Freedom Home Page of the Week from Free-Market.Net: The Freedom Network

I was eleven years old the first time I handled a real gun. It was a magical, mystical moment. At long last, I had tactile proof of the existence of the object that projected such an aura of power and frightened so many people. Given all the hype and hysteria about guns, I was relieved to find that holding and shooting it did not make me want to go on a murder spree. "So what is all the fuss about anyway?" I asked myself.

For the next several years, my only chance to shoot came one week a year -- the week my Boy Scout troop went to summer camp. I might never have been exposed to guns were it not for the Boy Scouts. Limited though this exposure was, it helped me understand that guns were to be respected and that there was no need to fear them.

There has been a substantial population shift away from the country and into the suburbs in the last few decades. Today, nearly three quarters of America's population lives in a metropolitan area. Needless to say, suburbia and shooting sports don't go hand in hand. Indeed, the days of 12-year-old Johnny walking down the road with his plinking rifle are over. Today's youth look with bewilderment at old-timers who reminisce about being in a heap o' trouble with their rifle coach when they forgot to bring their gun to school. In short, a heritage is being lost.

That's why I was particularly pleased to find the Students for the Second Amendment (SF2A) home page. The stated purpose of this Texas-based organization is two-fold. The first is "the preservation and defense of our cherished freedoms enumerated in the Constitution of the United States, especially that freedom which stands as the guarantor of all the others -- the Second Amendment." The second is "to bring the truth regarding our constitutionally protected rights to students who have been misled by the left-wing academic establishment."

SF2A educates Texas campuses through a series of "speakers, workshops and events." But this is not a mere academic exercise. Their most ambitious undertaking is the Collegiate Firearms Instructor Program, wherein they train students to become firearms instructors. These new instructors return to their respective campuses to instruct other students in the shooting sports. SF2A also participates in local discussion panels, forums, and the occasional protest/counter-protest.

SF2A claims their efforts have "introduced hundreds of college and high school students to the safe enjoyment of the shooting sports" and "inspired a groundswell of pro-freedom, grassroots, student activism on campuses across Texas." And they're not stopping there; chapters have now been established in Minnesota and Louisiana.

There are plenty of organizations in America that fight for the rights of gun owners. But how many 20-year-olds see the light when Chuck Heston goes on television to speak for the cause? Thankfully, S2FA can connect with the younger crowd and show them the value of gun ownership and the fun of shooting sports. Let us hope their success spreads before an American heritage disappears.

I have a revelation that may startle many readers who have grown accustomed to my warm-and-fuzzy, feel-good columns. Dearest readers, I am a curmudgeon. The fact is, I just don't like people very much. I don't like throngs, schmoozing, hobnobbing, or anything else that puts me in contact with lots of people. On those few occasions when my heart warmly glows with a yearning for human companionship, I call up a friend or two and we have a couple pints at a quiet, uncrowded pub. Beyond that I'm a reclusive creature, content to hang out at home with my spouse.

So why do I willingly choose to live at the very epicenter of a 9-million-person metropolis? The answer can be summed up with one word: anonymity. I'm just another nameless, faceless person in a churning sea of humanity. My neighbors don't ask me how my day was. Nobody waves and says "hi" as I walk down the street. In fact, most of the people on my block wouldn't recognize me if they saw me. The grocery store clerks don't try to make small talk, and an ambiguous grunt of contempt is all I get from the urchins behind the fast food counter. In other words, it's a curmudgeon's paradise.

Unfortunately this all comes at a price, not the least of which is the astronomical cost of living. Furthermore, I live under an incomprehensible pile of rules promulgated by other people for their own benefit. There is virtually no activity that isn't subject to scrutiny and taxation by the local government. I'm stunned that you don't need a permit to pick your nose in this town. This is probably a mere oversight on the city's part. I expect nose-picking permits to be issued any day now -- for a fee, of course.

