Copy
Volume 19, No. 4                     February 28, 2014
View this email in your browser
The Liberator Online

for everyone who loves Liberty
Published by The Advocates for Self-Government
"I would highly recommend that you learn more
about the Advocates for Self-Government's views on liberty
if you would like to be reminded of what America
is supposed to stand for."

— Robert Ringer, bestselling author of Looking Out for #1
and Restoring the American Dream
WELCOME to the Liberator Online!

In This Issue

PRESIDENT'S CORNER
* World's Smallest Political Quiz Taken 21 Million Times Online

INTELLECTUAL AMMUNITION
* Campaign Expert: A Libertarian President — Sooner Than You Think
* FREE Libertarian Ebook: The Morality of Capitalism
* Video: Coffeecare —The Affordable Coffee Act
* Campaign for Liberty: National ID Is Back 
 
THEY SAID IT:  Jay Leno takes a final shot at Obamacare.... Sen. Rand Paul slams the NSA.... The War on Marijuana is unconstitutional, says Jacob Sullum.... Yes, he can: The post-Constitutional federal gov't says Obama can kill American suspects on American soil, reports journalist Peter Van Buren.... Why on earth would you trust the gov't, asks Prof. Henry A. Giroux.... Today's Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, have betrayed the Founding Fathers, says Walter Williams....

PERSUASION POWER POINT #365 by Michael Cloud
How to Strengthen Your Voice and Prevent Hoarseness

ASK DR. RUWART by Mary Ruwart
* The FDA Vs. the Health and Safety of Amercans

ONE-MINUTE LIBERTY TIP by Sharon Harris
* Word Choice: Blowback — Foreign and Domestic

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE ADVOCATES
* Upcoming: Advocates communication workshops and speeches
* FREE OPH KITS for libertarian student groups!
* Join the Advocates on Twitter
* Join the Advocates on Facebook
* 2014 Freedom Cruises

President's Corner

by Sharon Harris







World's Smallest Political Quiz Taken 21 Million Times Online

Dear friend,

Great news! As of this week, the online World's Smallest Political Quiz has now been taken more than 21 MILLION TIMES since we first put it on the Web in 1995. 

Regular readers will remember we celebrated the 20-million milestone just a few months ago, in late October. So we're delighted that in the four months since then, the Quiz has been taken an additional million times, reaching so many more people with the mind-changing idea of a new political map — one that includes libertarianism! 

The Quiz has become an Internet legend — the world's first, and by far most popular, Internet political quiz. 

And the numbers don't stop there. We've distributed over 12 million Quiz cards. Millions more people have encountered the Quiz in classrooms, major textbooks, newspapers, books, on talk radio, at Facebook, at Operation Politically Homeless (OPH) booths, 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 website, 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. The Advocates has spent many years developing, refining and promoting the Quiz. 

The World's Smallest Political Quiz was created by Advocates Founder Marshall Fritz in 1987. It was built on a revolutionary multi-spectrum political chart created in 1970 by David F. Nolan (a co-founder of the Libertarian Party). Fritz added ten short questions and a graph to Nolan's chart. The questions and graph allowed people to quickly plot their place on the political spectrum, as well as giving other political insights. 

From the beginning, Marshall insisted that the Quiz be not just fast and fun, but above all honest and accurate — giving reliable and useful insights to those who take it.  

The result is a tool so effective and mind-opening that non-libertarian educators, journalists and others can — and do — use it and recommend it.

During the past decade, the Quiz has been featured in many of America's best selling college and high school textbooks or their supplementary material, including more than a dozen key textbooks by the biggest names in publishing. And we've supplied educators, at their request, with tens of thousands of card Quizzes for their classrooms. (Are you a teacher, professor, or other education professional? Email me for information on free Quizzes for your students, or fill out the request form at the bottom of this page.)

This is tangible, real-world outreach success. And it is making a real difference. 

As Ron Paul has said: "The World's Smallest Political Quiz is responsible for many Americans' first contact with libertarian ideas. While traveling around the country, I have often heard people say, 'I never knew I was a libertarian until I took the Quiz!'"
 
The success of the Quiz is great news for the entire liberty movement. We're finding and educating the libertarian leaders, activists and supporters of tomorrow! 

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. 

If you would like to join them by becoming an Advocates donor, we have some fantastic "thank you" gifts for you. Check them out here. Or call us toll-free at (800) 983-1776.

