WELCOME to the Liberator Online!
In This Issue
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
* Remembering John Hospers: Founding Father of the Modern Liberty Movement
INTELLECTUAL AMMUNITION
* Major New Report: Drug War Has Failed – Time to Try Legalization
* President Jimmy Carter: Call Off the Global Drug War
* Anti-Drug War Police Officers Issue Report Condemning Obama’s War on Drugs
* Ron Paul’s “The Last Nail” Speech
THEY SAID IT: Walter Williams on taxes and force .... Creator of "The Wire" on the drug war .... Jay Leno on the sky falling .... Thomas Sowell on congress' incompetence ....
PERSUASION POWER POINT #310
* “Are You for Fair Trade?” A Question Designed to Trick and Trap You
ASK DR. RUWART
* Could wilderness preserves be protected by the private sector?
ONE-MINUTE LIBERTY TIP
* The World’s Easiest Outreach, Using the World’s Smallest Political Quiz
WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE ADVOCATES
* FREE OPH KITS for libertarian student groups!
* Join the Advocates on Twitter.
* Join the Advocates Facebook Fan Club.
President's Corner
by Sharon Harris
Remembering John Hospers: Founding Father of the Modern Liberty Movement
Dear friend,
In 1972, I was a registered voter in the state of Georgia. Just two candidates were listed on my ballot for president of the United States: Richard Nixon (R) and George McGovern (D).
Hmmmm, I thought... let me see, which one most represents my views -- or, more accurately, which one disagrees with me the least?
But wait! There was, I knew, another candidate -- one from a brand-new political party, who actually DID represent my point of view! His name wasn't on the ballot, but I proudly wrote in his name: John Hospers (L).
Much later, I had the honor and privilege of actually meeting him, and he had a profound effect on my thinking and on my life.
Dr. John Hospers, one of our great champions of liberty, died June 12 at the age of 93, after a lengthy illness.
He was an extraordinary man who served the liberty movement in many ways. He was the first Libertarian Party candidate for President. He was a great scholar, writer and editor, the author of over 150 scholarly and popular articles and several significant books. He served for years as chairman of the philosophy department at the University of Southern California. And he was a kind and thoughtful man.
Like so many others, Hospers first became interested in libertarian ideas through reading Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. He met Ayn Rand in 1960, and for a while met regularly with her to discuss politics and philosophy. Although they later broke apart because of various philosophical differences, she had an immense influence on his thinking.
In 1971 Hospers wrote his great and widely acclaimed introduction to libertarian thought,
Libertarianism: A Political Philosophy for Tomorrow. In part because of this, Hospers was asked to run as the first presidential candidate of the newly-formed Libertarian Party. His running mate was journalist Tonie Nathan.
Although they received, according to the Washington Post, just 3,671 votes and were on the ballot in only two states, this campaign made history in several important ways. First, they established the fledgling Libertarian Party as a legitimate party. Second, the ticket caught the eye of the nation as it received an Electoral College vote from a maverick Republican delegate, Roger MacBride. That, incidentally, made Hospers the first openly gay candidate to receive an Electoral College vote, and made his running mate Tonie Nathan the first woman in American history to receive an Electoral College vote.
Finally, as the Cato Institute’s Tom Palmer
notes: "[T]he Hospers campaign helped to launch a long-term political alignment that is very much with us today, as people increasingly see issues in terms of personal liberty and responsibility, rather than as a battle between two different flavors of statism.”
Hospers wrote a fun and fascinating article about his presidential run for Liberty magazine, and you can read it
here [pdf].
In the mid-1990s, I enjoyed telling him about my write-in vote when I called to ask him if we could do a limited-edition reprint of his book, Libertarianism: A Political Philosophy for Tomorrow. He chuckled at my story, and graciously gave us permission for the reprint.
He was also pleased when I told him the story of how Libertarianism: A Political Philosophy for Tomorrow was directly responsible for turning Liberator Online editor James W. Harris from a statist of some stripe or another into a hard-core libertarian.
In 1978 James was reading a magazine article on tax revolts. In that article he came across a brief description of libertarianism. James says the libertarian philosophy, as described in the article, sounded so crazy to him that he wanted to read more about it, just for laughs. So he asked a friend to get him a book on libertarianism from the library. His friend brought back Hospers' book.
After reading Libertarianism: A Political Philosophy for Tomorrow, James was startled to find that libertarianism made more sense than any other political philosophy he had ever encountered. He adopted the philosophy he had initially laughed at, and became a libertarian.