The most recent issue of Backwoods Home Magazine features an article on "city life versus country life." Not surprisingly, the author's preference is the opposite of my own. In fact, the whole premise of Backwoods Home is that being left alone is best achieved through self-imposed isolation and maximizing self-reliance. While BHM is nominally a print magazine, their web site offers a lot of substantive content as well. It is packed with self-sufficiency tips from canning foods and baking bread to purchasing rural land and protecting your privacy. It is also sprinkled with good ol' fashioned anti-government articles from the likes of Claire Wolfe and senior editor John Silveira, just in case you forgot why you're retreating into the wilderness.

There's only one reason why I prefer the "city" approach to anonymity versus the "Backwoods Home" approach. Quite simply, the Backwoods Home approach would involve a steep learning curve for a spoiled city brat like me. But every time my wife and I visit my in-laws' Northwoods cabin, my enthusiasm for the city life is bumped down a notch. Maybe with a few more visits up north, I'll be ready to give it all up and tackle that learning curve. If that day comes, Backwoods Home Magazine will become my self-sufficiency Bible.

A recent lawsuit filed in New York City claims that McDonald's is making children fat. Apparently they are wresting children away from their parents, holding them captive and stuffing them full of artery-clogging, cholesterol-soaked vittles. Either that or personal responsibility and assumption of risk have been banished from the American courtroom.

While this dichotomy may seem like so much hyperbole, this lawsuit is simply the latest in a string of suits that mock attempts by the law-abiding to follow the law and create a lottery system for tort lawyers and their clients. Other prominent examples are the notorious "McDonald's Hot Coffee" case, verdicts against gun manufacturers and the non-stop shakedown of "big tobacco."

In case you're left wanting for more examples of litigation absurdity,the American Tort Reform Association provides dozens at their web site. It's part of their aim to "bring greater fairness, predictability, and efficiency to the civil justice system."

Enumerating ridiculous lawsuits is only the beginning of the battle. ATRA then lays out their case for reform in a series of press releases and issue statements. If you're thinking of filing a lawsuit of your own, their "Judicial Hellholes" section will help you venue-shop among the most "plaintiff-friendly" jurisdictions around the country. The "links" section will put you in touch with other tort reform organizations and more loony lawsuit listings. Finally, a list of ATRA's accomplishments will help you decide if they're up to the task.

Tort law is an important part of our civil justice system. That said, virtually everyone but injury lawyers and their political allies recognize that the system could use some tweaking. A republic based on law and justice cannot countenance judges and legal vultures who routinely make a mockery of justice by turning the law into a volatile game of "gotcha."

While many of ATRA's remedies have their own tradeoffs to consider, they're certainly worth a good look. I just wish ATRA had mentioned the most obvious reform of all: let's stop putting nutwhacks on the bench.

CAUTION: A salvo may be coming your way from the Loose Cannon Libertarian. Every two weeks the cannon fires another shell of thought-provoking prose promoting libertarianism and denouncing big government and its allies.

Garry Reed is the man who lights the cannon's fuse as he lays his thoughts down on the proverbial (virtual) paper. His pieces combine a good dose of skilled writing combined with man-on-the-street demeanor. The result is a page full of well-articulated libertarian positions that everyone can relate to.

His volleys cover a wide variety of subjects. On conspiracies and the impending war in Iraq: "Are libertarians just being cynical to suspect that a Compassionate Conservative president might use a contrived conspiracy to launch a war? Try history again. Remember the Maine? .... Remember the Tonkin Gulf Incident? .... [Is it a] Bona fide conspiracy? Phony conspiracy? Or will only our great grandchildren know for sure?"

On Scrooge McDuck Capitalism: "I learned everything I ever needed to know in my youth, with my head burrowed deep under the bedcovers, reading Scrooge McDuck comic books by flashlight .... For simple, readable, easy to understand examples of how the capitalist system actually works, libertarians laud 'Economics in One Lesson' by Henry Hazlitt. For my money, though, you can�t beat 'Capitalism in One Comic Strip' by Scrooge McDuck."

