet, 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. Doctors give him 6-20 months to live, with a 50-50 chance of living one year. The good news is that Marshall is feeling quite well right now -- and he's in excellent spirits! Marshall wants the opportunity to be with his Advocates friends and other libertarians. Here are some other upcoming Marshall Fritz events, and sources for more information: LOS ANGELES MARSHALL TRIBUTE: The Alliance for the
Separation of School and State will hold a tribute event, June 21st, in
Los Angeles. For more information: FRESNO, CALIFORNIA MARSHALL PICNIC: There will also be a picnic and barbecue in Fresno, June 7. For more information about that event, please call 559-499-1776. LEARN MORE ABOUT MARSHALL: MARSHALL'S NEW WEB SITE: Read Marshall's thoughts
about his illness, read his
"Bucket List," and more: SEND A MESSAGE TO MARSHALL by posting it on his Guest
Book: * * * Welcome to 106 new Liberator Online subscribers this issue. Thanks for joining our subscription "family" of over 70,000 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: Don't forget to check out our Product Review
special. This issue: Order See details 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 * Advocates Speakers at LP National
Convention: The 2008 Libertarian National Convention will be held in
Denver, Colorado May 22 to May 26, 2008. Advocates President Sharon
Harris, and Liberator Online columnists Michael Cloud and Mary Ruwart,
will join a host of other outstanding speakers. Nearly 1,000 delegates
from around the nation will gather to select their presidential
candidate at the luxurious Adam's Mark Hotel in downtown Denver. For
more information, see: * Freedom Cruise: Announcing the Eleventh
Annual "Freedom Cruise" -- a glorious 12 day cruise through the
Mediterranean, focused on Italy and the Greek islands: Venice; Dubrovnic;
Corfu; Argostoli; Santorini; Catania; Naples; Rome; Florence; and
Barcelona. 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: ******
by James W. Harris Taxation is a dirty word, notes liberal writer Richard Conniff, in an April 15 commentary in the New York Times entitled "Abolish All 'Taxes'." "The word 'tax' was never pretty," Conniff writes. "But it has lately become the ugliest word in the English language, right up there with its evil twin, 'death.'" So far we heartily agree with Mr. Conniff. "Tax" is indeed an ugly word. That's because it describes an ugly and widely-hated practice -- the seizing of huge amounts of money at gunpoint from citizens, and the squandering of that money on endless ill-conceived and destructive government schemes. So what's Conniff's solution? Cut back or eliminate taxes? Unfortunately, no. Conniff says we should just... change the word. "I propose we stop saying 'taxes' and start calling them 'dues,'" he writes. The word "dues" is far better, Conniff says, because it "is rooted in social obligation and duty" and thus won't be as unpopular.
"But we need language to remind us that this is our government, and that we thrive because of the schools and transit systems and 10,000 other services that exist only because we have joined together." Alas, Mr. Conniff doesn't specify exactly when we all "joined together" and agreed to fund these 10,000 "services." He continues: "'Taxation' is a throwback to the time when kings picked our pockets. 'Paying my dues,' a phrase popularized in the jazz music world, is language by which we can stand together as Americans." O-kay. We like what one of Conniff's liberal friends said to this proposal: "I probably wouldn't like paying dues either," his friend said. "The government isn't my kind of club." It's not ours, either. In truth, the government is a "club" only in the sense that it is frequently used to beat people over the head. George Orwell understood perfectly what folks like Conniff are up to. Wrote Orwell: "Political language [is] designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable." Sorry, Mr. Conniff. "Dues" is to "taxes" as "making love" is to "rape." To paraphrase Shakespeare, a tax by any other name would stink just as bad. Indeed, the world "taxation" is itself a euphemism. A more accurate word would be "robbery." (Source: New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/opinion/15conniff.html?ref=opinion ) * * * Earth Day: The Doomsayers Were Wrong Another Earth Day (April 22) has come and gone. Earth Day is a great time to celebrate our planet and discuss serious environmental concerns. I The Washington Policy Center (WPC), a free-market think tank, reminds us: "Most Earth Day predictions turned out to be stunningly wrong. In 1970, environmentalists said there would soon be a new ice age and massive deaths from air pollution. The New York Times foresaw the extinction of the human race. Widely-quoted biologist Paul Ehrlich predicted worldwide starvation by 1975. "On this Earth Day 2008, new predictions will again be made about looming environmental disasters about to strike our planet. If past experience is any guide, most of these predictions are wrong. People concerned about our planet's future should be wary of statements from activists and other interested groups, so we stay focused on real environmental concerns, and don't waste time on fearsome predictions that will never happen." Here are some examples from 1970, the year of the first Earth Day, gathered by the Washington Policy Center: * "By 1985...air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching the earth by one half..." -- Life magazine, January 1970. * "...civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind..." -- biologist George Wald, Harvard University, April 19, 1970. * By 1995, "...somewhere between 75 and 85 percent