The Liberty Lamp: Libertarian News & Editorials

Achieving More Privacy & Independence

2007-10-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

Libertarianactivism.com isn't dead! We Swear! It's just been in a state of hybernation for a while. Now, most activity takes place at MPAssetProtection.com, which focuses on privacy, asset protection, and financial independence issues. From now on, most activity will take place there. Articles are updated regularly, and you can apply to become a contributor. There is so much to do, I wish I could maintain both sites- but I can't.

I'm also starting an Internet marketing consultancy for fun and profit. The main site is not yet up, but you can see a quick and dirty review of the new Site Rubix web builder system, which may well be the most powerful, yet the most straightforward website design program you've ever used.

Offshore Banking Tips & Site Updates

2007-05-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder who may be looking at your financial records? Here's a hint: it's not just the bank or investment firm employees. It could also be nosy government officials, ID thieves, or disgruntled former spouses or employees in certain circumstances. And we haven't even touched on the tax issues yet! Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to safeguard what's yours from prying eyes and various thieves? There is a way. In fact, there are several ways to protect your assets. Here are a few web sites that have some useful answers. I am a member of all three of these organizations, and have found them useful. I hope you will as well.

A. Keep Your Assets- Provides quality asset protection services at reasonable prices, much lower than the competition. Products include a private banking guide, the Invisible New Mexico LLC, Belize IBCs, trusts, and offshore banking/investment options. Take the Asset Protection Crash Course to learn more about these issues in a simple, easy to read way.

B. Power Privacy- This site is a little over a year old, and is quite unique. You can find information on private banking, Internet and telcom privacy, offshore mail drops, and pretty much anything else you could think of related to "staying invisible". Power Privacy also has a great members only forum!

C. Sovereign Life- Boatloads of information on offshore finance, travel, and living life as a "permanent tourist" ("PT") to minimize or eliminate income related tax hassles. The author, Dave McGregor, seeks to educate and enlighten readers by introducing them to the "sovereign individual" mindset. Learning this is powerful, and key to understanding the pro freedom libertarian world view. This site also contains many members only benefits, including a great on line forum.

In other news, this site will indeed be upgraded to a new format, using a CMS (probably Joomla!). When? No one knows for sure, but rest assured that it will happen sometime in the relatively near future. Thanks for understanding and stay tuned!

Egold Gets Indicted by Federal Judiciary

2007-05-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

The on-line payment system eGold has been brought to court by a federal Grand Jury and the Secret Service. The company has posted a press release defending itself:

"Dr. Douglas Jackson, Chairman and Founder of e-gold, speaking on behalf of his fellow Directors and both companies vigorously denies the charges, taking particular exception to the allegations that either company ever turned a blind eye to payments for child pornography or for the sale of stolen identity and credit card information.

Dr. Jackson states, "With regard to child pornography, the government knows full well that their allegations are false, yet they highlight these irresponsible and purposely damaging statements in order to demonize e-gold in the eyes of the public. During the Inquisition, accusations of witchcraft and heresy were used to sanctify torture and seizures of property. In post 9-11 America, child porn and terrorism serve as the denunciations of choice. e-gold, however, as a matter of incontrovertible fact, is the most effective of all online payment systems in detecting and interdicting abuse of its system for child pornography related payments. e-gold Ltd. is a founding member of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's (NCMEC) Financial Coalition to Eliminate Child Pornography. e-gold is the only member institution to demonstrate with hard, auditable data a dramatic reduction of such payments to virtually zero, while billions of child porn dollars continue to flow through other (heavily regulated) payment systems. [Most members, that is, all the banks and credit card associations are utterly unable to even provide an estimate of the volume of such payments processed by their systems. eBay's PayPal subsidiary, who may have the ability to make such a determination, has refused to do so and has indicated they destroy payment records after two years.] What is worse, until August 2005 when NCMEC courageously broke ranks with US law enforcement agencies and began directly notifying e-gold of criminal sites via the CyberTipline, component agencies of the US Department of Justice purposely concealed their knowledge of child pornography abuses from e-gold's investigators, subordinating actual crime fighting to a policy agenda designed to dirty up e-gold."

A Series of Lawsuits

This legal attack on eGold is only the first of a series. As The Liberty Lamp reported last year, The Liberty Dollar suffered what amounted to a campaign of fear, instigated by the US Treasury Department, alleging that the private company's product was somehow a fraud. The Liberty Dollar responded by filing a lawsuit, which aims to force the federal courts to reaffirm previous statements by various federal agencies that attested to the legitimacy of this alternative currency. Both eGold and the Liberty Dollar have long histories of customer satisfaction, and the ability and desire to investigate crime far surpassing that of US law enforcement. The founders of eGold have run a very tight ship, so tight, that some privacy seeking customers have begun to look for other free market competition, such as the Panama based ePay. ePay accepts eGold as a funding method, so those who wish to can transfer out of eGold and to this new on-line payment system.

It's the Economy, Stupid!

The timing of these lawsuits and government intimidation campaigns comes at an interesting, if not somewhat suspicious time. According to the Free Market News Network (FMNN), The US Dollar isn't doing so well these days. Who'd have thought, right? In an unbacked, fiat currency system, the only way to keep individuals from switching to more useful alternatives is to force them to take the inferior "paper" money through threat of violence, whether it be death, imprisonment, or fine. With the US Dollar on its increased rate of decline due, in large part to the Iraq War and the "War on Terror" in general. All this spending is paid for by running deficits, though many Democrats allegedly would like it to be otherwise. The result? Increased inflation, as high as 8-10% by some estimates (see FMNN for info on this). It is the subtle, hidden tax that no one can get away from!

...Or can they? It is possible to avoid this hidden tax if you have gold. Goldcentral.com has f ree shipping with your first gold order.

An Analysis of US Counter-Terrorism Policy

2007-05-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

Counter-terrorism, or the practice of investigating and capturing or killing suspected terrorists has been a big issue among foreign policy and national security experts for many years prior to September 11th, 2001. The response to international terrorism has been largely a military one, based on obsolete Cold War strategies and tactics. It is true that Al Qaeda has been largely disrupted as a centralized, effective organization. Decentralized splinter groups are far less capable, but they are still a problem to be dealt with.

In this new essay, the author gives a good overview of the current national security situation, what the federal government is currently doing, and what should be improved. The argument focuses around three major suggestions:

1. The US military must be restructured to deal with a terrorist threat. Special Operations forces should be relied on, supported by improved intelligence gathering technology and pinpointed, targeted killings if live capture is not feasible. Doing this would improve the military's success, and reduce spending by as much as 50%!

