I have enormous respect for many libertarians who want to have nothing to do with the LP, and just as libertarians are often unfairly accused of being against
certain activities because they don't want the government doing them ("You're opposed to the Department of Education? Why on Earth are you
opposed to education?"), non-political libertarians are often unfairly accused of not wanting to do anything for liberty because they don't want to
participate in the LP ("You're opposed to the Libertarian Party? Why on Earth are you opposed to libertarian activism?"). Furthermore, the LP
itself is nurtured by the presence non-political libertarian organizations (and I believe vice versa, but don't want to start an argument at this
particular time).
If every libertarian organization fell into the pool and I only had time to rescue one from drowning, it would be Advocates for Self Government. There are many fine organizations and individuals, not all of them libertarian, that have organized to develop the intellectual foundations and empirical evidence for liberty, and others that have actively fought in the public arena on key issues, but the unique mission of The Advocates is to develop as many libertarian persuaders as possible and to give them the tools to succeed. Although it would grieve me to see the Libertarian Party die, or become so hopelessly corrupt that it lost any ability to expose people to libertarian ideas and thereby assist other organizations in reaching the public (as I think it has, with all its faults, been accomplishing for the past 36 years.), I would only fear for the future of liberty if the The Advocates went away.
Founded by Marshall Fritz in 1985, and now ably headed by President Sharon Harris, it was inspired by the abolitionist movement of the 19th century to end slavery in the United States: I remember Marshall expressing his hope when the idea started percolating in his head that someday the term "advocates" would be the shorthand term used to refer to libertarian persuaders, just as the term "abolitionists" went beyond the dictionary meaning of the word to specifically mean those promoting an end to slavery (we are, after all, promoting the exact same idea, and simply want to end the unfortunate exception to the prohibition of slavery that was left in for government officials). He advised people to always abbreviate the organization's name as The Advocates, never ASG, so as to maximize the number of impressions of the word people received.
Just as William Lloyd Garrison named his newspaper to agitate against slavery The Liberator, the bi-weekly email newsletter of The Advocates to persuade for libertarianism (the word agitate doesn't seem right for this friendly organization) is named The Liberator Online. Both publications are merely the tip of the iceberg as far as understanding the importance of the organizations: I'll leave it to the reader to find out more about Garrison (the biography All on Fire by Henry Mayer is an excellent start), but you can easily find out more about The Advocates online at www.theadvocates.org/programs.html. Operation Politically Homeless is a great event tool for setting up a booth at public gatherings such as fairs, the Libertarian Communication Center is the best training site anywhere if you want to become skilled as a libertarian persuader, and the Lights of Liberty Award is the most winnable award in libertarianism (yes, you TOO can be a winner), that brilliantly exploits the Japanese concept of kaizen to ease embarrassed people into being advocates without asking for more than most people can manage.
Advocates for Self Government is entirely non-political, but doesn't spend any of its time sniping at those who believe in the use of political strategies to advance libertarianism. In one issue, it might praise the effort of Republican Ron Paul to restore the right of habeas corpus, and in another praise Democrat Barney Frank for introducing a bill to eliminate federal laws against marijuana use. Naturally, it also offers comments about political activities that aren't so praiseworthy (James Harris' "Good News, Bad News, Unbelievable News" roundup in The Liberator Online is an easy read about the doings of government officials everywhere).
Fortunately, The Advocates are the ones who grabbed libertarianism.com before anyone else thought of it, and they offer a very good web site for someone surfing the net for information about the idea. They have published 2 of the 3 best books for improving the communication skills of libertarians: SECRETS OF LIBERTARIAN PERSUASION by Michael Cloud and LIBERTY A-Z: 872 LIBERTARIAN SOUNDBITES YOU CAN USE RIGHT NOW by Harry Browne, and are indirectly responsible for the 3rd one, SHORT ANSWERS TO THE TOUGH QUESTIONS by Mary Ruwart, which is based on her Ask Dr. Ruwart column that appears in each issue of The Liberator Online (they also host the wonderful archive of her answers, which I've used more times than I can remember when fumbling for the right words to defend a libertarian policy).