Hospers is one of the modern liberty movement’s Founding Fathers. His was a life grandly lived. I am proud to be active in the movement he played so large a role in creating.
* * *
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 -- the philosophy of liberty.
-- Sharon Harris, President |
Email
Intellectual Ammunition
by James W. Harris
Major New Report: Drug War Has Failed – Time to Try Legalization
The War on Drugs has failed. Governments should explore re-legalizing marijuana and other drugs, both to reduce the power of organized crime and to treat the health issues related to drug use.
That’s the stunning conclusion of a major new
report [pdf] by
The Global Commission on Drug Policy.
The 19-member Commission is the most distinguished group of high-level leaders to ever call for such far-reaching changes. The Commission includes such highly-respected world political figures as former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, President Ronald Reagan’s secretary of state George Schultz, former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and former NATO Secretary General Javier Solana.
“The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world,” says the report. “Fifty years after the initiation of the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and 40 years after President Nixon launched the US government’s war on drugs, fundamental reforms in national and global drug control policies are urgently needed.
“Vast expenditures on criminalization and repressive measures directed at producers, traffickers and consumers of illegal drugs have clearly failed to effectively curtail supply or consumption. Apparent victories in eliminating one source or trafficking organization are negated almost instantly by the emergence of other sources and traffickers.”
The report goes on to list other failures. It then offers its recommendations, including:
* End the criminalization, marginalization and stigmatization of people who use drugs but who do no harm to others.
* Challenge rather than reinforce common misconceptions about drug markets, drug use and drug dependence.
* Encourage experimentation by governments with models of legal regulation of drugs (especially cannabis) to undermine the power of organized crime and safeguard the health and security of their citizens.
* Ensure that a variety of treatment modalities are available – including not just methadone and buprenorphine treatment but also the heroin-assisted treatment programs that have proven successful in many European countries and Canada.
* Apply human rights and harm reduction principles and policies both to people who use drugs as well as those involved in the lower ends of illegal drug markets such as farmers, couriers and petty sellers.
The report’s conclusion:
“Break the taboo on debate and reform. The time for action is now.”
* * *
President Jimmy Carter: Call Off the Global Drug War
As we go to press, former President Jimmy Carter has written an
editorial for the New York Times entitled "Call Off the Global Drug War," in which he declares his strong support for the recommendations of the Global Commission on Drug Policy (described in the article above).
Carter writes: "The Commission's facts and arguments are persuasive" and the Commission's recommendations are "courageous and profoundly important…"
He notes his support for partial marijuana decriminalization during his term. "In a message to Congress in 1977, I said the country should decriminalize the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, with a full program of treatment for addicts. I also cautioned against filling our prisons with young people who were no threat to society, and summarized by saying: 'Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself.'"
He then notes that the Reagan administration, rather than easing penalties, intensified the Drug War, a disastrous policy turn that was followed by subsequent administrations. He describes some of the horrors that have resulted, such as the explosion in the arrest and imprisonment of Americans.
"Not only has this excessive punishment destroyed the lives of millions of young people and their families (disproportionately minorities), but it is wreaking havoc on state and local budgets."
President Carter ends with a personal anecdote and a bold recommendation:
"A few years ago I worked side by side for four months with a group of prison inmates, who were learning the building trade, to renovate some public buildings in my hometown of Plains, Ga. They were intelligent and dedicated young men, each preparing for a productive life after the completion of his sentence. More than half of them were in prison for drug-related crimes, and would have been better off in college or trade school.
"To help such men remain valuable members of society, and to make drug policies more humane and more effective, the American government should support and enact the reforms laid out by the Global Commission on Drug Policy."
President Carter's endorsement of the Commission's policies is a major step towards public acceptance of drug law reform and the libertarian policy of ending the obscene War on Drugs.
* * *
Anti-Drug War Police Officers Issue Report Condemning Obama’s War on Drugs
Forty years ago -- June 17, 1971-- President Richard Nixon officially declared a “War on Drugs.” It’s a date that should live in infamy.
To commemorate it, the organization LEAP – Law Enforcement Against Prohibition – issued a scathing report detailing the incredible damage that the War on Drugs has caused during those past four decades -- and showing how the Obama administration is actually ramping up the Drug War while disingenuously claiming to do otherwise.
LEAP is made up of current and former police, prosecutors, judges, FBI/DEA agents, corrections officials, military officers and others who, the organization says, fought on the front lines of the War on Drugs and who know firsthand that prohibition only worsens drug addiction and illicit drug market violence.