2. The War on Drugs must end. Lacking state sponsorship after the end of the Cold War, terrorists have begun to finance many of their operations, including the Madrid train bombings in 2005 via funding from the illegal opium trade. Legalizing these drugs would cause prices to drop exponentially, thus robbing terror groups of their lucrative funding strategy.

3. Restore Americans' individual right to bear arms. Police can't be everywhere, and an armed, population would be more capable in deterring terrorist and generic criminal activity.

Click the title link to view this article, in PDF format.

Utopias Are Deadly!

2007-04-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

Voluntary vs. Coercive Utopias

Some wish only to persuade us to live our lives in accordance with their ideals for us. They would have us voluntarily become members of their utopian societies. Some of them are leaders of religious sects, who urge us to adopt their way of life voluntarily, through conversion to their beliefs; such were the pacifist Tolstoy colonies at the turn of the century. Others are secular, such as B.F. Skinner’s Walden Two, and would have us join their commune so that we can all taste of the “better life” which they believe their utopia has to offer.

Voluntary utopias are relatively harmless; an individual can belong to one or not as he chooses, and can get out of it if it turns out not to be to his liking. It does not interfere with a person’s freedom, as long as he is free to decide for himself. But the vast majority of utopias, such as Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, are coercive: a plan of life is laid out for everyone, and even if a person does not want any part of it, he must be forced to, “for his own good.” The authors of such utopias would use the enormous coercive machinery of the law to make sure that others behave as the authors wish them to, against their will if necessary.

Why this “moral busybodyism”? Why do some people desire to plan the lives of others? Sometimes it originates in their own inadequacy and insecurity: they cannot manage their own lives, so they divert attention from their own inadequacies by managing the lives of others. Sometimes as children they were constantly required to do things against their will: having been constantly pushed around, they now want more than anything else to push other people around—never mind that the people they push around are not the same people who pushed them around. Often they simply believe that the great mass of people are stupid clods, incapable of governing their own lives, and that by telling others what to do they are doing them a favor; people are clay in need of a potter, so the utopian enters the scene as a savior, to save others from their own stupidity and ineptitude.

More often still, the authors of utopias are not as much convinced that others are stupid as that they themselves are persons of supreme intelligence, who have such a great vision for the human race, and see so clearly what is good for others, that the others can’t possibly have as great a vision for themselves. Moreover, they believe that this superior intelligence gives them the right to dictate what course the lives of others should take. When such people obtain high positions in government, or become the power behind the throne, they become the most destructive persons in history, masking their power-impulse with humanitarian slogans about the common good.

Contrasting Effects of Economic vs. Political Power

Power over other people’s lives need not itself be evil; that depends on what kind of power it is and to what end it is wielded. A great teacher may have enormous influence over a student’s life, but that power is wielded not by force but by the strength or credibility of the teacher’s ideas, or the example set by his life. A parent has power over a child’s life, for good or for ill, teaching the child morality and consideration and courtesy. A counselor or psychiatrist may exert power over a patient, so as to remove the obstacles to the patient’s development and enable him better to make his own decisions and plan his own life.

Neither is purely economic power an evil. A man starts a business and hires employees; they are free to take the position or remain as they were before. The employer has no power to force someone to take the job or arrest him if he refuses. Even in the early days of the Industrial Revolution, no one was forced to take jobs in the new factories; bad as conditions then were by present stan dards, many eagerly did so, because the income they were offered far exceeded what they received on the farms from which they came.[1] “Economic power is the capacity to influence other people’s behavior by offering them something the acquisition of which they consider more desirable than the avoidance of the sacrifice they have to make for it. It means the invitation to enter into a bargain, an act of exchange. I will give you a if you give me b. There is no question of any compulsion nor of any threats. The buyer does not ‘rule’ the seller and the seller does not ‘rule’ the buyer.”[2]

Political power, by contrast, is power backed by the institutional force of government—of police, armies, courts, and prisons. A government possesses the legal monopoly of physical force over a defined geographical area, and government operates always by force or threat of force against those who would disobey. If you are “kindly requested” to pay your income tax, and write back that you have thought it over and decided not to, you are instantly subject to apprehension, arrest, trial, and punishment. Not all political power is evil—for example, laws protecting life and property and punishing murder and theft—but still there is no doubt that this is power in its most naked form, the power of the gun to suppress and punish those who would disobey.

The authors of most utopias, however, go much further than to suggest the use of force to protect life and property; they use the force of law to shape other people’s lives in the direction that they dictate, usually involving the most minute details of life.

Some Historical Utopias

The first utopia described in Western philosophical literature is the Republic of Plato. Though benevolent compared with many utopias to follow, it already possessed the main feature of so many of them, of other people being merely pawns on the author’s chessboard, for him to move about as he pleased. The aim of Plato’s utopia was, as in so many others, a worthy one: to ensure justice in the nation by ensuring that the rulers themselves were just. The requirements for becoming such worthy rulers, however, were severe: all children were to be taken from their parents at an early age, lest the parents fail to recognize unusual talent in their children or do something to squelch that talent when it became evident; those who through manifest talent became candidates for rulership were to be denied contact with large areas of experience, such as acquaintance with persons of questionable character, poems which attributed evil to the gods, and even music of all but the most ascetic kind. The rulers themselves were to possess wives and children in common, and no man was to know which child was his own. Once the gifted few were in a position of power, their rule over the people was absolute: no elections, no representation, no referendum, no appeal.

Plato’s utopia was never put into practice as he propounded it. Many others, however, were put into practice without having been described in writing in advance. For many centuries the Incas of Peru had a rigorously stratified social structure with a highly repressive government. All land belonged to the State. Peasants were not allowed to leave their farms or villages without government permission. Family life was totally controlled by the State, including whether and whom one could marry. Criticism of the State was punishable by death or torture: the victim was hanged by his feet or thrown into a pit of poisonous snakes. People suspected of subversive activities were confined in underground caves containing jaguars, snakes, and scorpions. The individual’s life was planned not by him but for him by the ruling council of the Incas. But when everything is planned, one cannot develop the initiative required to cope with the unexpected. One unexpected event was the Spanish invasion. Fewer than two hundred of them conquered the entire vast Inca empire.