of all the species of living animals will be extinct..." -- Sen. Gaylord Nelson, quoting Dr. S. Dillon Ripley, Look magazine, April 1970. * Because of increased dust, cloud cover and water vapor "...the planet will cool, the water vapor will fall and freeze, and a new Ice Age will be born..." -- Newsweek magazine, January 26, 1970. * The world will be "...eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age..." -- Kenneth Watt, speaking at Swarthmore University, April 19, 1970. * "We are in an environmental crisis which threatens the survival of this nation, and of the world as a suitable place of human habitation..." -- biologist Barry Commoner, University of Washington, writing in the journal Environment, April 1970. * "Man must stop pollution and conserve his resources, not merely to enhance existence but to save the race from the intolerable deteriorations and possible extinction..." -- The New York Times editorial, April 20, 1970. * "By 1985, air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half..." -- Life magazine, January 1970. * "Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make..." -- Paul Ehrlich, interview in Mademoiselle magazine, April 1970. * "...air pollution...is certainly going to take hundreds of thousands of lives in the next few years alone..." -- Paul Ehrlich, interview in Mademoiselle magazine, April 1970. * Paul Ehrlich also predicted that in 1973, 200,000 Americans would die from air pollution, and that by 1980 the life expectancy of Americans would be 42 years. * "It is already too late to avoid mass starvation..." -- Earth Day organizer Denis Hayes, The Living Wilderness, Spring 1970. * "By the year 2000...the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America and Australia, will be in famine..." -- Peter Gunter, North Texas State University, The Living Wilderness, Spring 1970. Some of this may seem laughable now, but it was taken very seriously at the time. Had the nations of the world followed the prescriptions of these original Earth Day prophets of doom, it is possible that millions or even billions of people would have suffered and died. The Washington Policy Center notes: "By being skeptical about routine portents of doom, we can stay focused on the real threats that face our planet, and on the reasonable and achievable actions we as a society can take to meet them." Today -- as food prices are doubling and food riots taking place in impoverished nations as a direct result of the disastrous ethanol scheme pushed by today's statist doomsayers -- that's a vital lesson to remember. (Sources: Washington Policy Center: * * * Libertarian Arrested -- for Celebrating Jefferson's Birthday Thomas Jefferson famously said, "Dancing is a healthy and elegant exercise." Thus it seemed appropriate that a small group of young libertarians decided to celebrate Jefferson's April 13 birthday with a ten-minute "silent dance" at the outdoor Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC. The Jefferson Memorial is a large open-air monument, open to the public 24 hours a day. The twenty or so libertarians met at the Memorial near
midnight, a time chosen s This was in no way a demonstration or any attempt to provoke a confrontation, according to organizers. It was just light-hearted, spontaneous, kind of geeky fun. A videotape confirms the group was silent and non-disruptive, dancing gently; indeed, the busloads of school kids who daily visit the monument are far louder and more disruptive. There were only a few other people at the monument besides the small group of libertarians, and none were disturbed. The group broke no laws. Still, after just a few minutes, the National Park Police ordered the dancers to leave, using abusive and threatening language. Brooke Oberwetter, a woman in her mid-twenties, was handcuffed and arrested when she simply asked why they were being expelled. The police refused to answer her question. She was later charged with "interfering with an agency function" and released after five hours. She now faces a federal trial. The arrest has drawn international attention. Writing in TheAtlantic.com, Megan McArdle notes: "As a resident of DC, I'm certainly overjoyed to hear that violent crime has fallen to a level where we can spare valuable police resources to fight the silent scourge of ... dancing. Now that we have no more murders or muggings, it seems to me that we should also be looking at newsboys who smoke, women who attend the theater, and of course, the iniquitous habit of playing cards on the Sabbath." In a time of war and severe attacks on fundamental
civil liberties, this may seem a trivial matter. But all across America,
one hears more and more stories about heavy-handed arbitrary government
law enforcement tactics, in schools, workplaces, and public places. Many
fear America is rapidly becoming a very different place than "the land
of the free." That Americans are being conditioned to blindly obey state
authority without question. (Sources: The Agitator blog: * * * * * QUICK SHOTS... * AMERICANS UNITED: "This is the day after tax day, of
course. See, this is the day that unites people, I think. It's a day
when wealthy Americans with money from big cities are just as bitter as
Americans in small towns who are broke." * JOHN STOSSEL ON "MARKET MAGIC": "That's the biggest
lesson I've learned in 35 years of consumer reporting: The market
performs miracles so routinely that we take it for granted. Supermarkets
provide 30,000 choices at rock-bottom prices. We take it for granted
that when we stick a piece of plastic in a wall, cash will come out;
that when we give the same plastic to a stranger, he will rent us a car,
and the next month, VISA will have the accounting correct to the penny.