LEAP’s new report is entitled
Ending the Drug War: A Dream Deferred. It’s an excellent source of facts and quotes about the failed War on Drugs.
Members of LEAP hand-delivered a copy of the report to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (the Drug Czar's office) after holding a press conference in Washington, DC.
The organization
StoptheDrugWar.org prepared an excellent
article on the report and press confrence.
The article included comments made by LEAP members at their press conference:
"When President Nixon declared the 'drug war' in 1971, we arrested fewer than half a million people for drug offenses that year. Today, the number has skyrocketed to almost two million drug arrests a year," said former Baltimore narcotics officer and LEAP executive director Neill Franklin. "We jail more of our own citizens than any other country in the world does, including those run by the worst dictators and totalitarian regimes. Is this how President Obama thinks we can 'win the future'?"
"I was a police officer for 34 years, the last six as chief of police in Seattle," retired law enforcement veteran Norm Stamper told the press conference. "At one point in my career, I had an epiphany. I came to the appreciation that police officers could be doing better things with their time and that we were causing more harm than good with this drug war. My position is that we need to end prohibition, which is the organizing mechanism behind the drug war. We need to replace that system guaranteed to invite violence and corruption and replace it with a regulatory model.”
"It became increasingly apparent that the prohibitionist model just made things worse by turning a multi-billion dollar industry over to criminal organizations," said Sean Dunagan, a recently retired 13-year DEA veteran. "There is such a profit motive with the trade in illegal drugs that it is funding a de facto civil war in Mexico. Prohibition has demonstrably failed and it is time to look at policy alternatives that address the problem of addiction without destroying our societies the way the drug war has done."
"Those of us who advocate ending prohibition are not proposing some sort of nirvana with no police and no crime, but a strategy based in reality that recognizes what police can accomplish in cooperation with the rest of society," said former House Judiciary Crime subcommittee counsel Eric Sterling. "The post-prohibition environment will require enforcement as in every legal industry. The enormous power that the criminal organizations have will diminish, but those groups are not going to simply walk away. The difference between us and the prohibitionists is that we are not making empty promises like a drug-free America or proposing thoughtless approaches like zero tolerance."
"My journey to my current position came over many years and after seeing many friends killed in the line of duty because of our failed drug policies. This is an abomination and needs to change,” said retired Maryland State Police captain and University of Maryland law professor Leigh Maddox.
As LEAP
notes at their excellent website:
“For nearly four decades the US has fueled its policy of a 'war on drugs' with over a trillion tax dollars and increasingly punitive policies. More than 39 million arrests for nonviolent drug offenses have been made. The incarcerated population quadrupled over a 20-year period, making building prisons the nation’s fastest growing industry. More than 2.3 million US citizens are currently in prison or jail, far more per capita than any country in the world. The US has 4.6 percent of the population of the world but 22.5 percent of the world’s prisoners. Each year this war costs the US another 70 billion dollars. Despite all the lives destroyed and all the money so ill spent, today illicit drugs are cheaper, more potent, and much easier to access than they were at the beginning of the war on drugs, 39 years ago. Meanwhile, people continue dying on the streets while drug barons and terrorists continue to grow richer, more powerful, better armed.”
* * *
Ron Paul’s “The Last Nail” Speech
On May 25, Ron Paul delivered a dramatic and eye-opening five-minute speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, detailing alarming new threats to liberty in America. We’ve reprinted it below in its entirety.
We’ve also included a
link to a video of Paul giving the speech, if you’d rather watch and listen.
Also, the conservative website New American ran the text of Ron Paul’s speech with copious links to documents backing up Ron Paul’s charges, from a variety of libertarian, liberal, conservative, and mainstream media sources. This fascinating and very useful document can be found
here.
The Last Nail
by Congressman Ron Paul
The last nail is being driven into the coffin of the American Republic. Yet, Congress remains in total denial as our liberties are rapidly fading before our eyes.
The process is propelled by unwarranted fear and ignorance as to the true meaning of liberty. It is driven by economic myths, fallacies and irrational good intentions.
The rule of law is constantly rejected and authoritarian answers are offered as panaceas for all our problems.
Runaway welfarism is used to benefit the rich at the expense of the middle class.
Who would have ever thought that the current generation and Congress would stand idly by and watch such a rapid disintegration of the American Republic?
Characteristic of this epic event is the casual acceptance by the people and political leaders of the unitary presidency, which is equivalent to granting dictatorial powers to the President.