Under the ancient Chinese emperors (13th to 3rd century B.C.) everyone was forced to work full-time at ten years of age; at twenty he received a field to plow, and at sixty he returned it to the State and lived in dependency on the State. No private ownership of land was permitted. Large families were split up and grown sons were forbidden to live with their parents. Capital punishment was imposed for countless offenses such as minor thefts. The State had a monopoly on water, controlling the supply (sluices, dikes, irrigation canals), and the vital water could be cut off at any time. There was a wide network of State informers to spy on people and report their activities, with one family member often spying on another. Those suspected of crimes were often made into slaves, and conviction was followed by punishments such as decapitation, quartering, strangulation, being buried alive, or being boiled in a cauldron. The ancient Chinese emperor Ch’in Shih Huang was so admired by the modern Chinese dictator Mao Tse Tung that Mao tried to outdo him: “He buried only 460 Confucians alive,” Mao proclaimed. “But he has a long way to go to catch up with us. We have already buried 46,000 alive.”[3]

Yes, utopias are a bad idea. I have always thought this, but the author of the above piece articulates my own feelings very well. The fundamental problem is not holding this or that ideal, but rather the act of trying to impose that on other people. If something is a good idea, you should explain it to people, and incentivise them in a voluntary, peaceful, and positive way. This is what I try to do through my work at the Free State Project, and my asset protection business.

Liberty Dollar Sues US Mint, Needs YOUR Support

2007-03-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

Test of Wills & New Defense Liberty Dollar

If you were one of the few who responded to our urgent call for a donation to help us fight the US government... THANK YOU! We greatly appreciate every dollar you sent... even if it was those dreaded, depreciating US dollars... every dollar counts!

This “test of wills” with the US government will not be decided overnight. The government now has 60 days to respond to our lawsuit. We don’t expect them to be in much of a hurry... as they have every reason to be slow. Then a schedule will be set for discovery, briefs, orals and finally a judgment. All this takes time and money...

Unfortunately, as I mentioned in my first announcement... “most people are not very responsive.” In fact, we even got some hate mail... from our own list when we announced the lawsuit!

So let me be blunt, honest and to the point: We need your help, please.

The US Mint would have us believe that it is illegal for Americans to exchange gold and silver (such as the Gold and Silver Eagles minted by the US Mint or any other gold and silver for that matter) on a voluntary basis between consenting adults. Just imagine that at a time when “consenting adults” can legally exchange “fluids” between themselves, the US Mint would have us believe that you and we cannot trade gold and silver between ourselves. This is ridiculous and an assault on the concept of a free market.

Make no doubt about it... The very idea of a free market is at risk due to the US government’s assault on our right to use anything of choice in the marketplace. While we have never asked for a donation in over eight years, we need it now. Donations are accepted in Liberty Dollars: metal, paper or digital, even those dreaded Federal Reserve Notes that pass themselves off as US dollars are accepted, and credit cards.

Yes, a special Defense Liberty Dollar will be sent to you for every $20 you donate... after we win. This Defense Liberty Dollar is only available to those who donate $20 or more. This special Defense Liberty Dollar will not be “sold.” If you don’t donate... you will not be able to get one. We really need your support, please.

NEW DEFENSE LIBERY DOLLAR:

Plus a specially hallmarked one ounce $20 Defense Silver Liberty is available for only $25 each plus S&H (while silver is under $15 spot). Each Defense Silver Liberty will feature two special hand stamped hallmarks: the “Scales of Justice” and my personal Mintmark. This issue is strictly limited to only those Defense Silver Libertys issued during this fund-raiser. They will not be available after we win...

And if you like gold... there is a special Defense Gold Liberty auction on eBay. Please click HERE for more info.

Again... my most heartfelt thanks for those of you who actually sent in a donation. You have been wonderful... and I only hope you might donate again. And for those who have not joined the party... we are only asking for $10, but you can send just a dollar from your eLD account. But remember... you will receive a special Defense Liberty Dollar for every $20 you donate while we fight for your right to use any money of choice in the marketplace.

Conservative Bob Barr (R) Changes Stance on Drugs

2007-03-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

Bob Barr, who as a Georgia congressman authored a successful amendment that blocked D.C. from implementing a medical marijuana initiative, has switched sides and become a lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project.

But that doesn't mean he has become a bong-ripping hippie. He isn’t pro-drug, he said, just against government intrusion.

"I, over the years, have taken a very strong stand on drug issues, but in light of the tremendous growth of government power since 9/11, it has forced me and other conservatives to go back and take a renewed look at how big and powerful we want the government to be in people’s lives," Barr said.

Good to see that the Libertarian Party is changing Bob Barr and not the other way around.

This is good news for the prospect of ending the so-called "War on Drugs". Now the movement has some "main stream" credibility, and detractors will no longer be able to attack free drug advocates as "crazy nutjob potheads".

Liberty Dollar Sues US Mint!

2007-03-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, March 20, the Liberty Dollar filed suit against the U.S. Mint in U.S. District Court in Evansville Indiana. The organization asked the court to declare that the use of the Liberty Dollar is not a 'federal crime,' as claimed by the U.S. Mint. And the organization further asked the court to enter a permanent injunction against the U.S. Mint requiring it to remove any reference that the use of Liberty Dollars is a federal crime from its website.

This is quite interesting, as I'd assumed that the issue had died. Now, it seems that The Liberty Dollar (formerly NORFED) is suing the US Mint in Federal court in order to get a solid ruling in favor of competing private currencies. On a similar note, I spent a $20 1oz silver Liberty piece at a handmade soap and beauty products store last week. The owner was very happy about this, and she asked if I wanted to "waste" it on something as "simple" as her products. I said, "yes"! I can't remember the exact name of the place, but if you're ever in Lynden, WA, be sure to have some Liberties with you! Lynden is a few miles North of Bellingham, WA, and is a cute little Dutch themed tourist trap and rural town. I highly recommend visiting (no sarcasm here).

A New Site For LibertarianActivism.com & DownsizeDC.org

2007-03-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

Libertarian issues are at the heart of everything we do here at the Libertarian Action Network (LAN). LibertarianActivism.com has been providing you, the freedom minded activist, with unique, high quality information about activism, politics, economics, and financial privacy for almost three years now. It's hard to believe, but this site began life sometime in Fall, 2004, as a random act of political activism prior to the November, 2004 General Elections. Back then, it was called the Phoenix of Light Network, accessible at PhoenixOfLight.com, which was sold about two years ago for a whopping $65 to someone who may be in Italy. $65 isn't much, but it was at least 10% more then than it is now, thanks to your local thieves and warmongers in DC and at the Federal Reserve. That argument is for another post, so search this site for germane topics.