Thank you! Now, on to the NEXT million!  
 
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.

Learn more about libertarianism â€” the philosophy of liberty. 
 
Forward to Friend
+1
Tweet
Share
“The triumph of the human spirit over evil and oppression.”
 
That’s how an Amazon reviewer describes A Dream of Daring, Gen LaGreca’s epic new novel.
 
In the South before the Civil War, a visionary planter’s radical ideas and breakthrough invention threaten the townspeople’s privileged way of life, based on slavery and power. Tensions mount when his device is stolen and a respected community patriarch is murdered.
 
Ingenious and original, A Dream of Daring unfolds a sweeping story of secrets, lies, and forbidden romance. It’s an irresistible page-turner, packed with suspense and surprising plot twists. The ideas and themes are directly relevant to today’s struggle for freedom.
 
This inspiring future libertarian classic is available in paperback and e-book at Amazon, here.

Intellectual Ammunition

by James W. Harris





Campaign Expert: A Libertarian President — Sooner Than You Think

Good news! Libertarianism is spreading fast, especially among the young. As a result, we may see a libertarian president — a lot sooner than we might think.

That's the startling but fact-based opinion of highly-respected Democratic presidential campaign expert Joe Trippi. Trippi has long been a leading figure in Democratic presidential politics, He was manager of the innovative, Internet-savvy 2004 presidential campaign of Vermont governor Howard Dean, and he has worked on the campaigns of Edward Kennedy, Walter Mondale, Gary Hart, Dick Gephardt, Jerry Brown and most recently John Edwards. He has also worked on numerous other campaigns both in America and abroad. 

Trippi made his startling prediction in an interview with Reason TV's Todd Krainin. 

"The younger generation is probably the most libertarian and sort of tolerant, and has more libertarian values, I'd say, than any generation in American history," Trippi told Reason TV.

Trippi notes that libertarians are strongly aligned with young voters on issues that liberals and conservatives in the major parties won't address — such as legalizing marijuana and other drugs, and opposing NSA spying, drone killings, and other constitutionally-questionable policies. 

This creates a golden opportunity for a savvy libertarian. Trippi thinks a candidate such as Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) could run — and win — the Republican Party nomination, in a move that could revolutionize the GOP's ideological identify. 

"[Rand Paul] is so far the likely embodiment of who's going to raise the flag and take the hill," says Trippi. "And I think [he] has a real shot at taking [the GOP nomination]."

Winning the general election as a libertarian Republican would be difficult, Trippi acknowledges, though not impossible. However, there is another newly-viable route. Trippi says it is virtually inevitable that we will soon see a candidate running as an independent, outside the party system entirely, with a significant chance to win. 

Independent campaigns have more potential power for success than ever before, he says. The Internet, Trippi notes, is increasingly making political parties and traditional fundraising methods obsolete. Further, surveys indicate that voters are disgusted with both parties. 

Libertarians are poised more than any other political group to take advantage of this new post-party political world, and by running as an independent such a candidate could appeal to voters of both parties who might prefer libertarian ideas to those being offered by Establishment Democrats and Republicans. He also predicts we will soon see more independent candidates in Congress. 

Read Reason's summary of their interview with Trippi here. At that same site you can see a video of the entire 22-minute interview with Trippi. 

FREE Libertarian Ebook: The Morality of Capitalism

In recent issues we've reviewed and recommended two outstanding free ebooks available through Students For Liberty (SFL): After the Welfare State and Why Liberty.

Now we're pleased to suggest one more great SFL title to add to your ebook library. 

The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors Won't Tell You combines the writings of renowned economists, philosophers, historians, policy experts, and entrepreneurs from around the world to make the case that not only do free markets "deliver the goods," but that true free market capitalism is a just and moral system. 

It is clear and highly readable, suitable for students and non-students alike, for newcomers to free enterprise and libertarianism as well as longtime libertarians.

As SFL notes: 

"As students for liberty, we are well-versed in defending the free market. Our opponents on campus constantly claim that markets are unfair, that capitalism is exploitative, that competition is inhumane, and that government control and redistribution are the solution to society's problems. Every day we struggle to explain that a free society that embraces free exchange is the only way to create wealth, peace, and prosperity for all.