Our Presidents can now, on their own:
* Order assassinations, including American citizens,
* Operate secret military tribunals,
* Engage in torture,
* Enforce indefinite imprisonment without due process,
* Order searches and seizures without proper warrants, gutting the 4th Amendment,
* Ignore the 60 day rule for reporting to the Congress the nature of any military operations as required by the War Power Resolution,
* Continue the Patriot Act abuses without oversight,
* Wage war at will,
* Treat all Americans as suspected terrorists at airports with TSA groping and nude x-raying.
And the Federal Reserve accommodates by counterfeiting the funds needed and not paid for by taxation and borrowing, permitting runaway spending, endless debt, and special interest bail-outs.
And all of this is not enough. The abuses and usurpations of the war power are soon to be codified in the National Defense Authorization Act now rapidly moving its way through the Congress.
Instead of repealing the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), as we should, now that bin Laden is dead and gone, Congress is planning to massively increase the war power of the President.
Though an opportunity presents itself to end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, Congress, with bipartisan support, obsesses on how to expand the unconstitutional war power the President already holds.
The current proposal would allow a President to pursue war any time, any place, for any reason, without Congressional approval. Many believe this would even permit military activity against American suspects here at home.
The proposed authority does not reference the 9/11 attacks. It would be expanded to include the Taliban and "associated" forces -- a dangerously vague and expansive definition of our potential enemies.
There is no denial that the changes in s.1034 totally eliminate the hard-fought-for restraint on Presidential authority to go to war without Congressional approval achieved at the Constitutional Convention.
Congress' war authority has been severely undermined since World War II beginning with the advent of the Korean War which was fought solely under a UN Resolution.
Even today, we're waging war in Libya without even consulting with the Congress, similar to how we went to war in Bosnia in the 1990s under President Clinton.
The three major reasons for our Constitutional Convention were to:
* Guarantee free trade and travel among the states.
* Make gold and silver legal tender and abolish paper money.
* Strictly limit the Executive Branch's authority to pursue war without Congressional approval.
But today:
* Federal Reserve notes are legal tender, gold and silver are illegal.
* The Interstate Commerce Clause is used to regulate all commerce at the expense of free trade among the states.
And now the final nail is placed in the coffin of Congressional responsibility for the war power, delivering this power completely to the President -- a sharp and huge blow to the concept of our Republic.
In my view, it appears that the fate of the American Republic is now sealed -- unless these recent trends are quickly reversed.
The saddest part of this tragedy is that all these horrible changes are being done in the name of patriotism and protecting freedom. They are justified by good intentions while believing the sacrifice of liberty is required for our safety. Nothing could be further from the truth.
More sad is the conviction that our enemies are driven to attack us for our freedoms and prosperity, and not because of our deeply flawed foreign policy that has generated justifiable grievances and has inspired the radical violence against us. Without this understanding our endless, unnamed, and undeclared wars will continue and our wonderful experience with liberty will end.
* * * * * * * *
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...
WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO LIVE AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS: “Does one American have a moral right to live at the expense of another American? To be more explicit, should Congress, through its taxing authority, give the Bank of America, Citibank, Archer Daniels Midland, farmers, dairymen, college students and poor people the right to live off of the earnings of another American? I'm guessing that only a few Americans would agree with my answer: No one should be forcibly used to serve the purposes of another American.” -- economist and syndicated columnist
Walter Williams, “Our Moral Dilemma,” June 15, 2011.
END THE DRUG WAR, SEE ANOTHER YEAR OF HBO’S “THE WIRE”: “The Attorney-General's kind remarks are noted and appreciated. "… [W]e are prepared to go to work on season six of The Wire if the Department of Justice is equally ready to reconsider and address its continuing prosecution of our misguided, destructive and dehumanising drug prohibition.” – response of The Wire creator
David Simon to U.S. attorney general Eric Holder's statement that he’d love to see another season of The Wire.
JAY LENO ON THE SKY FALLING: "President Obama said regarding the economy, 'The sky is not falling.' The poll numbers are falling, the market is falling, support for the war in Libya is falling, Anthony Weiner's pants are falling, but the sky is fine." -- Jay Leno, June 14, 2011.
CONGRESS’ EVER-EXPANDING INCOMPETENCE: “In the course of any given year, Congress votes on taxes, medical care, military spending, foreign aid, agriculture, labor, international trade, airlines, housing, insurance, courts, natural resources and much more.
