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Volume 19, Issue 15                              September 24, 2014
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"The Advocates are for real. Libertarians who want to get real should put into action what the Advocates teach."

—  Russell Means (1939-2012), American Indian activist, actor, author, libertarian
WELCOME to the Liberator Online!

In This Issue

PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Is Liberty Doomed — or Inevitable?

ONE-MINUTE LIBERTY TIP by Sharon Harris
Raising the Price of Milk: A Minimum Wage Metaphor

PERSUASION POWER POINT #376 by Michael Cloud
Discovery BEFORE Persuasion

ASK DR. RUWART
Libertarianism and Racial Discrimination

INTELLECTUAL AMMUNITION
Libertarian Candidates Pledge: Abolish the Income Tax
Joe Biden: Impeach the President If He Goes to War Without Congressional Approval
Video: Remy Takes on the ISIS Crisis
The Biggest Danger: Terrorists or Government?

THEY SAID IT: 
Ann Coulter wants to drown Libertarian voters.... Obama is betraying the Constitution, says Yale law professor.... U.S. general says "We helped build ISIS".... Texas school districts get militarized with ex-Pentagon weapons.... Life imprisonment for selling pot.... Pondering why we fight on the other side of the world.... Milton Friedman's wonderful bumper sticker-sized argument for ending the War on Drugs

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE ADVOCATES
* Upcoming: Advocates communication workshops and speeches
* FREE OPH KITS for libertarian student groups!
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President's Corner

by Sharon Harris






 
Is Liberty Doomed — or Inevitable?

Dear friend,

I've heard both of these arguments for many years:

1.) "The libertarian cause is doomed. People will never understand liberty; even those who do understand it don't want it. So why should I waste my time in such a futile cause?"

and:

2.) "Libertarianism is certain to succeed. The state cannot out-compete the marketplace. Given time, the superiority of the market will inevitably lead to a libertarian society. So why should I spend my time working on what will come about inevitably anyway?"

Ironically, both arguments lead many people to stop working for liberty, to stop supporting libertarian causes, to turn their back on the freedom movement.

I think both arguments are wrong.

I certainly believe that liberty is winning — in fact, our ideas are spreading at an incredible pace. I speak from experience. I've been in the libertarian movement since the early 1970s, when almost no one believed these ideas — when the joke used to be: "How many libertarians can fit into a phone booth? Answer: all of them."

Today no one would even understand that joke. Libertarians are everywhere, and libertarianism is constantly discussed in the media. It's nothing less than a sea change — a true rEVOLution.

Sure, I wish things were moving even faster. But the logic of our ideas is winning us converts daily, while the Big Government left and right are increasingly seen as bankrupt.

But liberty is NOT inevitable. Our ideas are fighting other powerful ideas and movements in the marketplace of ideas. There's no guarantee those ideas won't defeat our own. Their proponents are certainty trying hard to make that happen. Have you noticed the many attacks on libertarianism recently, by scholars, journalists, pundits, politicians, and other influential people?

A major reason libertarianism has seen such great success in recent years is because untold thousands of people have worked so hard, and contributed so much, to bring us to this point.

You yourself learned about liberty from someone. Maybe someone gave you a copy of the World's Smallest Political Quiz.

Maybe you heard a libertarian candidate or speaker on television or radio.

Maybe you read a book or article written by a libertarian writer.

However you learned about libertarianism, it was because someone, in some way, reached out to you. That person, too, learned from someone else.

And that outreach was backed up by a network of libertarian organizations that have worked for decades to create a powerful movement ready with information and opportunities for people who want to make a difference in the world.

Those organizations didn't spring up out of the ground by magic. They were only possible because someone — someone like you — years ago decided that this cause was so important they wanted to make sure these organizations existed, so that people like you could learn about liberty and the liberty movement.

For almost thirty years the Advocates has been a vital part of the libertarian movement. Our mission is a unique one. We help people encounter and learn about the ideas of liberty — and we provide them with the best methods and tools to help them, in turn, take those ideas to others.

The Advocates has helped millions of people encounter, evaluate and embrace the ideas of liberty. And we've helped countless libertarians become highly successful in convincing others to accept these ideas.

Our World's Smallest Political Quiz has been taken online over 22 million times. Thousands of people take it each month, learning more about their political views and discovering libertarianism.

The Quiz has reached additional millions through newspapers, magazines, OPH booths, over 10 million card copies, textbooks, talk radio, and many other ways.

The Liberator Online — you're reading it right now — takes information about liberty, the liberty movement, and the best ways to communicate libertarian ideas to over 30,000 subscribers.

We reach out in many other ways, too. New technology offers incredible opportunities. I recently did an online communication seminar from my office in Georgia with a group of libertarian students in Arizona. That would have been inconceivable just a few years ago.

But it still comes down to you. You — your activism, your donations, your outreach to friends, neighbors, families and others — make the work of the Advocates, and the growth of the liberty movement, possible.

Your participation is vital. The future of liberty — for yourself, your family, the world — will be shaped by the actions of the libertarians of today.

This is incredibly important. Liberty matters. The lives and well-being of millions of people are at stake.

Your efforts make a difference. Your participation in the struggle is essential.

As the great libertarian economist Ludwig von Mises said:

"No one can find a safe way out for himself if society is sweeping towards destruction. Therefore everyone, in his own interests, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle. None can stand aside with unconcern; the interests of everyone hang on the result."

Victory is NOT inevitable. But our ideas are moving forward, and there is great reason for optimism.

When you contribute to the work of the Advocates — or other worthy libertarian organizations — you are helping move the world in the right direction. You are making a real difference.