On corporations setting up shop offshore to avoid onerous U.S. taxes: "Republicans and Democrats have bleated almost comically stereotypical reactions. Republicans naturally see these offshore operations as a moral issue. Democrats predictably frame them in terms of class warfare. Otherwise, both agree that the already morbidly obese federal government just can�t tolerate a single tax morsel escaping its treasury belly."

It takes a fair degree of talent to address esoteric sociopolitical issues in a way that is informative, humorous and has broad appeal. Garry Reed manages this feat with considerable dexterity throughout his writings. And above it all, it's another great example of the do-it-yourself libertarianism I have praised in previous columns.

I used to think apathy was the reason for low voter turnout. I have since realized that most people are simply tired of pretending that government acts in anyone's interests but its own. As syndicated columnist Vin Suprynowicz once said, even a rat eventually stops running through a maze that has no exit.

I live in Illinois's 9th Congressional District, represented by The Honorable Jan Schakowsky. By "Honorable" I mean "unapologetic left-wing wealth-distributionist big-government cheerleader." Her web site brags that "[s]he is committed to universal health care coverage for all Americans, to ending violence against women, to national investment in public education and housing needs, and to issues affecting working families."

Well. Isn't that nice? And all it will take to accomplish these things is a gun to your head. Meanwhile in the Republican camp, recent challenger Nicholas Duric said virtually nothing about anything. He had no discernible policy positions, statements, press releases, publicity, or even a web site. What well-informed voter wouldn't rally around such an articulate, outspoken candidate?

Enter Stephanie "vs. The Machine" Sailor, recent Libertarian candidate for Illinois's 9th Congressional District. She has a rather unique campaign strategy that she calls "guerilla marketing." For starters, her budget campaign is $0 because "[I] will do more for the people on $0 than the incumbent politician can do with hordes of taxpayer dollars any day." Don't let that stop you from making a contribution; to promote private initiative over government theft, all contributions are donated to charity (and Free-Market.Net is a specified recipient).

Then there is her name: Stephanie "vs The Machine" Sailor. That is exactly how it appeared on the November ballot, lest major-party voters forget what they're really voting for. (In a rich bit of irony, the Cook County Machine unilaterally attempted remove "The Machine" from Stephanie�s certified ballot name. Ultimately, they failed.) Her page contains press releases, issue statements, links, quotes and other goodies that unequivocally make the case for libertarianism.

While Stephanie did not win the election -- she polled 3% -- it's hard not to admire her initiative. Her ultimate goal was to spread the word about libertarianism. With a budget of $0, she generated more publicity than her Republican opponent. Judging by that fact, I'd say her campaign was a success.

Last week I saw a pseudo-documentary on local television that was little more than a propaganda piece for the Chicago Housing Authority. They retold the story of one tenant who paid $200 per month to live in a $1000 per month rental unit, with government handouts paying the balance. The thought of paying taxes so that moochers can live in nicer apartments than mine nearly made me throw my television out the window. The only thing that stopped me was the realization that it would not land on the CHA director's foot.

Sometimes I wonder if American culture hasn't been turned completely on its head. Our nation was founded on the unique proposition that the individual was sovereign and that the state could not revoke that sovereignty by simple decree or majority vote. Today, two of our most celebrated Presidents were the men who most fervently destroyed the notion of limited government, Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt.

The promise of reward for hard work drew millions to our shores from all over the world. Some went on to become the nation's wealthiest, most prominent businessmen. Even those who settled for a more pedestrian lot in life almost invariably did better for themselves and their offspring than they could have in their home countries. Today immigrants have a smorgasbord of "social services" (read: welfare) available to them the minute they arrive, while success is rewarded with progressive taxation, more regulatory hurdles and other government-imposed barriers.

As Ifeminists editor Wendy McElroy notes in a recent column, we have developed a bizarre habit of canonizing victims. And since there apparently aren't enough real victims to celebrate, we've decided to make them up. Victims of circumstance, of society, of institutional racism/sexism/whatever bogeyman is convenient to the demographic make-up of the newly minted victim.