"Most people acknowledge, if only begrudgingly, that capitalism does produce considerable wealth and material well-being. But many feel torn between material prosperity on the one hand and living a moral life on the other. The self-interested pursuit of profit that is characteristic of a capitalistic system just doesn't feel right to them.

"The task before us, then — if we wish to actualize the truly free social system that is laissez-faire capitalism — is to provide and defend its moral justification. We must convince fellow students that capitalism is not just the most efficient system, but a virtuous one as well."

The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors Won't Tell You makes that case, powerfully and convincingly.  

Students For Liberty has distributed over 100,000 copies to students around the world since it was first made available. 

You can learn more about The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors Won't Tell here

Download it as a FREE PDF ebook here

Here's the table of contents: 

Introduction: The Morality of Capitalism by Tom G. Palmer
The History of a Word 
Free-Market Capitalism vs. Crony Capitalism 

Section I: The Virtues of Entrepreneurial Capitalism
  • Interview with an Entrepreneur featuring John Mackey (Whole Foods CEO)
  • Liberty and Dignity Explain the Modern World by Deirdre N. McCloskey
  • Competition and Cooperation by David Boaz
  • For-Profit Medicine and the Compassion Motive by Tom G. Palmer

Section II: Voluntary Interaction and Self-Interest
  • The Paradox of Morality by Mao Yushi (Translated by Jude Blanchette)
  • The Moral Logic of Equality and Inequality in Market Society by Leonid V. Nikonov
  • Adam Smith and the Myth of Greed by Tom G. Palmer
  • Ayn Rand and Capitalism: The Moral Revolution by David Kelley

Section III: The Production and Distribution of Wealth
  • The Market Economy and the Distribution of Wealth by Ludwig Lachmann
  • Political and Economic Freedoms Together Spawn Humanity's Miracles by Temba A. Nolutshungu

Section IV: Globalizing Capitalism
  • Global Capitalism and Justice by June Arunga
  • Human Betterment through Globalization by Vernon Smith
  • The Culture of Liberty by Mario Vargas Llosa
  • A Little Further Reading for Fun and Profit (and Better School Papers) by Tom G. Palmer
The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors Won't Tell You is published by SFL and the Atlas Network. We highly recommend it.

Student groups note: SFL offers a limited number of hard copies at no cost to student groups. You can learn more about that here.

Video: Coffeecare —The Affordable Coffee Act 

You know how you buy a cup of coffee. You just go into the store, ask for what you want, and pay. End of story. 

But… What if we had to buy our coffee like the government is now forcing us to buy health insurance? What if, like Obamacare, we had… Coffeecare?



This scathing and very funny animated video by RealityAlwaysWins show us. The result is a lot of laughs and a thorough indictment of the bitter brew that is Obamacare. All in just three and a half short and funny minutes. 

Share it online with friends. It will open their eyes and let them smell… the Coffeecare. 

Campaign for Liberty: National ID Is Back 

Bad ideas never seem to go away. The Republican House leadership has unveiled brand-new "Immigration Reform Principles" — and the pro-liberty organization Campaign for Liberty reports this proposal resurrects once again the foul idea of a national ID.

In a section entitled "Employment Verification and Workplace Enforcement" the plan says: "In the 21st century it is unacceptable that the majority of employees have their work eligibility verified through a paper based system wrought with fraud. It is past time for this country to fully implement a workable electronic employment verification system." 

This, warns Campaign for Liberty, will require a new national ID card based on Social Security cards — cards that would: 

* Be tied to a national database containing biometric identification information, potentially including fingerprints, retinal scans, or scans of veins on the back of your hands, which could easily be used for government tracking. 

* Be required for all U.S. workers regardless of place of birth, making it illegal for anyone to hold a job in the United States who doesn't obtain this ID card; 

* Require all employers to purchase an "ID scanner" to verify the ID cards with the federal government. Every time any citizen applies for a job, the government would know — and, warns Campaign for Liberty, it's only a matter of time until ID scans will be required to make even routine purchases, as well. 

Further, according to Campaign for Liberty President John Tate, this sets us up for a swift slide down a steep slippery slope:

"Gun ownership, health records, purchasing habits, religious beliefs — virtually anything you could dream up could all be added to this massive national ID database. 

"And doing so wouldn't even require a vote by Congress. Instead, it could happen with a simple stroke of a president's pen. 

"This is exactly the type of battle that often decides whether a country remains free or continues down a slide toward tyranny."