“There are professionals who have spent their entire adult lives specializing in just one of these fields. The idea that Congress can be competent in all these areas simultaneously is staggering. Yet, far from pulling back … Congress is constantly expanding further into more fields.
“Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it, politicians have now moved on into micromanaging automobile companies and medical care.
“They are not going to stop unless they get stopped. And that is not going to happen until the voters recognize the fact that political rhetoric is no substitute for competence.”
-- economist and syndicated columnist
Thomas Sowell, “Different Decisions,” June 7, 2011.
* * * * * * * * * *
"They Said It..." is compiled by Liberator Online editor James W. Harris.
Persuasion
Power Point
#310
by Michael Cloud
“Are You for Fair Trade?” A Question Designed to Trick and Trap You
"Do you believe that trade should be fair?"
"Do you support the idea of fair trade?"
"Are you for fair trade?"
"Should we have fair trade?"
Such "fair trade" questions are often posed by members of MoveOn.org. Or from readers of progressive blogs like The Daily Kos or The Huffington Post.
These "fair trade" challenges come from fans of books like A Theory of Justice by John Rawls. Or from readers of progressive persuasion guru George Lakoff.
But these "fair trade" questions are NOT intended to find out what you really want. "Fair trade" questions are designed to trick and trap you into opposing FREE trade.
But don't take my word for it. Here's how you can find out for yourself.
Respond to "fair trade" questions with these clarifying questions:
1. What do you mean by the phrase "fair trade"? Could you give me a few examples?
2. What do you mean by the phrase "UNFAIR trade"? Could you give me a few examples?
3. Who decides whether a trade is fair: the buyer and seller, or someone else?
4. Who has the final say over whether the terms and conditions of a trade are fair: the traders, or someone else?
5. If the buyer, or seller, or both believe that a trade is “unfair,” but they want to make the exchange anyway, can they? If either or both of them believe they're getting "the short end of the stick," but want to trade anyway, will they be free to?
6. If people who are NOT parties to the trade -- e.g., so-called "stakeholders" -- strongly oppose the exchange, do these people have a legal right to interfere?
Now ask yourself: Is that the America YOU want? Are these the laws and regulations you want to live under?
Or would you rather be free?
* * * * * * * *
Michael Cloud is author of the acclaimed book Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion, available exclusively from the Advocates.
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.
Could wilderness preserves be protected by the private sector?
Question: I'm interested to know what the libertarian position is on national parks, forests, preserves, etc. I think this is an appropriate place for some sort of collective, governmental control. Pure private enterprise would not place a high enough value on the wilderness as it is.
My Short Answer: If national parks were sold to conservation groups, they'd get much better care than they do now. Government hasn't been a very good steward to our parks, contrary to popular opinion.
For example, earlier in its history, Yellowstone employees were encouraged to kill wolf, fox, lynx, marten and fisher because visitors enjoyed watching the deer, elk, longhorn sheep, etc. that these species preyed upon. The expanding population of hoofed mammals destroyed the shrubs and berries that fed the bear population. As a result, bears began to invade camp sites, so park rangers had to start removing them. Now wolves are being reintroduced to Yellowstone.
Other parks under bureaucratic stewardship haven't fared so well, either. Ravena Park in Seattle was established by a couple who wanted to protect the giant Douglas firs that grew in that area.
Up to 10,000 people per day came to visit and attend the nature lectures, walk the trails and admire the majestic trees. The city eventually bought the park and made it public. Within 15 years, all the Douglas firs were gone. The bureaucrats overseeing the park could only profit by selling trees as cordwood, so that's what they did.
These stories are not unique. People act in their own selfish interests. When they own a property, they profit most by caring for it. When they simply have bureaucratic oversight, they profit most from exploiting it.
A libertarian government would recognize this pattern and privatizes the environment. The owners profit when they protect it and lose when they don't. When government doesn't interfere, people do what's right in order to do what's best for themselves.
Learn more: Liberator Online editor James W. Harris suggests the following articles for further reading on these topics:
* “
Free Market Environmentalism Revised” by Terry L. Anderson and Donald R. Leal. Published by the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), this essay gives a good overview of the benefits of market-based environmentalism. (You can also read a longer version of the same essay there.) PERC is a great resource for learning more about free market environmentalism.
