Stand With Rand Writing Contest

Four years ago I launched a special writing contest.  Contestants were to write an essay to any audience—liberals, conservatives, independents—about how Ron Paul best represents them and is the best candidate for the Presidency

The best essays were compiled into a campaign book in support of Ron Paul’s presidential candidacy, and it was written by We the People.  This book was published as VOICES OF REVOLUTION: Americans Speak Out for Ron Paul (download it for free).

Nearly four years later, I’m pleased to announce to you the Stand With Rand Writing Contest.

This time, we’re going big and we’re going long. We understand that the mainstream media will attack Senator Paul ceaselessly as he campaigns and spreads a message of individual liberty, sound money, and peace.  They’ll attack him on TV, on the Internet, and in print.

Our plan is to flood the eBook market with books that are pro-Rand and pro-liberty.  In order to do this, I’m calling on fellow patriots and lovers of liberty to put pen to paper and speak from the heart.  I’m calling on YOUR essays on why fellow Americans should vote for Rand Paul.

The essays can be any of these five topics:

1)      Why Conservatives should vote for Rand

2)      Why Progressives should vote for Rand

3)      Why Independents and the politically homeless should vote for Rand

4)      Rand Paul is a better Republican candidate than Ted Cruz

5)      Rand Paul is a better Republican candidate than Marco Rubio

6)      Rand Paul is a better candidate for America than Hillary Clinton

If you do choose to submit your work, it’ll be published it under the Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0) license, so you still retain the rights to your work.  Not only are you allowed to re-publish your own work, but the Creative Commons license gives you permission to independently re-publish the entire book!

Remember these guidelines to make your writing most effective:

·       Multiple submissions are allowed, but each submission has to be on a different topic.  The above 5 topics will be 5 different books.

·       Write from the heart. Don’t preach to strangers.  Tell them from the heart why a Paul presidency is important to you AND to the reader.

·       When writing to Conservatives, back up your arguments with Bible verses. Also mention Ronald Reagan and the “conservatarian” philosophy of Reagan and Barry Goldwater that Americans overwhelmingly supported. It wouldn’t hurt to mention Rand’s response to Benghazi, or Glenn Beck leaving the GOP in disgust.

·       When writing to Progressives, don’t forget to mention the damage inflicted on the black community by the Obama administration and Democrat Party policies.  Also stress the Establishment Left’s betrayal of the working class and abandonment of the LGBTQ community.  It’s also good to refer to Howard Zinn’s populist histories and tie Rand in with empowerment of the working classes.  Also, don’t forget that Bill Maher is a huge supporter.

·       If writing about Hillary Clinton, focus on every documented lie, half-truth, and cover up involving Hillary, especially her hawkish support for George W. Bush's, Dick Cheney's, and Barack Obama’s wars. Stress that Clinton represents a new type of imperial/colonialist America.

·       When making a factual claim or referring to something that happened in real time—a historical event, words someone said or wrote, etc.—back it up with a citation in a footnote.  At least provide a url to make it easier for your poor editor.

·       The deadline for submissions is 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time, June 1, 2015.  Even though that’s 6 weeks away, don’t sit on this.  The liberty movement NEEDS your contribution and I'm accepting submissions NOW.

Send submissions to politicalzachfoster@gmail.com

Every bit of VOLUNTARY grass roots activism counts.  Will YOU stand with me?

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'I Stand With Rand' banner courtesy of Latino Rebels.

Let’s Avoid Infighting in the UK Liberty Movement

I’m writing this to our brothers and sisters from “across the pond.”  This message goes out to both the big-L and small-l libertarians.  I see some of the infighting in the UK’s liberty movement, most notably between activists from the UK Independence Party and the Libertarian Party of the UK.

Brothers and sisters in liberty, I can tell you from experience, factionalism and needless infighting took A LOT of steam out of the liberty movement in America.  You would be way better off avoiding it.  In no way am I preaching to you.  Instead I’m using my experience, even the mistakes I made in the past, to help you folks steer clear of some bumpy roads in spreading libertarian thought.

Our biggest problem, especially in the US Libertarian Party, is when factions arise and say "So-and-So is not Libertarian; only WE are the true bastion of liberty. Join us, not them!" Believe me friends, it's counter-productive.

Frankly, if the UKIP proposes ANY ideas or changes that that promotes liberty in any way, shape or form--even if it's not as libertarian as we'd like--their activism is still important. Anything that moves the meter needle away from statism and a little closer to liberty, is important.