Change is afoot again here at the LAN. First, the user contributed nature of this project never really caught on. There are a few guest essays here, to be sure, but my original vision of this site was to have regular blog contributors, original articles on current events, etc. This failed to materialize, so this site has primarily been a one person job over the last few years. Additionally, all content and site layout up to this point has been manually coded. My current template consists only of CSS and SSI, with a couple of random CGI elements here and there. It may not be the best looking hunk of HTML out there, but I'm a bit fond of it. Unfortunately, I want to expand the site quite a bit with hot new privacy and financial content. After all, liberty is solidly built on the four pillars of determination, integrity, brotherhood, and independence. To achieve it, you must be able to be financially independent. Why do you think the state so frequently controls our lives through economic restrictions and not the naked club?

Long story short, I'll be selling out to a CMS, specifically Joomla! 1.0.x. It will make publication easier for both publisher and reader. User contributed material will also be as easy as creating an account, and articles can be added in a snap. There will be a lot of conversion to do, and not a lot of time for me to do it. In all likelihood, visitors will get the same old site until May sometime, but you could get lucky. College and several jobs tends to suck up a lot of time, so please bear with me.

In a similar vein, the Downsize DC Electronic Lobbyist System will be also be getting a complete make-over in the next month or two. For those who were paying attention, this was supposed to have happened a few months ago, but better late than never, I guess. And yes, there will be a better CAPCHA solution with improved instructions, or so I'm told.

The How v Why of RealID

2007-03-05T11:22:00.000-08:00

From the desk of Jim Babka, President of DownsizeDC.org...

How vs Why of Real ID

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security released 162 pages of proposed regulations for the Real ID Act. The bill was (and basically still is) slated to take effect by May, 2008.

There's going to be a ton of things to say about this topic, as well as more than one kind of action to take on it. Over the next couple of weeks we will break down the complex web of information into simple bite-sized chunks for you.

But the most important thing you'll need to know today is that there are bills now offered in both the Senate and the House to repeal (not delay) the implementation of the Real ID Act. They are gathering co-sponsors and steam.

But this is going to be a tough battle. We'll need to do everything we can to fight it effectively.

* That means, we're asking you to please use our convenient Congressional Contact System to send a message of support for the bills to repeal (not delay) the implementation of Real ID.

* It also means that we need to continue making progress on monthly pledges to stay in this fight.

The thesis of today's message is that surveillance is not necessarily security, and that as a technique for crime and terrorism protection, surveillance is nowhere near as important as motivation.

Let's start with a hypothetical scenario.

You've seen it in the movies: A determined and experienced criminal learns that a very valuable art exhibit is coming to town, but to get in and see it, one must produce a valid ID, pass through checkpoints, and view it, while lasers, cameras, and security agents keep guard. Yet the thief succeeds. He gets the highly prized art.

Now, the movie entertains us by focusing on the "how" -- showing us what clever method the thief employed to secure his prize. Inevitably, we learn that the burglar exploited some vulnerability of the security system.

As you leave the theater, you might get the impression that sprinkling additional technology or resources (money) on the problem might've stopped the master thief -- the exhibiting museum could've foiled his plan.

Many things in life are determined by the quality of questions we ask. Protecting valuable art, or ourselves from terrorist attackers is no different. The right question is important.

The better question to ask if one is seeking to _prevent_ crime is "why" -- "What's the motivation for doing it?"

For the art thief, perhaps you can make the steal more expensive than it's worth.

But what if someone is willing to lose their life in the process of killing others -- in the belief that their cause is eminently just and that they will receive eternal reward? What then? Is more surveillance really going to work? Is sprinkling technology on the problem really going to protect us?...

Read the full DownsizeDC Blog entry by clicking on the title link of this post. This crappy program has been stalled for another year thanks to your efforts, but we need to keep the pressure on. Put this sick plan out of its misery ASAP! ;-)

ID: a Real Bad Idea!

Same Blog, New Features!

2007-03-04T22:09:00.000-08:00

Blogger.com, owned by Google, recently upgraded its blog publication service. This means that the Liberty Lamp blog now has some useful new features that make it easier to browse and search for topics. At the bottom of recent posts, you'll see a series of topic links. Clicking one of them will take you to a new page displaying all posts that relate to that keyword. Sexy, isn't it? Perhaps not, but it should make browsing this site easier and more productive.

In other news, the Free State Project has been cranking out the successful events! NH Liberty Forum was a smashing success, and I hear Ron Paul and John Stossel were amazing, as was the friendly company. The next major event of the year will be The Porcupine Freedom Festival ("PorcFest"). This yearly event in New Hampshire is THE place to meet pro liberty people, become more familiar with the state, and participate in all kinds of cool events! I'll be going there with some buddies of mine. You should too! It'll be a blast.

IRS urged to go after eBay sellers

2007-02-25T17:33:00.000-08:00

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

When it comes to paying income taxes, eBay's legions of small-time entrepreneurs are on an honor system in which they are supposed to declare their profits to the Internal Revenue Service. Many users, however, ignore the law or are unaware of their obligation.

Now a growing chorus of tax experts is hoping to crack down on the cheating by requiring eBay -- and other online auctions, such as those on Yahoo, Ubid.com and Amazon -- to track users and report their gross sales to the federal government. Armed with such information, the IRS could better seek any taxes owed, potentially reaping millions of dollars in extra revenue for the U.S. Treasury.

But requiring eBay to out its sellers to tax collectors could send a shockwave across its vast online bazaar, where users trade everything from Ferraris to Ugg boots to pepper spray. Paying Uncle Sam could significantly reduce their profits or even make their businesses money-losers.

The latest call for more aggressive tax collection was heard last week at a congressional committee hearing focused on closing the tax gap, the hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes that go unpaid each year. Nina Olson, the national taxpayer advocate for the IRS, spoke of the heavy burden put on the nation by the shortfall and then cited undeclared online sales -- particularly on eBay, given its size -- as part of the problem.

"The IRS must have the tools needed to address under-reporting of this income," said Olson, whose job is to voice taxpayer concerns to the federal government.

EBay, based in San Jose, has 97 million U.S. users, who, in 2006 sold $25.2 billion in merchandise, exceeding the gross national product of many countries. More than 720,000 Americans make their primary or secondary income from the Web site, according to a 2005 study.

How many eBay users pay the taxes they owe on their online earnings is unknown. But experts suspect the percentage is low.

Virtually all tax filers -- 96 percent -- pay what's owed on income that is reported to the IRS by a third party, such as when a bank reports interest earned on a savings account, according to the IRS. However, when a third party doesn't tip off the government, compliance drops dramatically, to below 50 percent.