Excerpt: “Some environmentalists have turned to free market environmentalism because of its ability to provide a long-lasting solution. When property rights are well defined and enforced, protection of a wetland or bird sanctuary is secured by common law precedent and by the constitution of the United States. This differs from political protection, which can shift with the political winds. As one environmentalist told us when asked about how best to protect wildlife habitat, ‘You know what I like? A deed in the courthouse.’ … [T]here is hardly an environmentalist who would not concede that markets have a role to play in advancing environmental quality."
* "
How and Why to Privatize Federal Lands" by Terry L. Anderson, Vernon L. Smith and Emily Simmons. This 1999 Cato Institute study describes in detail how government ownership results in economic and ecological mismanagement of public lands. The solution: “get the incentives right for both the treasury and the environment" by privatizing federal land holdings. The study explores one possible way to do that, over a period of several decades, by auction.
Excerpt: “Fully a third of the land area of the United States is owned by the federal government. Although many Americans support the preservation of those lands, analysts on the left and the right agree that the federal government has done an exceedingly poor job of stewarding those resources. Indeed, the failure of socialism is as evident in the realm of resource economics as it is in other areas of the economy.
“Public land management….does not always deliver what the citizens expect either for the treasury or for the environment. It is remarkable that the federal government actually loses money in the course of managing federal land assets estimated to be worth billions. Moreover, the federal government has a poor record of ecological stewardship. The argument that federal agents are better land managers than are private owners is not only suspect in theory; it is dubious in fact.”
* * * * * * * *
Got questions? Dr. Ruwart has answers! If you'd like answers to YOUR "tough questions" on libertarian issues, email Dr. Ruwart at:
ruwart@theAdvocates.org
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 outstanding book
Healing Our World is available from the Advocates.
One-Minute Liberty Tip
By Sharon Harris
The World’s Easiest Outreach, Using the World’s Smallest Political Quiz
The World’s Smallest Political Quiz, invented by the Advocates nearly 25 years ago, is the most popular and successful libertarian outreach tool ever created.
The Quiz is fast, fun, amazingly accurate, and opens eyes and minds to a new way of looking at politics.
Most people find the Quiz irresistible. Once they see it, they just have to take it – and they’re often eager to share their scores, talk about the issues, and find out more about libertarianism.
The numbers show the popularity of the Quiz. The online Quiz has been taken over 17 million times. Millions more people have encountered the Quiz in newspapers, textbooks, books, on talk radio, at OPH booths, and in other formats.
The Advocates has sold or distributed over 10 million Quiz cards. The Quiz card was the original form of the Quiz, and it remains very popular today among libertarian activists.
It’s the Quiz card that I want to talk about in this column.
Each Quiz card features the eye-catching Quiz graphic and the 10 questions on the front, along with instructions on how to take the Quiz and a brief discussion of the different political philosophies. On the back are quotes attesting to the validity of the Quiz, and information on the Advocates and libertarianism.
For those who score libertarian -- or who are just curious to learn more about libertarian ideas – a link on the Quiz card will take them to Advocates resources that will introduce them to the ideas of liberty in an accurate, persuasive, professional way.
In short, the Quiz card is designed as a self-contained outreach package: eye-drawing, appealing, and full of information.
A Quiz taker can go from knowing nothing about libertarianism to becoming a full-fledged libertarian activist – all from an encounter with a single Quiz card.
The most popular Quiz is the
Deluxe Quiz – a pocket-sized 3-1/2" x 5-3/4". They fit easily into shirt pockets, purses, and daily planners. They are inexpensive and you can take them easily with you wherever you go.
Now ask yourself: Could you leave a Quiz card or cards:
* On top of newspaper dispensers?
* With your tip in a restaurant?
* Tucked in library books (especially books with liberty-oriented themes)?
* On school campuses?
* Tacked onto grocery store bulletin boards?
* At laundromats?
* In letters to friends?
* On a counter, desktop, or other appropriate place at work?
No doubt you can think of dozens of other places.
Now: could you distribute just three cards a day in this easy, no-effort way?
If so, that would be over a thousand cards per year you'd distribute.
If even a small number of those thousand cards leads to people discovering and exploring libertarianism, you will have reached dozens or hundreds of people – effortlessly and at a very low cost of money and time.
It’s the easiest libertarian outreach in the world. But because it uses the most effective libertarian outreach tool ever created, it can be extremely effective.
Why not start today? A thousand libertarians doing this would mean a million Quiz cards distributed per year. And that means LOTS of new libertarians!
* * * * * *
Sharon Harris is president of the Advocates for Self-Government. See more One Minute Liberty tips.
What's Happening with the Advocates
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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