Just think where you were, politically, 10 or 15 years ago. Not everyone becomes libertarian overnight. They NEED an intellectual/logical stepping stone.  Even hardcore anarchists in the US are flocking to support the “conservatarian” Rand Paul; they know that his candidacy will be a big push in the direction of libertarian thought.  It's a golden stepping stone for millions of Americans, and we'd be foolish not to support him and build him up.  But Rand is just an example of libertarians and conservatives building coalitions within the liberty movement.

The BEST hope for success is to not put a negative spotlight on other groups we should be allied with, but instead put a spotlight on things you SUPPORT. If you REALLY want to differentiate yourselves from UKIP, put a spotlight on LPUK stances you SUPPORT (but stances different from UKIP's).

The most attractive feature of libertarianism is people who are alive, free, and HAPPY. 100% positivity is far more effective for recruiting than 90% negativity followed by 'Vote for us, we're your last choice'.

I truly pray that I live to see the day a libertarian party wins the majority in Parliament (and the freaking US Congress, too). Far off, maybe, but certainly possible within our lifetimes.

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British R3VOLUTION flag courtesy of the Advocates dot org.

Should Libertarian Party members support Rand Paul?

Should members of the Libertarian Party support Rand Paul this election season?  It’s a question making its rounds among Libertarians and libertarian Republicans.  The answer to that question depends on a person’s conscience.

If you want an answer from me, folks, I’d say yes.  It’s my opinion that Libertarians should stand with our brothers and sisters in the Republican Liberty Caucus, for the simple reason that Rand Paul’s message will advance the libertarian cause.  For me, this is above Party loyalty—I left the Republican Party because “Party loyalty” doesn’t fly with me.

Not everybody in the LP will agrees with me on this, and I’m at peace with that.  I understand the Party will run its own presidential candidate or risk irreparable weakness of the organization.  Party members and other alienated voters will vote for that candidate, and they have every right to do so.

My personal strategy walks the line between the LP and RLC. I’ve been a dues-paying LP member since March of 2014, but I’m still registered to vote as a Republican.  I’ll hold onto my GOP registration (and hold my nose in the meantime) so I can vote for Rand in the primary election.  The minute my vote is cast, I’m changing my voter registration to Libertarian.

Regardless of Rand making it to the general election (God willing he does), I’m changing my registration the minute my primary vote is cast or the minute he ceases to be a presidential candidate—whichever comes first.

Yes, I understand that Rand Paul is not libertarian.  He never claimed to be—we just wanted him to be.  But his old-school brand of Goldwater conservatism contains enough libertarianism that his presidential candidacy would be an asset to the liberty movement.

Who else filibustered for 13 hours over the government assassinating American citizens?  Who keeps introducing Audit the Fed into the Senate?  How many ranking Republicans have been saying that national defense probably shouldn’t involve going to war just for the hell of it?

Even his most recent stunt calling for increased defense spending, paired with budget cuts of equal weight, was a successful effort to troll neoconservatives into looking like the liberal spenders they really are.

By the end of his campaigning, more Americans will be “conservatarian,” guaranteed.  Making people less neoconservative and more conservatarian is not a failure to make them libertarian.

I, Zach Foster, never would have become libertarian or a student of Murray Rothbard if it wasn’t for the breathing room I had being a conservatarian in my transition away from being a young neocon.

Not everyone who votes for Rand Paul will be libertarian.  I understand that.  Rand will have to look more and more Republican as Super Tuesday draws near.  I understand that, too.  He has to play the game, and is playing it a lot better than his father did.

Some neocons turned paleoconservative will require more time to become conservatarian, and still more time to become full-out libertarian, but every step forward is one step closer to a freer society.

I believe that more people will be libertarian after Rand Paul’s candidacy.  Many Party members will join me in campaigning for Rand, and I think that’s wonderful.

Other LP members have no room for Republicans in their vision of the ideal liberty movement.  There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as they work on building up the Libertarian Party instead of tearing down libertarian Republicans.

For me, the Rand Paul campaign is about living free by helping others to see that they have an equal right to live free and can’t terminate my right to do the same.

#StandWithRand

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Images are the property of the Reason Foundation and Time Life, Inc.