All three of these phenomena were on display as I watched that CHA propaganda piece: "Excuse me, ma'am, we noticed that you're poor. We're quite sure that none of your decisions in life have led you to where you are today, so we won't even ask. We realize you're a victim of circumstance, or worse, of society's callous indifference to your plight. Therefore, we'll use the blunt force of government to provide you with housing that most people in this city have to work overtime to afford. Have a nice day!"

Recently I saw a quote from the credo of The Sense of Life Objectivists that read, "We see ourselves most emphatically as being at war with the current culture: the culture of anti-heroes, nihilism, destruction and dishonesty." At last, an explicitly articulated antidote to the irrational madness that makes it possible for mafia outfits like the CHA to operate with a claim of legitimacy.

Ordinarily I wouldn't wade through the literature of an Objectivist organization. That's not because I think Rand was wrong, it's just that I find most Objectivist literature to be a bit, well, dry. But the SOLO website drew me in and kept me there. Instead of simply pontificating from on high, SOLO provides excellent tools for effectively communicating Objectivism to the uninitiated. They provide an introduction to the principles of philosophy, educational material for teaching Objectivism to children, a plan for franchising Objectivism, and a treatise on the importance of art to the cause of Objectivism. Most of all, they proudly proclaim that reason and passion are not contradictory but complementary. If only we can get that point across to all the deadpan Randroids out there.

Even as I fundamentally agree with Objectivism, I never got excited about the philosophy. Thankfully, Sense of Life Objectivists provides excellent insight into the philosophy without the tedium that hamstrings other Objectivist organizations. A passionate amen to that!

Okay, now my dogs are looking at me funny and my wife is wondering just what kind of man she married. So for their benefit, I withdraw my proclamation. But I do so with great reluctance, because if I were the Queen of Political Incorrectness, I�d be as charming and witty as Karen De Coster. Besides, Ms. De Coster laid claim to the title before I got the chance.

Shucks -- I guess I�ll have to put this leotard and tutu back in the closet and kneel before the undisputed Queen.

Of course, being politically incorrect does not automatically confer virtue upon your soul, but sometimes it takes a bit of courage. For instance, what could be more politically incorrect nowadays than holding a skeptical view of the war on Terrorism/Iraq/Imminent Threat of the Day? For those who would rather sit this one out, Karen has a number of suggestions. While the hawks march on, you can teach your dog to yodel, take up shoe repair, search for the Holy Grail, or discuss the Oedipal conflict between Gilligan and Mr. Howell. You have to admit, they all sound better than eating a shrapnel sandwich.

Her columns give SUV-haters a drubbing, defend discrimination as a substitute for state-controlled immigration, take extortionist lawyers to task, and deflate the myth of Abe Lincoln as the nation�s savior. Her fearlessness and independence have earned her enemies of many political stripes. It�s hard to think of higher praise than that.

What I like most about Karen is her ability to say what she wants without apology and yet without resorting to inflammatory polemics that too often sabotage public discourse. She is also a fine example of do-it-yourself libertarianism. Rather than cheer from the sidelines, she jumped into the fire. As a result, her thoughts are now brought to thousands by several online publications like LewRockwell.com and WorldNetDaily.

In less than three weeks, the spectacle of American democracy will play out in polling places across the country. It is a predictable routine by now: well under half the electorate will vote and over 90% of incumbents will retain their seats.

Afterward, the standard hue and cry will emanate from within the Beltway, lamenting that too many citizens eschew their patriotic duty to vote. They will blame a number of factors, from cynicism to voter apathy to the utter inconvenience of a mere 14-hour window to find one's way to the polling place. They'll never consider that voters are jaded by a system designed to protect entrenched backscratching networks. Nor will they consider that we just don't know much about the candidates.

What can we really learn about candidates from 30-second commercials and neatly packaged news sound bytes? Not a whole lot. That's where Project Vote Smart steps in. Their web site is a treasure trove of information on sitting politicians and candidates. Once you enter your zip code, Project Vote Smart will tell you who represents you in both houses of the United States Congress and in your state legislature. If an office is up for election, a list of candidates and their party affiliation, if any, will pop up.