The remedy, according to many federal officials, is to expand reporting requirements. The question is, which businesses and what kind of income should fall under the rules?

As part of his proposed federal budget for 2008, President Bush made what many believe is the first step to more vigorously collect taxes on online sales. Although vaguely worded, the proposal would require "brokers," or middlemen, to collect taxpayer identification numbers from clients and report their sales of personal property to the IRS on a 1099 form if sales surpass 100 transactions or more than $5,000 annually.

Under current law, eBay and other auction sites aren't considered brokers. But definitions can be changed.

In November, a citizen advisory group for the IRS recommended as much. Expanding the definition to include online auctions, the group said, would open the door to reporting and increased tax compliance.

Paul Heller, chairman of the citizen advisory group, made up of accountants and tax preparers, applauded the president's proposal, but called it so nebulous that it's unclear what kind of businesses he's targeting. Heller, a vice president for JPMorgan Chase, suspects that the provisions are at least partly aimed at Internet sales.

"I have no idea who it would be referring to," Heller said of the proposal, "if not online auctions."

Jennifer Zuccarelli, a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department, declined to name any companies the Bush proposal applies to. All she would say is that the provisions would affect both online and offline commerce, without discrimination as to the medium.

Other than Internet sales, tax experts said that art galleries and consignment stores could be potential targets of the Bush proposal.

Hani Durzy, a spokesman for eBay, insisted that his company would be unaffected if Bush's ideas are enacted as written. EBay doesn't meet the definition of a broker, he said, because it never takes possession of the merchandise its users sell.

In any case, Durzy said eBay doesn't even know whether any given transaction is completed and therefore can't report authoritatively about a user's sales to the IRS.

Simply reporting to the government, he added, would be a financial burden for his company.

David Yaskulka, marketing chairman for the Professional eBay Sellers Alliance, an industry group of more than 500 big eBay sellers, said it wouldn't bother him if eBay reported sales information about its users to the IRS. In his experience, big sellers already pay their fair share.

"Every professional seller I've ever talked to pays their taxes and has no problem with anyone finding out about the level of business they're doing," Yaskulka said.

His concern is that legislation will unfairly target eBay. All sales venues, online or off, should be treated the same, he said.

The next step for the proposed legislation, along with a number of other of Bush budget ideas, is to go through Congress, starting with the House Ways and Means Committee. Members are likely to address the issue during an upcoming hearing on closing the tax gap, tentatively scheduled for mid-March.

Matthew Beck, a spokesman for the committee's Democratic majority, declined comment, other than to say of the Bush proposal, "We certainly take that as a starting point, and we certainly look forward to addressing the tax gap."

Taxpayer advocate my ass. Ebay may not be able to help you, but check out Liberty Auctions. You can buy and sell anything you want with value backed currencies like the Liberty Dollar. No spying or reporting, and there are absolutely no site fees!

Private Threats From Public Records

2007-02-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

Privacy is important. Everyone wants it, and we can find strong evidence in the Bill of Rights supporting its legally protected status. For many generations (at least in theory), one's own personal papers and effects were considered to be something quasi-sacred; something not to be violated except in extreme cases, such as investigating a real crime, where an actual victim exists. Over the course of time, however, the situation has deteriorated somewhat. Government statute and public attitudes have led us to a social milieu in which privacy is no longer considered a right, but merely a "privilege".

Informed and thoughtful readers such as yourselves will doubtlessly understand that we need to get back the privacy. You want to better comprehend what the real threats to your personal information are. You want to find the best solutions for protecting that information and for maintaining personal control over it.
We will discuss all of this very soon. First, we must understand what, exactly, the difference is between a "right" and a "privilege". Some may find this to be a useless academic splitting of hairs. I intend to demonstrate that it, is, in fact, critical to the discussion that follows.

What is a right? Put simply, a right is an inherent power you, the individual, have to do something without having to ask for permission. On the other hand, a privilege is something that you do have to ask someone for permission to do. If you don't, negative consequences may befall you.

For clarity, let me give an example. I will refrain from the tired and worn politically popular First Amendment clauses, and will go for something more shocking (but hopefully equally demonstrative) – Gun rights and the Second Amendment.

You have an inherent right to self-defense, whether you believe it comes from God, Natural Law, the best structure for society, etc. Gun permits, on the other hand, make firearm ownership a privilege and not a right because you then have to ask mommy government if it is OK to “play with guns”, ie, keep and bear arms for the purpose of self defense, sport, or any other reason that does not initiate force on someone else. The same conceptual framework also applies to your privacy. You have an inherent right to maintain control of your personal information- your property, as long as you act in a peaceful, honest manner that doesn't threaten or damage the goods or person of someone else.

Excuses from men (or women) with guns claiming to be "government" are irrelevant if you know yourself to be innocent. This should not be taken to mean that nothing will happen to you. It might. But there are ways to minimize this chance, as we will see. The important thing to realize is that privacy is not "just for criminals with something to hide" but for the innocent as well. Why would you want your ID stolen? Would you want to safeguard yourself against a false or inaccurate accusation? Of course you would!

What are the stakes? The short answer is that it depends on who you are and what you do. The longer answer is that business owners, professionals like doctors and contractors, and political activists are at the highest risk. In fact, if you're a career professional such as a physician, you have a one in three (33%) chance of being named in a lawsuit in any given year (data from KeepYourAssets.net)! With statistics like these, no wonder malpractice insurance is so high these days. A more graphic and extreme example of professional danger comes to us from a recent report by Strategic Forecasting, Inc. (www.stratfor.com), a leading risk analysis company.

It seems that a certain mentally unstable individual in the Midwestern US, calling himself "The Bishop", has been sending threatening letters, and, most recently, nearly complete mail-bombs to executives at several mid-sized financial firms. What is his goal? Apparently to threaten these firms into changing the prices of certain stocks, often to $6.66. The threat letters also included vows to kidnap and hold hostage the managers' spouses and children. As of yet, no one is known to have been harmed. This is very fortunate, but the sad part of this tale is that the entire thing could have been avoided by the victims. How? By keeping out of the public record by "controlling" rather than "owning" their property.