Just as someone, once, did for you.

Thank you.

In Liberty,

Sharon
 
* * *

The purpose of the Liberator Online is to build a stronger movement for liberty. We do this by providing information about the libertarian movement and how to best communicate the ideas of liberty. Thank you for being a part of this!

Learn more about the Advocates and our work for liberty.
Become a SUPER COMMUNICATOR for the ideas of liberty!

Learn how at an entertaining and enlightening Advocates communication workshop, led by acclaimed libertarian communication expert and Advocates President Sharon Harris. 

Find out how you can get Sharon to speak at your organization. Email Sharon now, or call her at 770-386-8372.

One-Minute Liberty Tip 

by Sharon Harris




Raising the Price of Milk: A Minimum Wage Metaphor

First, the bad news. 

A strong majority of Americans favor increasing the minimum wage. A recent Reason-Rope poll asked 1,003 American adults this question: "The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Do you favor or oppose raising the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour?"

Fully 67 percent supported READ MORE
* * * * * *
Sharon Harris is president of the Advocates for Self-Government.  

Persuasion Power Point #376

by Michael Cloud





Discovery BEFORE Persuasion

What's the fastest and easiest way to bring people into the libertarian movement?  

"Help some of them see that they are already libertarians," says Perry Willis, former Executive Director of the National Libertarian Party READ MORE
 
* * * * * * * *
Michael Cloud's latest book Unlocking More Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion is available exclusively from the Advocates, along with his acclaimed earlier book Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion.

In 2000, Michael was honored with the Thomas Paine Award as the Most Persuasive Libertarian Communicator in America.

 

Ask Dr. Ruwart


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.


Libertarianism and Racial Discrimination

QUESTION: Do libertarians support laws prohibiting racial discrimination by businesses?

MY SHORT ANSWER: In a libertarian society, businesses could refuse service to individuals for any reason. However, they would be punished for racial discrimination by losing the profit they otherwise would have made. This feedback is so powerful that even in the post-Civil War South, segregation could only be maintained when governments made integration READ MORE
 
* * * 
Got questions?  Dr. Ruwart has answers! If you'd like answers to YOUR tough questions on libertarian issues, 
email Dr. Ruwart
 
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 short answers are available here.
 
Dr. Ruwart's latest book Short Answers to the Tough Questions, Expanded Edition is available from the Advocates, as is her acclaimed classic Healing Our World.

`

Intellectual Ammunition

by James W. Harris 




 
Libertarian Candidates Pledge: Abolish the Income Tax

Scores of Libertarian Party candidates for federal office have pledged to downsize the bloated federal government — in these big and specific ways:

* Eliminate the federal income tax
* End the War on Drugs
* Abolish the READ MORE


Joe Biden: Impeach the President If He Goes to War Without Congressional Approval

In a bold move, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has
declared it would be unconstitutional for the president to go to war without consulting Congress. 

Further, Biden has pledged to demand the president's impeachment READ MORE


VIDEO: Remy Takes on the ISIS Crisis

How to deal with the ISIS crisis? 

In this amazing
video, the Obama administration's ISIS Response Team — all roles played by the wonderful liberty-minded comedian Remy — ponders various options. Click here to view the video!

The Biggest Danger: Terrorists or Government?

Libertarian and economist Robert Higgs writes at his Facebook page about the relative danger to you from Islamic terrorists and U.S. governments: 

"Unless you go to the Middle East, the probability of your being harmed by Islamic fanatics is so close to zero that for all practical purposes it may be taken to be zero.

"If you remain in the USA, however, the probability of your being harmed by governments at every level is READ MORE

* * * * * * * *
Intellectual Ammunition is written by Liberator Online editor James W. Harris. His articles have appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers, and he has been a Finalist for the Mencken Awards, given by the Free Press Association for "Outstanding Journalism in Support of Liberty."
 
THEY SAID IT...

U.S. GENERAL ADMITS "WE HELPED BUILD ISIS": "In Syria we backed... some of the wrong people and not in the right part of the Free Syrian Army. … I've always maintained... that we were backing the wrong types. … Some of those weapons from Benghazi READ MORE



* * * * * * * * * *
"They Said It..." is compiled by Liberator Online editor James W. Harris.
 

What's Happening with the Advocates


Upcoming workshops, speeches, and conferences
 
Oct. 25: Advocates President Sharon Harris will be speaking at the Students For Liberty regional conference, Calgary University, Calgary, Canada.

Oct. 25:  Advocates Chairman of the Board Jim Lark will deliver the keynote address, European Students For Liberty conference, Madrid, Spain.

Nov. 1: Advocates Chairman of the Board Jim Lark will speak at the Students For Liberty regional conference, Salem College, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (tentative).

Nov. 15:  Advocates Chairman of the Board Jim Lark will speak at the European Students For Liberty conference, Reykjavik, Iceland (tentative).

October and November, Students for Liberty regional conferences: The Advocates will be at numerous Students For Liberty (SFL) regional conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada. We will announce which ones as soon as they are confirmed.

Email Sharon to find out how you can have a communication event near you. 
 
 
ONGOING

FREE OPH KITS FOR LIBERTARIAN STUDENT GROUPS: Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we're giving our acclaimed OPH (Operation Political Homeless) outreach kits to libertarian student groups FREE — if they simply promise to use them a minimum of three times a year and send us photos documenting their OPH activity. OPH — praised as the best recruiting tool in the libertarian movement — normally sells for $50.00.
If you're in a student libertarian group, click here for more information on getting your free OPH kit.
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