Terrorism, border control, immigration reform, voter fraud, gun control, insurance, health care… seems like every year Congress discovers yet another urgent new reason why we need a national ID. 

Liberty-minded folks across the political spectrum have denounced the insidious dangers of these schemes. See Wired, the ACLUReason, and the conservative Rutherford Institute, for starters. 
 
* * * * * * * *
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."

Like this issue? Forward it to a friend!

Share
Tweet
Forward to Friend
+1
THEY SAID IT...
 
JAY LENO'S LAST STAB AT OBAMACARE: "And the worst thing about losing this job, I'm no longer covered by NBC. I have to sign up for Obamacare!" — Jay Leno on his last day as host of The Tonight Show, Feb. 6, 2014. 

RAND PAUL TAKES ON NSA: "The Fourth Amendment states that warrants issued must be specific to a person, place or task and this provision of the Bill of Rights exists explicitly to guard against the notion of a general warrant, where government can plunder through anyone's privacy at will. The NSA's metadata collection program is a general warrant for the modern age, reflecting the same kind of tyranny our nation's founders fought a revolution to make sure would never happen again. … It's time to trash the NSA's mass surveillance of Americans, for good." — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), "The NSA is still violating our rights," The Guardian, Feb. 20, 2014. 

THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL WAR ON MARIJUANA: "The truth is that the federal ban on marijuana — unlike the federal ban on alcohol, which began and ended with constitutional amendments — has no basis in the powers granted by the Constitution, at least insofar as it purports to reach purely intrastate activities." — syndicated columnist Jacob Sullum, "Let 50 Cannabis Flowers Bloom," Jan. 29, 2014. 

YES, THE GOV'T CAN KILL AMERICAN SUSPECTS ON AMERICAN SOIL: "The truth emerged only in 2013 when Senator Rand Paul asked point-blank whether the president could authorize lethal force, such as a drone strike, against an American citizen in the United States. Attorney General Eric Holder fired back that while the question was 'hypothetical,' the real-world answer was yes. Holder said he could imagine 'an extraordinary circumstance in which it would be necessary and appropriate under the Constitution and applicable laws of the United States for the president to authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States.' … They've thought about it. They've set up the legal manipulations necessary to justify it. The broad, open-ended criteria the president laid out for killing suspected terrorists exposes the post-Constitutional stance our government has already prepared for. All that's left to do is pull the trigger." — journalist Peter Van Buren, "How to Build a Post-Constitutional America One Killing at a Time," February 17, 2014. 

WHY TRUST THE GOV'T: "The United States has been lying to its people for more than 50 years, and such lies extend from falsifying the reasons for going to war with Vietnam and Iraq to selling arms to Iran in order to fund the reactionary Nicaraguan Contras. Why should anyone trust a government that has condoned torture, spied on at least 35 world leaders, supports indefinite detention, places bugs in thousands of computers all over the world, kills innocent people with drone attacks, promotes the Post Office to log mail for law enforcement agencies and arbitrarily authorizes targeted assassinations?" — Prof. Henry A. Giroux, "Totalitarian Paranoia in the Post-Orwellian Surveillance State," Truthout, Feb. 10, 2014. 

THE FOUNDERS BETRAYED: "The bottom line is that we've betrayed much of the moral vision of our Founding Fathers. In 1794, when Congress appropriated $15,000 for relief of French refugees who had fled from insurrection in San Domingo to Baltimore and Philadelphia, James Madison rose on the floor of the House of Representatives to object, saying, 'I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.' Tragically, today's Americans — Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative — would hold such a position in contempt and run a politician like Madison out of town on a rail." — syndicated columnist and economist Walter Williams, "Concealing Evil," Feb. 19, 2014. 

* * * * * * * * * *
"They Said It..." is compiled by Liberator Online editor James W. Harris.
 
Share
Tweet
Forward to Friend
+1

Persuasion Power Point #365

by Michael Cloud




 
How to Strengthen Your Voice and Prevent Hoarseness

If you're a libertarian candidate, public speaker, or seminar leader, you need a strong, reliable speaking voice.

Not just for two or three 20-minute talks. But for six hours to nine hours of speeches, conversations, and questions and answers each campaign day. Each seminar day.

How do you protect or treat your voice against raw throat, hoarseness, and voice fatigue?

For years, professional speakers have used throat lozenges, cough syrup, throat spray, and other over-the-counter remedies. Results? Temporary, minimal relief.