We will not know for certain how The Bishop got his information until he is apprehended and tried, but the most likely way he finds the addresses of his victims is through public records, including those of the state DMV and county assessor's office. Vehicle registration and property tax records are the most reliable and easily obtained pieces of personal information useful to a potential assailant. One can easily visit a county administrative building for home ownership and property tax records. The DMV keeps very little control over its own records, and in many states, your personal information may be sold to third parties for marketing reasons! If you are a high profile businessperson (or even if you aren't), there is a low, but very real chance that a criminal or greedy lawyer may try to find out where you live in order to take your money or harass you.

Fortunately, there is something you can do to ward off such life altering attacks. The secret is the concept and practice of "controlling", rather than "owning" your high value, publicly recorded assets. To achieve safe, reliable anonymous ownership, one can utilize the power of a trust or an "Invisible" New Mexico Limited Liabilities Company (NM LLC).

Trusts and LLCs are legal entities that legally separate you from your property- but control over the use of the property is still all yours. For example, you could form an LLC for your home, then transfer ownership from your name to the name of the company. From then on, public record would show only the name of your company. Thus, someone looking through the records would not be able to easily find out where you live. Similarly, motor vehicles can be made more private by transferring ownership to a LLC or trust. Note, however, that your auto insurance rates may go up slightly, as "business" policies are typically more expensive (though usually more comprehensive) than coverage for individuals. On the other hand, if you're looking for more insurance already, this may not be a problem. If you want to transfer ownership of multiple assets, I recommend using a single LLC for each one. This insulates risk, and ensures that if one item is somehow found, the others will not be. Separation is most important for minimizing damages from lawsuits. After all, if a lawyer can't discover that you own anything, he will not try to bother suing you for it.

We now conclude this brief introduction to asset protection and the importance of privacy.
What have we learned? First, that privacy is an unalienable right that cannot be legitimately revoked or qualified on a whim by government. Next, I showed you a vivid example of what has happened on occasion to some people who did not take advantage of privacy protecting asset protection opportunities when they had the chance. Finally, you've learned a bit about how to actually use a legal entity like a LLC or trust to separate yourself from your assets so that the two will not be easily associated with each other.

Congress Wants You... In Jail!

2007-02-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

The 111th Congress has been up to it's usual tricks again. First, it was a Democratic log-roll of the typical pro socialism, anti political competition nature. Now, it's apparently the Republicans' term. It has been made known that the Republicans in Congress wish to pass a series of anti freedom bills under the guise of fighting criminals. Not much new here. Dubbed the "Law and Order Agenda (of doom)", they wish to do such things as eliminate child pornography, end drug trafficking, and killing all terrorists- just by passing a law about it! That's right, kids! Just like magic! There will never be any negative, unintended consequences of that... I don't know what to believe. Are Congresspeople really THAT stupid, or do they just think all of us are? Either way, it is a complete insult to YOUR integrity and intelligence as a so-called "citizen"!

For a complete outline of what's going on, click the title link of this post or click here. Oh by the way... They want to eliminate your on-line privacy by forcing ISPs and potentially web sites such as this to retain sensitive, personal information for a long period of time! We will not comply, of course, but God knows many others will if this bill passes.

Political Activism In Danger- And What You Can Do!

2007-01-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

Redress of greivances is central to quote "good" government. As many are aware, our current regime really sucks- but it could be a LOT worse. Things may in fact become worse, however, if the Senate's new anti grass-roots "lobbyist reform" bill is allowed to go into effect. It would force organizations to fill out many expensive new forms and drive many of the most important ones out of business. Below is an overview from DownsizeDC.org's president, along with a viable way to take action.

(Excerpted) "n response to our editorial earlier this week, "What Divides Us," a reader suggested that we address OMB Watch, and their ilk, directly -- explain where they are wrong about the grassroots lobbying provision of S.1.

Our opponents at groups like Public Citizen, Common Cause, and OMB Watch, want to make this a partisan/ideological issue -- to divide and conquer. They want to regulate so-called "Astroturf" groups (a funny play on the word "grassroots"), which they maintain are "fake" groups.

The thesis of the recent OMB Watch report, as well as the central claim of an open letter from Joan Claybrook of Public Citizen, is that the new regulations they propose won't _prohibit_ speech and political activity.

This is an instance of correct facts organized in a fashion that creates the wrong impression. These new regulations may not out-right prohibit, but they will definitely abridge and hurt small, upstart groups. They will chill political participation at the grassroots. AND YOU CAN VOICE YOUR OPPOSITION HERE: http://action.downsizedc.org/wyc.php?cid=61

Yet, as we'll explain later in this piece, they won't really do much to the so-called Astroturf class of groups.

On a more fundamental level, it doesn't matter whether or not the regulations "prohibit." We all agree that the Constitution excluded the ability to prohibit the rights in question. But the Constitution goes much farther than that.

And what should unite us is our Constitution and our desire for a healthy democracy where not only the rich and powerful can play, but where everyday Americans can petition their government without reservation.

And so today, I want to make the ultimate argument: I want to break this down to a fundamental level that every American should respect -- a Constitutional argument. And we'll conclude by offering a real solution to the problems these good government groups desire to address."

Free State Project Meets F1K Goals!

2006-12-31T11:37:00.000-08:00

The Free State Project's First 1,000 Pledge has met and exceeded its goal! As of right now, 1,027 Porcupines have pledged to move to the "Free State" of New Hampshire, USA, by 12/31/2008, exactly two years from today, in fact! A couple of us at the Libertarian Action Network will be there, and others will follow in the following months and years (mostly old people who don't want to give up their cushy lifestyles). If you've yet to sign on as a First 1000 Pledger, or as a regular "5 years after 20,000" member, please do! Its counterculture- but with fewer hippies and no socialism! ;)

UK Even More like 1984!

2006-12-25T21:48:00.000-08:00

Spy cameras that talk are watching YOU! In the UK that is. Not America yet, but it can't be long at this rate if people don't say NO louder! From Bloomberg:

Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) -- It's Saturday night in Middlesbrough, England, and drunken university students are celebrating the start of the school year, known as Freshers' Week.

One picks up a traffic cone and runs down the street. Suddenly, a disembodied voice booms out from above:

``You in the black jacket! Yes, you! Put it back!'' The confused student obeys as his friends look bewildered.

``People are shocked when they hear the cameras talk, but when they see everyone else looking at them, they feel a twinge of conscience and comply,'' said Mike Clark, a spokesman for Middlesbrough Council who recounted the incident. The city has placed speakers in its cameras, allowing operators to chastise miscreants who drop coffee cups, ride bicycles too fast or fight outside bars.