By contrast, "experts" in government can't even count the vote
accurately. That's why I talk about market magic." * A HALF-CENTURY OF OIL: "Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz estimates the full cost of the invasion and attempted
occupation of Iraq to be between $3 trillion and $5 trillion. .... $3-5
trillion would have purchased a tremendous amount of oil. Prior to the
U.S. invasions, the U.S. oil import bill was running less than $100
billion per year. .... Three trillion dollars could have paid for U.S.
oil imports for 30 years; five trillion dollars could pay the U.S. oil
bill for a half century..." * * * * * * * *
Brevity Is Power by Michael Cloud One day, a young computer programmer took his work to the great and wise computer guru. After the guru examined the program, he sat silently. "What do you think of my program?" asked the young man. "I do not like the end," said the computer guru. "What is the matter with the end?" asked the young man. "It is too far from the beginning." +++ "Mom, what's sex?" asked the 8-year-old boy. "Ask your father," replied mom. "But I don't want to know that much about it," said the boy. +++ On September 23, 1863, Edward Everett was the featured speaker at the dedication of the Gettysburg's soldiers cemetery. Abraham Lincoln was invited to say a few words afterward. Edward Everett's speech was over 2 hours long. No one remembers what he said. Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was 278 words. 2 minutes. No one forgets what he said. +++ Thomas Jefferson's writings fill 19 volumes.
Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence is 1320 words. Few forget them. +++ Patrick Henry's writings fill several books. They are bright but forgotten. His "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech is 1215 words. It is unforgettable. ++++
Get to the point. Make brevity a priority. When you speak and write. K.I.S.S. -- Keep It Short and Simple. Prune the unnecessary. From your messages, paragraphs, and sentences. Before you send or say them. Brevity is power. * * * * * * * * 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: I agree with a lot of things libertarians believe. However, I can't name one person that I know, or know of, who is a libertarian or a Libertarian Party member. And I never hear libertarian political candidates. Why is that? Perhaps libertarians tend to speak only to themselves, and seldom enter the public debates in politics? MY SHORT ANSWER: If you aren't aware of libertarians
among your acquaintances, perhaps you don't vocalize your support of
libertarianism in your own circles of influence. I find that mentioning
my political beliefs often elicit comments such as "Libertarians have a
lot of good ideas!" or "I'm a libertarian too!" Regarding the Libertarian Party, if you visit one of their meetings you'll quickly learn that Libertarians are forced to spend about 90% of their financial and activist resources just to stay on the ballot, thanks to outrageously discriminatory laws passed by the two older parties. Each state legislature, consisting of Democrats and Republicans, erect huge barriers for new parties so their candidates won't have a genuine opportunity to influence public opinion. Even when libertarian candidates of any party manage to get through the ballot hurdles and other obstacles, they generally find their comments are largely ignored by the media, which seems to find it hard to think of politics outside the familiar "Democrat versus Republican" or "liberal versus conservative" model -- an inaccurate model which leaves libertarians and Libertarians out entirely. (The Advocates for Self-Government's famous World's Smallest Political Quiz is helping people to see through the fallacy of this limited view.) This year, Republican libertarian presidential candidate Ron Paul -- despite huge grassroots support -- never received anywhere close to the publicity he should have received for his pathbreaking campaign. Similarly, Libertarian Party presidential candidates are routinely excluded from the presidential debates, which in the past have been controlled by, you guessed it, the leadership of the Republican and Democratic parties. In short, libertarian candidates and libertarian activists *do* speak out on the major issues of the day, and offer innovative and viable solutions -- but often aren't heard because the "gatekeepers" are difficult to get by. Now for some good news! A lot of this is changing, and changing fast. Thanks to the hard work of libertarian educational organizations like the Advocates for Self-Government, the public and the media are learning that there is more to politics than left and right. The Quiz, for example, is in the online supplementary material of a dozen textbooks. So today's students are learning about libertarianism in their classrooms -- thanks to the Advocates! The Internet has dramatically decentralized political campaigns and allows libertarians to finally bypass the gatekeepers and reach the public themselves with their ideas and candidacies. Ron Paul's startling grassroots campaign is just the first sign of great things to come, I think. According to pollsters like Gallup and Rasmussen, there are more libertarians and libertarian-leaning Americans than ever before -- about 10-20% of the population, according to many researchers. You can learn more about that here: http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6715 Another gauge of growing support for libertarian ideas
