Team

Jim Babka joined The Advocates in early-2019. He is best known as the President of Agenda Setters by Downsize DC, where he co-authored the Read the Bills Act and One Subject at a Time Act. Jim is also a co-creator of the Zero Aggression Project and a Colleague at The Foundation for Harmony & Prosperity. Jim has hosted his own syndicated radio show and guest-hosted others. Previously, he served as the Executive Director of RealCampaignReform.org, which took a lawsuit all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Before that, he was the Press Secretary for Harry Browne for President (2000). Jim is a board member of the Free Speech Legal Defense & Education Fund and People For Liberty. He teaches Tai Chi. He and his wife, Susie, homeschooled their three children, who are now adults.

Max Borders is a senior advisor to the Advocates for Self-Government. Max is the author of The Social Singularity (2018) and The Decentralist (2021). His most recent book is Underthrow (2023), which is also the title of his popular Substack. Sign up to have Max’s weekly Advocates column delivered to your inbox.

Christopher Cook is a writer, editor, commentator, and president of Castleraine, Inc., a consulting agency providing a diverse range of services to corporate, not-for-profit, and individual clients. Ardently devoted to the cause of human freedom, he has worked for more than two decades at the intersection of politics, activism, film, and public policy. He is the author of The Freedom Scale: An Accurate Measure of Left and Right and The Distributed Nation: A Plan for Human Independence.

Jess Mears has traveled to all 50 states through political campaign work and grassroots training, including key leadership roles on the Libertarian Party’s most successful presidential campaigns for Governors Gary Johnson and Bill Weld (2016) and as Deputy Campaign Manager for Dr. Jo Jorgensen (2020). A grassroots activist since the 2000s, she has worked in fundraising and membership development for the National Libertarian Party, facilitated nationwide trainings through the Grassroots Leadership Academy, and previously reached thousands of followers on social media before choosing to focus on direct, personal outreach. She has also served as Clerk of the Boards for Lakewood Ranch and completed special projects for The Villages. Jess holds a B.A. in Communications and Public Relations from the University of Cincinnati and resides in Austin, TX.

Diamond Michael Scott is an independent journalist, editor, and cultural observer whose work spans more than two decades. With a gift for connecting the dots between the philosophical and the practical, he has explored themes ranging from libertarianism and the evolving fabric of cities to blockchain innovation and the shifting contours of the new economy. His feature stories have appeared in publications such as Governing Magazine, Nasdaq.com, Bitcoin Magazine, Reason, and Comstock’s Business Magazine.

But Diamond Michael’s journey goes far deeper than traditional reportage. As the voice behind The Daily Chocolate Taoist—a widely followed digital newsletter—he weaves together timeless Eastern wisdom and modern-day musings to ask one essential question: What does it truly mean to be a self-sovereign human being in a world defined by paradox, mystery, and uncertainty?