Almost 70 years after George Orwell created the all-seeing dictator Big Brother in the novel ``1984,'' Britons are being watched as never before. About 4.2 million spy cameras film each citizen 300 times a day, and police have built the world's largest DNA database. Prime Minister Tony Blair said all Britons should carry biometric identification cards to help fight the war on terror.

``Nowhere else in the free world is this happening,'' said Helena Kennedy, a human rights lawyer who also is a member of the House of Lords, the upper house of Parliament. ``The American public would find such inroads into civil liberties wholly unacceptable.''

During the past decade, the government has spent 500 million pounds ($1 billion) on spy cameras and now has one for every 14 citizens, according to a September report prepared for Information Commissioner Richard Thomas by the Surveillance Studies Network, a panel of U.K. academics.

Who's In Charge?

Doesn't this remind you of something...?

"YOU! Yes YOU! Eat your meat! If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have your pudding if you don't eat your meat?!"

WE DON'T NEED NO EDUCATION...

Lauren Canario Interview on Free Talk Live

2006-12-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

Lauren Canario, the freedom fighter who was jailed for three months with no due process has been released. Click the title link to hear her interview on Free Talk Live, a nationally syndicated pro freedom radio show. Her false accusations consist of "trespassing" on property the *rightful* (not the City of New London, CT DevCorp!) owner of a New London house. The catch? He had allowed her to do so and it was the city that had violated through emminent domain! But never mind that, she was peaceful and they had pistols. Might makes right, right? I think not...

DownsizeDC.org May Help Reapeal RealID Act!

2006-12-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

RealID may die a relatively quick death after all. Or at least it can with your help! Visit DownsizeDC.org to send a message to Congress telling them you want this gone. Only 30 or so constitutents can bring these issues to the serious attention of federal legislators!

D o w n s i z e r - D i s p a t c h Are we winning?

The opposition to the REAL ID Act, which would create a national identification system, has been great and unrelenting.

It has come from hundreds of groups, including state governments, but we know of no group that has been more relentless than DC Downsizers. We have so far pumped out 40,362 messages to Congress calling for the repeal of the REAL ID Act.

Now, two Senators, Democrat Daniel Akaka of Hawaii and Republican John Sununu of New Hampshire, are threatening to sponsor legislation that would do just that -- repeal the REAL ID Act!

But . . .

They would first like to see the Department of Homeland Security adopt new regulations that would reduce the cost of REAL ID to state governments, and increase privacy protections for citizens.

Frankly, no one knows if such changes are even possible. The REAL ID Act requires the states to electronically verify the validity of birth certificates used to acquire ID cards and driver's licenses. This is so technically difficult that the cost to state governments is expected to be an additional $8 billion.

And it may not work -- even after the money is spent! Long(er) lines and (increased) delays are expected at DMVs around the country.

State governments are also required to share data between themselves so that a person born in one state can have his or her birth certificate electronically verified in another. There's a very real concern that this entire system of electronic verification will be extremely vulnerable to hackers, providing what "Information Week" has called "one-stop-shopping" for identity thieves.

Given how much the states are already being burdened financially, these technical difficulties may be insurmountable. As things stand now, state governments are expected to comply with the REAL ID Act in less time than it took the Department of Homeland Security to write the initial regulations.

Now, Akaka and Sununu want these regulations rewritten or they will take steps to repeal REAL ID! The Senators have also complained that Congress was "forced" to pass this ill-considered legislation because it was combined with an emergency defense spending bill.

We want to point out two things . . .

First, this bill would not have been passed had Downsize DC's "Read the Bills Act," or our proposed "One Subject at a Time Act," been the law of the land.

Second, we would not now have the trouble of trying to comply with this ill-considered legislation if Downsize DC's "Write the Laws Act" had been in effect. Instead of delegating the legislative details to unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats at the Department of Homeland Security, Congress would have had to work out the details themselves. It likely would have been too much for them and they would have left well-enough-alone.

Well, if Congress is incapable of figuring out how to do it's job, we will do it for them. DC Downsizers will tell them what they need to do, and how they need to do it. Now is the time to give them more instructions.

Yes, we know, they're busy moving into new offices, and all that (and some of them may already be gone, for good), but (for the rest) that just means this is a good time to pile on and remind them what their priorities need to be. Akaka and Sununu have opened a crack in the door. Now, let's slam it all the way open.

Bombard Congress with messages demanding the repeal of the REAL ID Act.

Lauren Canario Still In Jail after 80+ Days!

2006-12-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

Lauren Canario, Freedom Fighter

Lauren Canario, a member of the Free State Project, moved to New London, CT after the infamous Kelo vs. New London Supreme Court decision. This decision, which ruled that states could decide to seize private property and hand it over to private corporations, so enraged Lauren that she packed up and moved from Las Vegas to New London to help the residents there keep their homes. Now that the residents of Fort Trumble have sold their homes under extreme duress, she has vowed not to leave until the last home is razed.

About a year ago, Lauren was arrested while trying to attend a public City Council meeting. Court officials claimed that the room was too full and that the meeting was being rescheduled. She did not believe this and wanted to wait to see meeting attendees leaving before she'd leave the building. The police arrested her for refusing to leave the steps of the building. Once arrested, she refused completely to cooperate with her captors. She wouldn't walk, she wouldn't talk to them. She was held for 15 days before they finally gave up and let her go. During that time, she was shackled and under bright lights 24 hours/day. She has scars on her ankles from the shackles.

Lauren has been incarcerated for 81 days now, and it may be up to a year. No charges or any kind of trial in all this time. Where is the Constitution now?

Only 2.5 Weeks Remaining for the First 1,000 Pledge!

2006-12-11T23:35:00.000-08:00

Free State Project members! If you have not yet signed the First 1,000 Pledge to move to the Free State by The end of 2008/beginning of 2009, you should do it now. There are only 19 pledging days left this year! If you already have, or know you can't make it by then, tell others who may be interested. Below is an e-mail from the FSP's Volunteer Coordinator:

Calling all Free State Project volunteers!

There are only 19 days left on the First 1000 pledge, and we need the help of every single FSP volunteer in order to pull out a victory on this one. As a leader of an FSP local group, you probably have more influence on your local group members than anyone. You know them personally (or at least have exchanged an email or two with them!) Please do all you can in the next few weeks to help us reach our goal. Here are some specific things you can do, and encourage your group members to do as well:

* change your email signature to reference the F1K pledge
* send a LTE referencing the F1K pledge to your local newspaper
* volunteer to make phone calls about the pledge to other FSP participants
* mention the pledge wherever you hang out on the Internet (MySpace, Facebook, discussion forums, blogs, your personal homepage)
* call in to your local talk radio station and talk about the pledge

And, most important of all... SIGN THE PLEDGE! :-)

SYITFS,
Sandy Pierre
First 1000 Project Manager
http://www.pledgebank.com/First1000

If I and a couple of my friends can do it, so can you, especially if you have recently graduated college or will within the next two years. After all, what better things do you have to do?