The candidate list alone starkly illustrates the inadequacy of the media's campaign coverage, as you're likely to find a number of candidates you've never even heard of. Prokect Vote Smart provides a voting record for incumbents, and all candidates are asked to fill out the National Political Awareness Test, a survey that covers a broad range of issues. From those survey responses you can get a good fix on where the candidate stands... if the candidate filled the survey out at all. Those who didn't are saying something about themselves as well.

There's an old saying that goes, "don't vote -- it only encourages them." It's tempting to heed that advice, but doing so simply insures that politics will remain business as usual. Project Vote Smart can help you find candidates that actually respect the principles of individual liberty, even if the press roundly ignores them. These are the kind of candidates we want to encourage.

Over the last year or so, web users have become acquainted with "blogs," short for "weblogs." A blog is simply an online journal of entries in chronological order. They often link to and comment about news stories and other blogs. The entries can vary in length from a couple of sentences to full-length articles. Blogs run the full spectrum from banal to informative, from twaddle to expert prose.

There�s nothing inherently libertarian about blogging. In fact some blogs are plainly statist, while most are apolitical. But libertarian principles call for a marketplace of ideas, and a free flow of information is a prerequisite to a competitive marketplace.

It once appeared that the commercialization of the web would obscure the voices of everyday folks. With the help of Blogger, that trend is beginning to reverse. Blogger's software makes it possible for people to publish their thoughts on the web quickly and painlessly. Best of all, they can publish your material free of charge.

Estimates put the number of bloggers at half a million or more. The more prominent blogs receive several hundred thousand hits per day. Mid-market newspapers spend millions to achieve the same readership level.

Some mainstream media outlets openly ask if blogging will replace them as the web�s primary source of news and information. Others resentfully note that bloggers descend upon news articles moments after they are published, exposing factual errors and the biases of the writer. With tools like Blogger, Joe Sixpack in his living room can now upstage the most sophisticated mass media outlet.

Problems inevitably arise when government owns and operates the transportation infrastructure. It has no incentive to economize or provide better service. It has no price mechanism to signal when demand has outstripped supply or vice versa. Worst of all, it gives them the opportunity to control your movement and otherwise insinuate themselves into your business.

Americans, accustomed as we are to individual freedoms, have embraced the car rather than the bus or the light rail train for obvious reasons: your car takes you where you want to go, when you want to go there, with the least amount of government scrutiny. This is more than a mere convenience. It greatly expands peoples' options of where to live and work; it allows us infinite flexibility to schedule events and activities; it saves us time that can be put to better use than waiting for a bus to arrive at its own leisure. In short, the automobile has made our economy more efficient, it has increased our freedom of movement, and it has expanded our freedoms in general. This is why statists of all stripes continually seek to control the flow of people and goods, either by forcing them onto mass transit or by devising innovative ways to hassle motorists.

The National Motorists Association is dedicated to the proposition that the automobile is the freest, most efficient means of moving people from one place to another. While they don't go the full distance of advocating the privatization of the nation's transportation infrastructure, many of their stated goals are agreeable to libertarian principles. Among these goals are "to guarantee the retention of your individual rights when using public streets, roads, and highways," "to protect your right to own and use the kind of vehicles you prefer," and "to oppose speed traps and other traffic enforcement measures carried out for revenue-generation purposes."

To these ends, they offer a lawyer referral service for fighting a traffic ticket or a "do-it-yourself" defense kit if you can't afford a lawyer. For 1-year members, they'll even pay your fine if you fight a speeding ticket and you're found guilty. Other resources include a national speed trap registry, a roadblock registry, how to defend your rights during a traffic stop, and information to expose the fraudulent nature of many studies the government uses to crack down on motorists. On top of it all, they continually lobby against overzealous inspection and emissions requirements and for the elimination of photo radar.

It is said, often with scorn, that America has a love affair with the automobile. I must confess, I love my little Subaru. It is my work horse, my weekend racer, my wife's daily transport, and an all-around fun piece of machinery. That's a lot more than I can say for a city bus.