Urgent Message to Rand Paul Supporters

Brothers and sisters in liberty,

This will be one hell of a tough 19 months between now and November 2016.  If you thought the 2012 elections were a nightmare, you'll want to back out of this now.

But I don't think any of you will back out.  Many of you reading this stood shoulder to shoulder with me across the country in 2011 and 2012.  There are even more of you nearly 4 years later.  You're all men and women of iron.

Rand Paul hasn't formally declared his candidacy yet, but we all know the smooth game he's playing.

If we've learned anything from the last go-round for Ron Paul, we've learned that our collective behavior can attach itself to our candidate and affect public perceptions of him or her.

There are going to be quite a few Democrats and Republicans with ego-maniacal complexes trying to be POTUS, and the media will love some and hate others.  Fox News has been kind to Rand Paul, but maybe we've just been lucky so far.  The left is already being conditioned to hate him, so you'd best believe our work's cut out for us.

I'll say this the best way I know how: DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN DRAMA.  Let the other campaigns tear each other apart.

Remember that people support certain candidates because they need that deep-down confirmation that their worldview right, that they're making good decisions with their lives, and everybody else is simply wrong.  DON'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM THEM.  It's just too cruel.

Instead of telling them why they're "wrong" and we're "right," explain why the grass would be greener under President Paul than under President Cruz, or whomever they support.

Remember, both Ron and Rand Paul campaigned to get Ted Cruz in office.  So let's not all of a sudden act like Senator Cruz is the devil incarnate.

We need to politely RESPECT people who support other candidates.  I won't be telling anyone why their candidate is bad, just why I think my candidate is better.

The truth doesn't need apologists or public relations agents.  If we conduct ourselves as proper libertarians and conservatives, we'll respect the worldviews of those who agree with us.  We'll treat those people with respect and kindness.  We'll discuss instead of debate.

Judd Weiss said it best: If we're sharing the TRUTH with people, we need to do so with respect, kindness, and courtesy.  If we attack people with the truth, even verbally bullying them, then those people's automatic reactions will be to DEFEND themselves against the truth.  They'll shut us out.

So don't give people a hard time for supporting the candidate they do.  Instead of bashing their guy, remind them that there's plenty of room for them in the Rand camp.

Instead of the public remembering us libertarians as jerks and trolls, let them remember us as respectful, intelligent people who demonstrate strong character and high integrity.  These are the qualities in politics that people most desire.

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Rand Paul 2016 banner courtesy of the Rand-Paul-4-President Tumblr blog.  Rand Paul and Ted Cruz photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore and obtained from Wikimedia Commons.

Overcoming the Myth of a Divided Libertarian Party

I'm keeping up on current [California] bylaws shenanigans to the best of my ability so I can be a well informed Libertarian Party member and a worthy ambassador between the Party and the general public.

I'm aware of several "faction wars" in the LP, but  I whole-heartedly REJECT this narrative. Every one of these "faction wars" boils down to personality conflicts, and most of those are between people I like!

There are lots of different dreams and ambitions for how wonderful the LP could be.  Frankly, if you're really libertarian about it, there's room for all of it.

My focus is on being one kickass libertarian who maintains positivity and knows that there's room for lots of people and projects in our Party.  We NEED the shirt-and-tie people just like we need the tye-dye crowd. Compromises are possible without torpedoing the Party or its operations.

Every time I walk into a room full of LP members, I know that all of us agree on more than 90% of the issues and philosophies we hold dearest.  That's all I need to know, and the rest is small change.

From now on, the only narrative I'll engage is one of a Party united. We are all Libertarian.

Five Libertarian Ideas #31 - Sex and liberty, Sony Pictures, Libertarian Vets

‘The Interview’ movie

Sony Pictures, you clever bastards! Anticipating North Korea's predictably childish behavior, they instigated this cyber-war that led to the withholding of the movie. They then demonstrated that direct-to-home releases could be wildly profitable and the movie still made it to the top rated on IMDB. Kudos for thinking outside the box!