TSA Now Creating Profiles, Not Revealing Details!

2006-12-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

The Transit Security Administration, or TSA, is everyone's favorite band of armed thugs. Now, they're better than ever! How, you ask? Now they are apparently creating a new database on passengers covering all kind of personal things that have nothing to do with "potential terrorist attributes", such as what your preferences for in-flight meals are. How do they find out this information, anyway? One can only assume that it requires complacency, and even active participation of the airlines and airport personell to do their dirty work. In short, they are enslaved, as they aren't being compensated, nor being asked whether they would like to even do such things in the first place! From an article from the EFF:

Washington, D.C. - An invasive and unprecedented data-mining system is set to be deployed on U.S. travelers Monday, despite substantial questions about Americans' privacy. In comments sent to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) asked the agency to delay the program's rollout until it makes more details available to the public and addresses critical privacy and due process concerns.
The Automated Targeting System (ATS) will create and assign "risk assessments" to tens of millions of citizens as they enter and leave the country. Individuals will have no way to access information about their "risk assessment" scores or to correct any false information about them. But once the assessment is made, the government will retain the information for 40 years -- as well as make it available to untold numbers of federal, state, local, and foreign agencies in addition to contractors, grantees, consultants, and others.
"The government is preparing to give millions of law-abiding citizens 'risk assessment' scores that will follow them throughout their lives," said EFF Senior Counsel David Sobel. "If that wasn't frightening enough, none of us will have the ability to know our own score, or to challenge it. Homeland Security needs to delay the deployment of this system and allow for an informed public debate on this dangerous proposal."
Earlier this month, EFF's FLAG Project submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to DHS seeking more details about the ATS data-mining program, but the agency has not yet disclosed the requested information.

Don't make it easy for them, kiddies!

The Liberty Dollar Needs YOUR Help!

2006-11-28T23:06:00.000-08:00

The Liberty Dollar Newsletter has another installment of the issues arising from the pissed off US Treasury Department. Not only have they made these deceptive and inaccurate claims about the ALD, but now, magically, NORFED's bank is trying to bail out on their very responsible client, claiming that it is "too much of a risk". Below is the latest commentary from Bernard, plus what you can do about it.

Liberty Dollar Faces Extinction

The Liberty Dollar is now under attack from…our bank. On Monday, November 20, the Evansville office received a certified letter from our bank, Old National Bank, which said: “Please be advised that if you do not close the Account within 15 days of the date of this letter (11.16.06), Old National Bank will exercise its right to close the Account.”

Had we bounced checks? Nope, not a one. Were we a difficult customer? Definitely not. Had we done anything to warrant the bank to close our account? No, but obviously something upset the banking powers to be. The VP for Bank Security, who ordered the letter, told us that they had investigated our business and said that the “nature of our business” was too risky for them. Of course the bank’s action is clearly the result of someone calling the bank and telling them to close our account. Probably the same person who told the US Mint to issue their warning. The same person who told CBS Lies (not worthy of “News”) to do their dirty work. The same person who urged the Washington Post to write their propaganda to kill the Liberty Dollar idea. The same morally corrupt person who might even be reading this Newsletter.

The Liberty Dollar is clearly under siege. Quite simply, without a bank account and merchant card services, it is all but impossible to do business in this day and age. We face the real possibility that the Liberty Dollar could die... and put all the ideals it stands for at risk! A very sobering thought I dare say.

Does this alarm you? I hope! It should alarm you that the government can single out a business without any past criminal history, indictment, or even criminal intent and instruct its bank to close its account! As you can note in Article #3 below, the US Mint does acknowledge that the gold and silver paper certificates are 100% legal. So if one form of the Liberty Dollar currency is legal, what’s wrong with the gold and silver that backs it up? I hope this latest bank development signals you that we need to find a much broader base of support for the Liberty Dollar. It should alarm you enough to take action. I am urging you to contact your newspaper, the organizations you respect, publications you subscribe to, and any public forums to investigate and report on the Liberty Dollar. We need to develop more awareness about the Liberty Dollar, and we need to do it very quickly. Up to this point the silence from our side regarding the government’s attack on the Liberty Dollar has been deafening. That needs to be corrected.

Documenting the Success of Libertarians in Office

2006-11-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

The Libertarian Party, as everyone knows, has not done as well as we may have hoped. There are a number of reasons for it, and as most of this readership is already familiar, I won't go into the details. It's old hat. What is new, however, is Mainstreamlibertarian.com. Though this is a completely "neolibertarian" project, that may not embody all of the principle that the Libertarian Action Network demands, it is a very informative resource for learning about the successed and failures of important LP and RLC candidates and campaigns. Be sure to bookmark this resource. It is seeminly in early development, but it looks good so far, and can only imporove with time.

V Clones Himself 100 Times!

2006-11-21T00:21:00.000-08:00

The friendly folks at the We The People Foundation have had a 100-man V costume protest on Washington, DC as promised. Here's an excerpt:

Knowledge About Our Cause Is Spreading

It is too soon to know the full extent of the public’s information and awareness about the DC event. Here is what we know so far.

We received an email from a reporter who works for Brazil’s newspaper website http://www.estadao.com.br.
He is writing an article and wanted us to answer a few of his questions.

We received an email from the Director of the movie, “V for Vendetta.” He was aware of our events and said he wanted to send a few words of encouragement and was happy that “V” had made it into the popular vernacular. He closed with the words, “Fight The Power.”

An article will appear in Monday’s issue of “TaxNotes,” which is America’s leading tax news and research magazine.

We received word from a man who stated that while he was passing through an airport Tuesday, he saw television images on CNN of the “Vs” across from the White House.

If anyone learns of additional media coverage, please let us know.

Coming: 1,000 “Vs” in DC

Plans are now underway for a GiveMeLiberty 2007 Conference. Most likely it will take place in DC on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On one of those days we hope to assemble 1,000 “V” demonstrators on the street in support of our Right to Petition the Government for Redress of constitutional torts, including our Right to a Response and our Right of Enforcement if Government does not respond to our proper, constitutionally based Petitions for Redress.

Next time, one thousand. Perhaps one of LAN's contingents will show up.