"Not nearly good enough," thought Steve Chandler, a longtime public speaker and seminar leader.

He looked for and finally found an all-natural, reliable and free solution.

What is it? 

"Sing... for an hour a day," urges Mr. Chandler. "Before I started my singing practice, I didn't have much of a voice at all. Now I never have a problem with my voice. I can always fill the auditorium with it, even if the AV system goes down and the microphone goes out."

When does he practice? When he runs errands, he plays music CDs in the car — and sings along with them. Sometimes when he works out, he plays the music on his iPod — and sings right along.

Skeptical? I was. So I put it to the test. For the last 20 days, I've sung along 60 minutes each day — to my favorite rock and pop singers. My voice has gotten stronger, more clear, and I have NO rawness or hoarseness.

Try it yourself. You'll love the results.

* * * * * * * *
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.
Unlocking More Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion

Transform your libertarian outreach!

Click cover to see more and order.
 

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.

The FDA Vs. the Health and Safety of Amercans

QUESTION: 
Which problem is the greatest: the FDA's approving unsafe drugs, or the FDA's delaying the approval of life-saving ones?
 
MY SHORT ANSWER: In 1992, Congress passed the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), allowing drug companies to voluntarily pay about $100,000 to get a speedier review. The money went to hire new reviewers. 

The fee has grown steadily; it's now over one million dollars per drug. The part of the FDA that reviews drug applications now receives about 50% of its funding from drug companies. FDA employees (e.g., Dr. David Graham, the whistleblower on Vioxx) have reported being told by supervisors that the drug companies — not the American public — are the FDA's clients. This should be expected, as he who pays the bills makes the rules. 
 
Does this mean that the FDA now approves unsafe drugs? It depends on how you look at it. Withdrawal rates (the percent of approved drugs removed from the market) from 1962-1992 and 1993-2013 are virtually identical at about 3%. As time goes on, however, more drugs approved during 1993-2013 are likely to be withdrawn. The differences may be small, though, as most withdrawals occur quickly. On the other hand, Vioxx, approved post-PDUFA, was by far the biggest drug disaster in history.  

Does the FDA still delay approval of life-saving drugs? Yes! It does so by demanding that companies perform studies taking an average of 13-plus years. Prior to 1962, the average time was about 4 years. I suspect that these delays are still more costly, in terms of lives lost, than approvals of unsafe drugs. 
 
* * * * * * * * * *
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 answers are archived in searchable form.
 
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.
Click cover to check out Dr. Ruwart's latest book!

One-Minute Liberty Tip 

by Sharon Harris




Word Choice: Blowback — Foreign and Domestic

“Blowback” is a term that originated in the CIA in 1954. It originally referred to the unintended consequences of a covert foreign operation — consequences that are often suffered by the civilians of the nation whose government instigated the covert operation. This “blowback” may take the form of riots, demonstrations, hostage-taking, terrorist attacks, and similar hostile actions. The civilians on the receiving end of the blowback don't realize that it was their own government's secret activities that caused the anger and violence being directed against them. 

Blowback is a term heard more and more when discussing foreign policy. And its definition is often expanded to include overt as well as covert foreign interventions that have negative consequences. 

Ron Paul helped popularize the concept of blowback, as well as the word itself, during his GOP presidential campaign runs. For example, in the 2008 Republican presidential primary debates in South Carolina, he introduced it this way: 

"I believe very sincerely that the CIA is correct when they teach and talk about ‘blowback.’ When we went into Iran in 1953 and installed the shah, yes, there was blowback. A reaction to that was the taking of our hostages, and that persists. And if we ignore [blowback], we ignore that at our own risk. If we think that we can do what we want around the world and not incite hatred, then we have a problem. They don't come here to attack us because we're rich and we're free. They come and they attack us because we're over there. I mean, what would we think... if other foreign countries were doing that to us?" 
    
Scholar Chalmers Johnson also popularized the term in an influential trilogy of books: Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire (2000); The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (2005); and Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic (2006).