In unrelated news, I just bought The Interview on Google Play. -12/25/14

Honoring the Nonaggression Principle

The HARDEST time to adhere to NAP is when, at a busy intersection, some jackass cuts me off with a moving violation. I then swerve to avoid a collision, sending 44 ounzes of Dr. Pepper flying out of the cupholder and to the ceiling, where this liquid grenade redecorates my car interior.  I immediately begin to regret my defensive maneuver that saved his life and both our property--who cares, I have great auto insurance--and grope for a pistol that's not there. -2/25/15

Self-government vs. the State

Voluntary self-government is NOT the same as "the State".  Citizenship can be voluntary as can law and law enforcement—Jonathan Jaech does a lot of excellent work on voluntary law. The state is coercive whereas constituency of a government of/by/for the people can be truly voluntary (although an-caps' heads explode at the notion). -2/24/15

Libertarian military veterans

Nathaniel Branden in his life and works taught people to own up to their failures, but to NEVER be ashamed of their successes. Therefore, attention anarchists: I am libertarian and I served in the government military. It made me a stronger person and in the end a stronger libertarian. GET OVER IT.

*Side note: Other libertarian vets include Ron Paul, Jim Gray, Leonard Reed, and Ludwig von Mises. -2/22/15

Selling sex for liberty

Trying so hard to sell liberty through sex just seems silly. Own a gun, read a book, and treat women with respect, and libertarian men will "get some" more often.  Some libertarians are probably great in bed. Others are terrible in the sack. They're human beings, after all. But like most aspects of libertarianism, this debate is ruled by men who talk a lot about things they never do in real life. -2/09/15

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'The Interview' promo image courtesy of WNPR and is the property of Sony Pictures.  Implied sex image courtesy of Men's Health UK.  Both images used according to Fair Use.

Celebrating the Life of Nathaniel Branden

This may have been the first time I ever enjoyed myself at a memorial service, but I had a blast at Nathaniel Branden's memorial service. Hosted at the Los Angeles Ebell Theater by the Atlas Society, it was great to hear a lot of big names in the liberty movement discussing the importance and personal impact of Branden’s work (which also had an impact on me, personally).

I remember one of the defining moments of my last few years: I was sitting on top of a Humvee in the Mojave Desert, wearing full (bloody) combat armor, reading “The Moral Revolution in Atlas Shrugged” under the desert sun.  At the time I’d been wrestling with some major personal issues and I was at a crossroads in life.  As a matter of fact, the Humvee I sat on was literally parked at a crossroads where two dirt paths crossed and continued into the sandy wilderness.

The number one theme I took away from Branden’s essay is this: with great liberty comes great responsibility—not a responsibility to strangers, but to self.  Branden wrote about asserting one’s rugged individualism and never being ashamed of success, especially when “social” pressures dictate otherwise.  But there’s another, more important side to that: one must always own up to one’s own failings.  But rather than self-castigate, one should alter their actions for the better and move forward in life.

In that one essay, Mr. Branden had a hell of a punch for my brain that helped put the Atlas Shrugged novel and my own confused life into proper context for me. That was a big deal.

It also spoke highly of Branden’s character that both his wife Leigh and amicably divorced ex-wife Estelle Devers were present, got along, and treated each other with dignity and respect. Hell, I already know which exes are totally banned from my funeral!

The service lasted almost three hours, with a variety of accomplished objectivists and libertarians speaking both of Nat Branden’s work as an intellectual and personal memories of a dear friend departed.  People shared funny, silly stories about Branden and played audio clips from his academic lectures.

It was fascinating to hear in Branden’s own words a new context for the infamous rape scene in Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead.  While I didn’t agree with him 100%--rape is rape in my book—I will admit that there’s something to Branden’s reasoning in sexually repressed people who are intensely attracted to each other having rape fantasies.  After all, it’s the reason why 50 Shades of Grey is so wildly popular.

Judd Weiss shares memories of Nathaniel Branden

Many of the speakers who were mentored by Branden were aged, in their 50s and 60s. In this context, it was especially refreshing to hear from the cream of the crop of the second generation of Nathaniel Branden’s pupils: Judd Weiss.  Apparently other speakers ran over their allotted time, so Judd had to slash most of his remarks and deliver his speech in five minutes.  Judd's words were touching and he spoke from the heart, not so much about Nat’s work, but about the growing role Nat played in Judd’s life over the last 5 years.

Nat Branden spoke and wrote often these simple instructions: Feel deeply so you can think clearly.  I learned a lot and left the service feeling better about myself. I suppose the greatest feeling of all was being surrounded by people of strong character who aren't ashamed of their success, but also own up to their failures.  Men and women of this quality are few and far between, and no small part of their character and integrity was inspired by the words and deeds of Nathaniel Branden.

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Color photo by Judd Weiss.  Black and White photo by Avens O'Brien.