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Freedom Book of the Month for May, 2002:
The Ballad of Carl Drega
by Vin Suprynowicz, Mountain Media 2002, trade paper, 684 pp. ISBN: 0-9670259-2-3.
Vin Suprynowicz has hit another home run with "The Ballad of Carl Drega." This powerful volume continues in the line of "Send in the Waco Killers," using his newspaper columns as the starting point to address various issues in the fight for freedom in the United States. By organizing and expanding upon those columns, Suprynowicz documents the appalling level of state intrusion into matters beyond its rightful scope.
In the introduction, Suprynowicz addresses an editor's rejection of his columns, in part because they're "too strident." It's a term many, even among the freedom-loving, might apply to his writing (and one which he takes as a compliment). I invite those who hold this view to read his essay "How I Came to Understand the IRS" and the following essays on the subject. They explain Suprynowicz's passion (or his "stridency," depending upon your view) well -- he's been lubricated and "serviced" by the state repeatedly. He knows well the jackboots and their tactics, which explains his absolutely uncompromising stance.
"The Ballad of Carl Drega" is divided into fifteen sections, each of which addresses a specific topic. Among these are: 2nd amendment issues; the abject failure of public schools; mandatory vaccination of children; the "mean greens" and other environmental issues; 911; and taxation. While one might think that Suprynowicz would shine more in certain areas, it's a testament to his high level of journalistic skill and integrity that each section is solidly presented.
The section titled "Live Free or Die: How Many More Carl Dregas?" is perhaps the most powerful. In it he recounts the stories of Carl Drega, Stuart Alexander, Garry Watson, Donald Scott, and others who have been pushed too far by the busybodies. The question "how many more Carl Dregas?" is deeper than it might first appear. Suprynowicz is asking not just about the numbers, but how much more are those who love liberty prepared to take before doing something about it. And, while he makes an understated call to action, Suprynowicz makes it clear that he isn't advocating that anyone else start shooting at the government's thugs. Toward the end of the book, he addresses the issue of taking action directly, with the first step being getting mad. His implicit points are that contented people won't do much to rock the boat, and that there's plenty to be mad about.
Vin Suprynowicz's books are eye-opening, even for libertarians. As he says in the introduction, libertarians are the guardians of the single candle that lights the true path to liberty. "The Ballad of Carl Drega" is a burst of flame that ought to spark many more individuals to become concerned about the sad state of this nation, and to do something to reverse its current path. In the postscript, Suprynowicz vents his frustrations that we're losing the "war for freedom." While I don't share his pessimism, I do agree with him that too many people aren't mad enough, aren't doing something about the creeping loss of freedom. So, buy this book. Share it with others. And do something about regaining our lost freedoms.
Order "The Ballad of Carl Drega" for $24.95 (volume discounts available), or by calling 1-800-244-2224
edited by Sunni Maravillosa
April 2002: Toward Liberty: The Idea that is Changing the World edited by David Boaz.
March 2002: Liberty for Women edited by Wendy McElroy.
February 2002: The State vs. the People by Aaron Zelman and Claire Wolfe.
Freedom Book of the Year, 2001: Hope by Aaron Zelman and L. Neil Smith.
January 2002: Death by Gun Control by Aaron Zelman and Richard W. Stevens.
December 2001: The American Zone by L. Neil Smith.
November 2001: Ayn Rand and Business by Donna Greiner and Theodore Kinni.
October 2001: Junk Science Judo by Steven J. Milloy.
September 2001: Jonathan Gullible by Ken Schoolland.
August 2001: Hope by L. Neil Smith and Aaron Zelman
July 2001: Dissenting Electorate edited by Wendy McElroy and Carl Watner
June 2001: Tethered Citizens by Sheldon Richman
May 2001: Lever Action by L. Neil Smith
April 2001: The Cato Handbook for Congressfrom the Cato Institute
March 2001: The Contested Legacy of Ayn Rand by David Kelley
February 2001: Crypto by Steven Levy
January 2001: Total Freedom by Chris Matthew Sciabarra
Freedom Book of the Year 2000: Forge of the Elders by L. Neil Smith
December 2000: The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto
November 2000: Escape from Leviathan by J.C. Lester
October 2000: The Art of Political War by David Horowitz
September 2000: An Enemy of the State by Justin Raimondo
August 2000: The Triumph of Liberty by Jim Powell
July 2000: A Generation Divided by Rebecca Klatch
June 2000: Law's Order by David Friedman
May 2000: Forge of the Elders by L. Neil Smith
April 2000: Reciprocia by Richard G. Rieben
March 2000: The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers by Ayn Rand
February 2000: Addiction is a Choice by Jeffrey A. Schaler
January 2000: Revolutionary Language by David C. Calderwood
Special December 1999 Feature: The Freedom Book of the Year: Send in the Waco Killers: Essays on the Freedom Movement, 1993-1998 by Vin Suprynowicz
November 1999: Conquests and Cultures by Thomas Sowell
October 1999: A Way To Be Free by Robert LeFevre, edited by Wendy McElroy
September 1999: Assassins (Left Behind) by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
August 1999: Don't Shoot the Bastards (Yet): 101 More Ways to Salvage Freedom by Claire Wolfe
July 1999: The Mitzvah by L. Neil Smith and Aaron Zelman
June 1999: The Incredible Bread Machine by R.W. Grant
May 1999: Send in the Waco Killers by Vin Suprynowicz
April 1999: It Still Begins with Ayn Rand by Jerome Tuccille
March 1999: The Dictionary of Free-Market Economics by Fred Foldvary
February 1999: Feminist Interpretations of Ayn Rand edited by Mimi Reisel Gladstein and Chris Matthew Sciabarra
In December 2004 this page was modified significantly from its original form for archiving purposes.
, founded in 1995, is now a part of ISIL.
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