Johnson defines the term and tells about the operation that led the CIA to use it: 

"’Blowback’ is a CIA term first used in March 1954 in a recently declassified report on the 1953 operation to overthrow the government of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran. It is a metaphor for the unintended consequences of the U.S. government's international activities that have been kept secret from the American people. The CIA's fears that there might ultimately be some blowback from its egregious interference in the affairs of Iran were well founded. Installing the Shah in power brought twenty-five years of tyranny and repression to the Iranian people and elicited the Ayatollah Khomeini's revolution. The staff of the American embassy in Teheran was held hostage for more than a year. This misguided ‘covert operation’ of the U.S. government helped convince many capable people throughout the Islamic world that the United States was an implacable enemy.” 

Blowback is a useful word in describing the unintended, but often terrible,  consequences of foreign intervention.

But it is a very useful term for discussing domestic policy as well. 

Just like foreign intervention, domestic government intervention has many unintended negative consequences. As the word “blowback” becomes a familiar, popular, colorful pejorative in foreign policy discussions, it is also beginning to be used to describe the unintended destructive consequences of domestic government activities. 

Libertarians — who are very aware of the negative unintended consequences of government domestic policy — can use the word blowback to add power and color to our discussions of domestic issues. 

Some examples: 

“An increase in the minimum wage would lead to blowback in the form of the loss of hundreds of thousands of desperately needed entry level jobs. This blowback would hit the most vulnerable people in our economy: the low-paid, the unemployed, the under-educated, minorities, and the young.”

“Blowback from the War on Drugs includes crowded prisons and wasted law enforcement resources, overdoses from impure street drugs, the spread of AIDS and Hepatitis B and C from shared needles, drugs peddled to children, loss of fundamental Bill of Rights civil liberties, the enriching of violent criminal gangs, the funding of terrorism, drive-by shootings by warring drug gangs... and more.” 

“The blowback from government welfare programs includes the break-up of families, multi-generational poverty, dependence on government, and a weakening of the vital role that voluntarily-funded charities play in our society.”

There are innumerable further possibilities. 

Blowback is a powerful, provocative word that quickly and colorfully conveys a vital concept. Many people realize its significance in the foreign policy realm. Their ears will perk up, and they may reach new understanding, when you apply it to domestic policy as well. 

* * * * * *
Sharon Harris is president of the Advocates for Self-Government.   
 
Share
Tweet
Forward to Friend

What's Happening with the Advocates


NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

ADVOCATES LIBERTARIAN COMMUNICATION EVENTS: 

Advocates President Sharon Harris will be speaking at the following events:

March 8: Keynote speaker at the Libertarian Party of Georgia's state convention.

March 15: Speaker at the Libertarian Party of Tennessee's state convention.

March 29: Speaker at the Libertarian Party of Colorado's state convention.

March 30: Half-day Communication Workshop co-sponsored by LP-CO.

April 5: Banquet speaker at the Libertarian Party of Maryland's state convention. Liberator Online columnist and author Michael Cloud will also be speaking.

June 26-29: National Libertarian Party convention. The Advocates will have a booth, and Sharon will be speaking.

August 8-9: Featured speaker at the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)'s "Communicating Liberty" conference.

Attendees will learn how to dramatically increase their effectiveness at communicating the ideas of liberty. 

Email us now if you'd like us to send you further information on these events. 

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.

JOIN US ON TWITTER: Twitter is the first place to learn about breaking Advocates and liberty movement news, expert communications tips, and exclusive Advocates discounts and specials. (And don't worry — we won't bombard you with tweets. We're keeping it fun, fast, and useful.)
 
Go to the Advocates Twitter account and click the "follow" button below our picture. Thanks!

JOIN THE ADVOCATES ON FACEBOOK: The Advocates Facebook page offers you a chance to share your ideas on liberty, meet some great people and show your support for the Advocates for Self-Government and liberty. Join us and you'll receive regular Facebook updates on Advocates news, communication tips, and special offers for our Facebook friends.

2014 FREEDOM CRUISES: Advocates Board member and long-time libertarian leader Dr. Ken Bisson invites you to join him for a Freedom Cruise. Enjoy a wonderful trip on a luxury cruiser — at a bargain rate! Great food and fine company. Non-libertarians welcome! (These aren't Advocates events, but libertarians who have been on past cruises rave about them.) For photos and more details — or to sign up for free, no-pressure, no-commitment email updates — visit Freedom Cruises.
Facebook
Facebook
Twitter
Twitter
Website
Website
Email
Email
Copyright © 2014 Advocates for Self-Government, All rights reserved.
unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 

Copyright © 2014 Advocates for Self-Government, All rights reserved.
unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences