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02/10/12
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October
06, 2003 Although I was pleased to promote this and prior Freedom Summits, I didn't really have plans to attend until I saw the list of scheduled speakers. The program read like a "who's who" of some of the people I view as today's greatest freedom fighters. Among them was a personal hero of mine, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) who is the unwavering - and often lone - defender of liberty in Washington. Another featured speaker was Boston T. Party, an author whose books I've enjoyed for years. It was those two names that convinced me to make tracks for Arizona in October. The Freedom Summit was founded by Arizona radio personality Ernest Hancock and his wife, Donna, along with defense attorney Marc Victor and his wife, Amy. Mr. Hancock's is not a particularly quiet voice in the freedom movement. His radio program is heard throughout the state of Arizona (and is simulcast on his website, Declare Your Independence ) where he frequently employs his favorite slogan: "Freedom good; government bad, bad, bad, bad, bad!" Mr. Victor is perhaps less in the daily public eye, but is no less vehement in his quest for liberty. It is his belief - supported by evidence from his years in the courtroom - that the American judicial system is nearing collapse, and that the only thing that can begin to fix it is calling an end to the "war on drugs." He continues to work as a defense attorney through his law firm, Victor & Hall. As it happens, I did have the opportunity to meet Rep. Paul and to shake his hand. Although he represents a district in Texas, his actions are in defense of the liberty of all Americans no matter where they live. Paul supports only legislation authorized by the Constitution, and he actively opposes those bills that are not. Most recently, Rep. Paul authored the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Act of 2003 which would prohibit the expenditure of US taxpayer dollars on any UN program that would infringe the Second Amendment. Paul is the Chairman of The Liberty Committee, an active and influential force in the freedom movement, and he continues to gradually gain support from more of his colleagues in Congress. For those of you who support liberty yourselves, bookmark the website. It offers good reference material as well as suggestions for pro-freedom activism, and isn't a bad place to refer your own Congressional Representatives, either. I was also delighted to talk with Boston T. Party, who was at the Freedom Summit in part to promote his upcoming novel, "Molon LabÈ!" Boston (a pseudonym for a privacy advocate and expert who truly "walks the walk") has written a number of nonfiction books that range from the educational to the essential reference (all of his books are available through the Javelin Press website). He is also a determined activist for freedom, and to that end has announced that he'll be working to establish a zone of liberty in the state of Wyoming. Similar to the Free State Project (which will be focusing on the state of New Hampshire) in its nature and goals, the so-called Free State Project West has some differences in implementation. Although there's not yet a website for the new project, initial contact can be made via e-mail. There were many others at the Freedom Summit who, though I didn't know by name, I certainly knew by reputation. Perhaps the best example is that of Bill Scannell. Mr. Scannell is the driving force behind Boycott Delta and Don't Spy On Us, both set up in response to the needlessly invasive and overtly unconstitutional CAPPS II program (Computer Assisted Passenger Profiling System). Thanks to his efforts, Delta Airlines pulled out of an early CAPPS II testing program. When JetBlue Airlines got involved, Scannell did, too, and you can see the results of his involvement in the latest headlines declaring JetBlue to be under Senate investigation. Unfortunately, CAPPS II still lives, and ongoing activism is essential. A fight against the truly horrifying MATRIX program is also on Scannell's near-term agenda. (As an aside, it should be noted that, in the previous campaigns, Scannell paid for everything out of his own pocket. Now he's asking for small donations to maintain his singularly successful work, something I personally consider well worth every nickel. For those of you who are able to help, there's a web page set up that offers several ways for you to do so.) Others who spoke and offered valuable insight and advice were attorney Donald "Mac" MacPherson, a nationally known tax-law lawyer who has successful taken on the IRS with liberty-oriented defenses; attorney Richard Morris who focuses on asset protection and who talked about "Asset Protection in the Real World;" and former Libertarian presidential candidate Harry Browne with a speech entitled "The Prospects for Liberty in America." Vernice Kuglin, a small and quiet woman, was there to receive the first Lady Liberty Award (something with which I had nothing to do) for her long and difficult fight against the IRS. She eventually won the fight, but spent significant time facing the threat of long-term imprisonment and lost much by refusing to give up. I shook her hand and told her she had more courage than I will ever have; she responded that she had more courage than she thought she would ever have, either. Well known Libertarian columnist and speaker Vin Suprynowicz closed the Summit with a surprising speech: "Why the Freedom Movement Has Failed." Although I was somewhat disconcerted to see the title of his talk, I was also intrigued to learn why the man actually known as "the Libertarian" would say such a thing. As it turns out, Mr. Suprynowicz doesn't believe for a minute that we should stop fighting for liberty or that the libertarian movement should simply disband in defeat. Instead, he pointed to various techniques used in the past and showed how each had failed to reach its stated goals. He suggested that those of us who truly wanted liberty need to find new ways to achieve our ends because the old ways had been tried time and again without success. Far from being defeatist, his talk was in some ways liberating and in others inspirational. Meanwhile, he continues to contribute toward freedom himself with his editorials and other writings. Some of you doubtless are wondering why I'm telling you about my recent vacation. I suppose some small part of sharing my personal experiences at the Freedom Summit involves the utter helplessness of those who've just been somewhere to show their travel photos to everyone who will look. But there's a much more important reason than that for telling you about my weekend in Phoenix, and that is simply this: we are not alone, nor are we ineffective. There are times when being an activist for liberty seems a singularly lonely pursuit, and the level of frustration when we think we're not really making a difference can be painfully high. But those of us who went to Arizona in mid-October milled about in a large room full of people with much the same cause, proving that we may fight individual battles but there's a contingent of others who are with us in spirit if not in fact. And when one man proves he can make a significant impact - like Bill Scannell against Delta Airlines - it's easier to see that it's possible to not only contribute toward freedom but to actually be an integral part of a success large or small. When one woman - Vernice Kuglin - stands up for liberty despite great personal risk, we learn that even the scariest of circumstances can be turned into victories if we just refuse to retreat when we know we are right. Having returned home, I'm exhausted, but no longer tired. I still have my frustrations, but they've been overcome by inspiration. So if inviting you to take a look at my pictures or hear about my vacation can impart even some small portion of the optimism I received, well, then, I'm doing my small part for liberty today. And I've been shown conclusively such things can - and do - make a difference. Pass it on.
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An Interview with Matthew Bracken |
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