is the number of celebrities and prominent people who now proudly call
themselves libertarians. A few decades, there were almost none. Now
there are hundreds. The Advocates has a long list of them, complete with
biographies and quotes, here: I suggest you share your passion about political issues with those around you. There are more libertarians and libertarian-leaning individuals than ever before, and more people are open to our ideas than ever before. It's a great time to be a libertarian, and to meet other libertarians. Once you speak up, you may find they're all around you! * * * * * * * * 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
Using the Card Version of the World's Smallest Political Quiz by Sharon Harris As Ron Paul recently noted in the Congressional Record, the World's Smallest Political Quiz is "one of the freedom movement's most recognized and effective outreach tools." You've probably seen the World's Smallest Political Quiz on the Web. But have you seen the original -- and still wildly popular -- card version? That little card has become the single most popular libertarian outreach tool. No libertarian should leave home without it! The most popular version is the size of a small index card. It fits perfectly in your shirt pocket or your daily planner. It has a handsome, eye-catching design -- and it is packed with information. On the front of the card is the famous Diamond Chart,
the ten Quiz questions, instructions for t On the back are quotes from the Washington Post and USAtoday.com, attesting to the validity of the Quiz. Under that is a brief description of what the Quiz is, and why it was created. That is followed by links to sites where users can discover more about the Quiz, libertarian ideas, and related matters. In short, the Quiz is an eye-catching, fun, enlightening, self-contained outreach package -- all on a single pocket-sized card! People love to take the Quiz. Once they see it, they just *have* to find out how they score. And then they're eager to talk about it. There's no trickery, no deception. The scores the Quiz produces are remarkably accurate. That accuracy is a big part of what makes the Quiz so valuable and so effective. So put this tested, proven and inexpensive little tool to work for you. Keep some handy with you at all times. Hand them out to friends, family members, and others. Pop them in your letters. Use them in political campaigns. Leave stacks of them where people can see them. Use them at literature tables, or as handouts after speeches. Send copies to local newspaper columnists -- it will open their minds and many times has resulted in news stories. The opportunities are endless. Former Advocates president Carole Ann Rand says she never begins a serious political conversation without first asking the person she's talking with to take the Quiz. It quickly elevates the conversation to a whole new level. Advocates supporter Jon Osborne, who has distributed thousands of Quizzes, says: "The Quiz is a tremendous tool for me. I always carry Quizzes with me. I've discovered that whenever I want to explain what libertarianism is, I can do it in about 30 seconds with the Quiz --- and on top of that, I can identify people who are libertarians. This is highly effective outreach!" The Quiz is a great tool to quickly and easily explain the ideas of libertarianism - and to stretch minds and stir up new political thinking. You can see the Quiz, and
purchase Quizzes, at our
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Conniff acknowledges that implementing this linguistic
presto-chango trick -- in which coercive taxation magically becomes the
equivalent of voluntary membership in a club -- "will be an uphill
struggle." He also acknowledges it is "sneaky" and arguably "Orwellian." 
t's also a time to pause and remember that, during
the first Earth Day in 1970, some of the world's leading (and loudest)
environmentalists were terrifying the public with horrific predictions
of planet-wide doom. Predictions that, thankfully, were spectacularly
wrong. 
o as not to interfere with the constant flow of
visitors during daytime hours. Also in order not to disturb any
visitors, no audible music was played; instead, they used iPods and
headphones. 
They are
thoughtful and brilliant -- and often wise. Few people remember them.
Read and use The Elements of Style by Strunk and
White.
aking the Quiz, and an
explanation of what your score means. 
Do
you sincerely want to convince others to become libertarians?