Fundamentally, there is only one thing libertarians need to accomplish to make a society based on mutual respect for life and property virtually inevitable: persuade enough people that this is a good idea. Once the battle for ideas is won, the rest follows: people act to achieve their values, and we can neither predict nor direct how they will act. The changes will occur in the form of political changes, alternative institutions, refusal of people to obey or enforce unjust laws that violate life and property, and the growth of compassionate organizations to accomplish through persuasion charitable goals that are currently being pursued unsuccessfully via coercion.
May I offer a few suggestions?
(1) Sign up to receive The Liberator Online at www.theadvocates.org/publications/liberator-online.html .
(2) Browse their web site at www.theadvocates.org for tools that will make you a more effective libertarian persuader. Purchase some of the excellent books, tapes, and materials they have developed and refined over the years.
(3) Join me as a monthly pledger to help defray the expense of all the web sites, free literature, and speakers they provide the movement. Personally, I chopped the last 3 zeroes off my annual income to decide on my monthly pledge, figuring that a tax-deductible 1.2% of my income per year is a reasonable price to pay to support their extraordinary activities, but I'm quite sure they'd be delighted by a $10/month pledge (by the way, monthly pledges are much more efficient for organizations than one-time contributions: they should be able to spend as little time doing repeat begging as possible. I also like the monthly reminder on my credit card statement that I'm acting according to my own values to change the world). They have a secure site to provide the info at https://www.fbs.net/advocates/donations.cfm as well as the phone and mail information if you prefer to pledge that way.
Seriously, $10 month is 33 cents a day, and less than 25 cents after the tax deduction for most people. As, I said, I respect people who want to advance libertarianism but wish to have nothing to do with the LP, but those who find a quarter a day too much trouble have no gripe against those who accuse them of being do-nothings. Advocates for Self Government is a non-political educational organization with no connection to either Ruwart's current presidential bid nor the LP, although both are stronger thanks to the past work of The Advocates, as is our entire movement.
(4) If 25 cents a day really is too much, at least send a kind word to info@TheAdvocates.org to encourage some of the best people in the movement to keep up the good work.
If every libertarian organization fell into the pool and I only had time to rescue one from drowning, it would be Advocates for Self Government. There are many fine organizations and individuals, not all of them libertarian, that have organized to develop the intellectual foundations and empirical evidence for liberty, and others that have actively fought in the public arena on key issues, but the unique mission of The Advocates is to develop as many libertarian persuaders as possible and to give them the tools to succeed. Although it would grieve me to see the Libertarian Party die, or become so hopelessly corrupt that it lost any ability to expose people to libertarian ideas and thereby assist other organizations in reaching the public (as I think it has, with all its faults, been accomplishing for the past 36 years.), I would only fear for the future of liberty if the The Advocates went away.
Founded by Marshall Fritz in 1985, and now ably headed by President Sharon Harris, it was inspired by the abolitionist movement of the 19th century to end slavery in the United States: I remember Marshall expressing his hope when the idea started percolating in his head that someday the term "advocates" would be the shorthand term used to refer to libertarian persuaders, just as the term "abolitionists" went beyond the dictionary meaning of the word to specifically mean those promoting an end to slavery (we are, after all, promoting the exact same idea, and simply want to end the unfortunate exception to the prohibition of slavery that was left in for government officials). He advised people to always abbreviate the organization's name as The Advocates, never ASG, so as to maximize the number of impressions of the word people received.