Government-run health care does wonderful things for people. For instance, Canadian heart attack victims get to ponder their lives for an extra two hours while they wait for an emergency room -- if they don't die first. Cancer patients in Britain must wait four to six months to begin radio-therapy treatment, presumably to give them more time to adjust to the pain. American patients get to suffer while the FDA holds up the approval of drugs that have been used safely around the world for years. No pain, no gain -- right?

Wrong. All of these scenarios are wholly inexcusable and completely unnecessary. From HMOs to the FDA to Medicare and Medicaid, Americans for Free Choice in Medicine shows how government meddling compromises the health and safety of health care recipients.

In keeping with the principle of "respect for human life through the protection of individual liberty," AFCM provides information on market-oriented health care solutions like medical savings accounts, tax credits, and outright privatization of government health care programs.

[Note: I'm proud to introduce the new editor of Freedom Page of the Week, Brian Patrick. As some of you may have noticed, I temporarily took over the feature while searching for a replacement for the talented Eric Johnson. I didn't realize how short that search would be until Brian, who has worked with us as the Henry Hazlitt Foundation's office manager nearly two years, mentioned his interest in writing the column. Welcome, Brian! -- Tom Knapp]

While my first selection for Freedom Page of the Week may seem like a bit of a cop-out, I have good reasons for making it. You already know that Free-Market.Net is the most comprehensive source of freedom information on the web. What you may _not_ know is just how broad the scope of our parent organization, the Henry Hazlitt Foundation, really is.

Ever since Chris Whitten merged Free-Market.Com with the Free Market Society of Chicago to create the Henry Hazlitt Foundation, we've been working to broaden -- and deepen -- the freedom movement.

Libertarian.Org was created and donated by Hazlitt Foundation benefactor Scott Bannister. It's a comprehensive, yet readable, introduction to libertarian ideas: the history, philosophy, theory and policy positions that shape today's libertarian movement.

iFeminists.Com editor Wendy McElroy cuts through the "women versus the world" nonsense of contemporary gender feminism to show that individual liberty and feminism are not mutually exclusive, but rather a symbiotic match. Her weekly column is carried by Fox News and has won national praise from Rush Limbaugh, Tony Snow and Dr. Laura. Perhaps the best measure of Wendy's success is the non-stop vitriol she receives from so- called "mainstream" feminist groups.

Bureaucrash is our student outreach and activism project. There's a reason why collectivists use emotionally charged bumper-sticker slogans to advance their cause: it works. And there's no reason why individualists can't use similar methods to spread _our_ memes, as long as we can back them up with intellectually honest facts. Editor Jason Talley and our Bureaucrash activists use hard- hitting, issues-based campaigns to get politically vulnerable college students into our camp _before_ the collectivists can claim them.

SchoolReformers.Com brings the market perspective to education. The "public" schools have been a sacrosanct institution for decades. But the veil of inviolability is lifting as parents begin to demand better results, more accountability and less social engineering from their children's schools. Editor David Kirkpatrick gives those exasperated parents the information they need to help their kids escape from the brutally incompetence of government education.

Many believe that only government can act as proper steward of the environment. To counter this myth, Environmental networkRoom provides a wealth of information about how free markets produce a cleaner environment.

Enterprise Economy, HHF's latest venture, debuted just a couple of months ago. Editors Charles Oliver and J.D. Tuccille are hard at work bringing a fresh, market-based perspective to today's business issues.

Pretty big umbrella, huh? The Foundation's main site features others goodies, including the complete text of two of our namesake's books and a large collection of his other material. In the near future, you'll see new projects, and new faces on older ones, as we continue to help propel the movement into a new and more successful century.

edited by Brian Patrick

The Freedom Home Page of the Week was created by Thomas Knapp, and is now edited by Brian Patrick. If you have trouble subscribing or unsubscribing to the update list or would like to recommend a site, e-mail Brian at .

In December 2004 this page was modified significantly from its original form for archiving purposes.

, founded in 1995, is now a part of ISIL.