Just as William Lloyd Garrison named his newspaper to agitate against slavery The Liberator, the bi-weekly email newsletter of The Advocates to persuade for libertarianism (the word agitate doesn't seem right for this friendly organization) is named The Liberator Online. Both publications are merely the tip of the iceberg as far as understanding the importance of the organizations: I'll leave it to the reader to find out more about Garrison (the biography All on Fire by Henry Mayer is an excellent start), but you can easily find out more about The Advocates online at www.theadvocates.org/programs.html. Operation Politically Homeless is a great event tool for setting up a booth at public gatherings such as fairs, the Libertarian Communication Center is the best training site anywhere if you want to become skilled as a libertarian persuader, and the Lights of Liberty Award is the most winnable award in libertarianism (yes, you TOO can be a winner), that brilliantly exploits the Japanese concept of kaizen to ease embarrassed people into being advocates without asking for more than most people can manage.
Advocates for Self Government is entirely non-political, but doesn't spend any of its time sniping at those who believe in the use of political strategies to advance libertarianism. In one issue, it might praise the effort of Republican Ron Paul to restore the right of habeas corpus, and in another praise Democrat Barney Frank for introducing a bill to eliminate federal laws against marijuana use. Naturally, it also offers comments about political activities that aren't so praiseworthy (James Harris' "Good News, Bad News, Unbelievable News" roundup in The Liberator Online is an easy read about the doings of government officials everywhere).
Fortunately, The Advocates are the ones who grabbed libertarianism.com before anyone else thought of it, and they offer a very good web site for someone surfing the net for information about the idea. They have published 2 of the 3 best books for improving the communication skills of libertarians: SECRETS OF LIBERTARIAN PERSUASION by Michael Cloud and LIBERTY A-Z: 872 LIBERTARIAN SOUNDBITES YOU CAN USE RIGHT NOW by Harry Browne, and are indirectly responsible for the 3rd one, SHORT ANSWERS TO THE TOUGH QUESTIONS by Mary Ruwart, which is based on her Ask Dr. Ruwart column that appears in each issue of The Liberator Online (they also host the wonderful archive of her answers, which I've used more times than I can remember when fumbling for the right words to defend a libertarian policy).
Fundamentally, there is only one thing libertarians need to accomplish to make a society based on mutual respect for life and property virtually inevitable: persuade enough people that this is a good idea. Once the battle for ideas is won, the rest follows: people act to achieve their values, and we can neither predict nor direct how they will act. The changes will occur in the form of political changes, alternative institutions, refusal of people to obey or enforce unjust laws that violate life and property, and the growth of compassionate organizations to accomplish through persuasion charitable goals that are currently being pursued unsuccessfully via coercion.
May I offer a few suggestions?
(1) Sign up to receive The Liberator Online at www.theadvocates.org/publications/liberator-online.html .
(2) Browse their web site at www.theadvocates.org for tools that will make you a more effective libertarian persuader. Purchase some of the excellent books, tapes, and materials they have developed and refined over the years.
(3) Join me as a monthly pledger to help defray the expense of all the web sites, free literature, and speakers they provide the movement. Personally, I chopped the last 3 zeroes off my annual income to decide on my monthly pledge, figuring that a tax-deductible 1.2% of my income per year is a reasonable price to pay to support their extraordinary activities, but I'm quite sure they'd be delighted by a $10/month pledge (by the way, monthly pledges are much more efficient for organizations than one-time contributions: they should be able to spend as little time doing repeat begging as possible. I also like the monthly reminder on my credit card statement that I'm acting according to my own values to change the world). They have a secure site to provide the info at https://www.fbs.net/advocates/donations.cfm as well as the phone and mail information if you prefer to pledge that way.
Seriously, $10 month is 33 cents a day, and less than 25 cents after the tax deduction for most people. As, I said, I respect people who want to advance libertarianism but wish to have nothing to do with the LP, but those who find a quarter a day too much trouble have no gripe against those who accuse them of being do-nothings. Advocates for Self Government is a non-political educational organization with no connection to either Ruwart's current presidential bid nor the LP, although both are stronger thanks to the past work of The Advocates, as is our entire movement.
(4) If 25 cents a day really is too much, at least send a kind word to info@TheAdvocates.org to encourage some of the best people in the movement to keep up the good work.
