Hawaii Liberty Chronicles

Trailer for the new Acton Institute video, “The Birth of Freedom”.

This revolution will be one of decentralization and some form of operational secession. I don’t think states are actually going to break away from the union. I believe that the governors and mayors are not going to bother to get Federal grants, because the money is either not available or won’t buy anything. When we get to that stage, we will be prepared for a new period of liberty. That day is coming. The government has shot his wad, and the Federal Reserve, in shooting whatever wad it has left, is going to debase the currency.

~ Gary North, from “Digits and Revolution”

Kauai’s, “Ron Paul Hawaii Walker” and  “Ron Paul Rider” turned “Liberty Rider”, Michael Maresco on Fox’s Freedom Watch with Judge Andrew Napolitano.

Related:

http://www.hawaiilibertychronicles.com/?p=630

On February 8, 2009 Rubellite Kawena Kinney Johnson addressed Hawaiian Sovereignty and the implications of the Akaka Bill.

Ruby Johnson is a native Hawaiian scholar who established the Hawaiian Studies program at the University of Hawaii. She was named a “Living Treasure of Hawaii” for her work in translating early Hawaiian-language documents.

“Mom, there’s nothing good on TV!” “How come we never go out?” “Why can’t we ever find a good movie to go see?” If your family has been saying things like this, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has the answer with its new Family Brain Gain Seminars. Each month we show a liberty and free market-related video and then discuss it over refreshments.

Last month the videos of ABC News correspondent John Stossel were well received, as were special guests HPU Professor Ken Schoolland and his wife Li Zhao, who shared her incredible experience of living under Communist rule and during the Cultural Revolution in China. Mahalo nui loa to Ken and Li!

Please join us this month for The Singing Revolution, an award winning documentary film that tells the extraordinary story of the non-violent path Estonia took to free itself from Soviet occupation. A very moving film you won’t want to miss!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

6:45 — 8:45 PM (Please note the early start time!)

Trinity Presbyterian Church and School

875 Auloa Rd Kailua, Hawaii 96734

Dick Rowland, GRIH Founder and Youth Program Director, will be the moderator. You are welcome to invite friends and family. Please RSVP as soon as possible since space is limited. For reservations please email Lora Burbage at LLburbage@yahoo.com. If you have any questions you can also call Lora at 772-0787 or Dick at 864-1776. Donations to help defer expenses will be gratefully accepted.

Mahalo nui loa to Trinity Presbyterian Church and School for their support! For more information please visit: www.grassrootinstitute.org

By Ken Schoolland

The streets grew quieter as Jonathan trudged down yet another row of drab houses. He noticed a group of poorly dressed people gathered in front of three tall buildings labeled BLOCK A, BLOCK B, and BLOCK C. BLOCK A was vacant and in appalling condition—the masonry crumbling, the windows broken, and any remaining panes filthy with grime. Next door at BLOCK B, people huddled on the front steps. Jonathan heard loud voices coming from inside and the sounds of lively activity from all three floors. Laundry hung untidily from sticks that protruded from every available window and balcony. It literally burst at the seams with tenants.

Across the street, stood BLOCK C, immaculately maintained and, like BLOCK A, empty of people. Its scrubbed windows sparkled in the sunlight, stucco walls smooth and clean.

As he gazed at the three buildings, Jonathan felt a light tap on his shoulder. Turning, he faced a young girl with long sandy brown hair. Her light gray clothes fitted her poorly and she wasn’t especially pretty, but Jonathan thought she looked alert and kind.

“Do you know of any apartments for rent?” she asked in a soft, pleasant voice.

“I’m sorry,” said Jonathan. “I’m not from around here. But why don’t you check on those two vacant buildings?”

“It’s no use,” she responded softly.

“But,” said Jonathan, “they look empty to me.”

“They are. My family used to live over there in BLOCK A before rent control.”

“What’s rent control?” asked Jonathan.

“It’s a law to stop landlords from raising rents.”

“Why?” probed Jonathan.

“Oh, it’s a silly story,” she said. “Back when the Dream Machine came through our neighborhood, my dad and other tenants complained about landlords raising rents. Sure, costs were up and more people were renting, but my dad said that was no reason for us to pay more. So the tenants—or former tenants, I should say—demanded that the Council of Lords prohibit the raising of rents. The Council did just that and hired a slew of administrators, inspectors, judges, and guards to enforce the new rules.”

“Were the tenants pleased?”

“At first, sure. My dad felt secure about the cost of a roof over our heads. But then the landlords stopped building new apartments and stopped fixing the old ones.”

“What happened?”

“Costs kept going up—repairmen, security guards, managers, utilities, taxes, and the like—but the landlords couldn’t raise the rents to pay for it all. So they figured ‘Why build and fix just to lose money?’”

“Taxes went up, too?” asked Jonathan.

“Sure—to pay for enforcing rent control. Budgets and staff had to grow,” said the girl. “The Council passed rent control, but never tax control. Well, when repairs and upkeep stopped, everyone started to hate the landlords.”

“They weren’t always hated?”

“Nah, before rent control, we had lots of apartments to choose from. Landlords had to be nice to get us to move in and stay. Most landlords acted friendly and made things attractive. If there were any nasty landlords, word got around fast and people avoided them like the rats they were. Nice landlords attracted steady tenants while nasty ones suffered a plague of vacancies.”

“What changed?”

“After rent control everyone got nasty,” she said with a look of despair. “The worst prospered the most.” She sat down on the curb to scratch Mices behind the ears. Mices rolled over and began to purr. Jonathan watched her, feeling slightly envious of the cat. Here was someone who spoke sensibly and clearly about the way things operated.

Aware of Jonathan’s stare, she continued confidently, “Costs went up, but not the rents. Even the nicest landlords had to cut back on repairs. When buildings became uncomfortable or dangerous, tenants got mad and complained to the inspectors. The inspectors slapped fines on the landlords. Of course, some landlords bribed inspectors to look the other way. Finally, the owner of BLOCK A, a decent man, couldn’t afford the losses or bribes anymore so he just up and left.”

“Abandoned his own building?” sputtered Jonathan.

“Yeah. It happens a lot,” she sighed. “Imagine walking away from something that took a lifetime to build? Well, fewer and fewer apartments were available but the number of tenants kept growing. People had to squeeze into whatever was left. Even mean landlords, like the one who holds BLOCK B, never had a vacancy again. Rumor has it that he takes payoffs under the table just to move applicants higher up the wait list. Those with enough cash get by okay. And that nasty owner makes out like a bandit.”

“What about BLOCK B?” said Jonathan, wanting to be helpful. “Can you get in?”

“The waiting line is awful. When Dame Whitmore passed away you should have seen the brawl out front—everyone scratching and yelling at each other for position in line. Lady Tweed’s son finally got that apartment—even though nobody remembers seeing him in line that day. My family once tried to share an apartment in BLOCK B, but the building code prohibits sharing.”

“What’s a building code?” asked Jonathan.

The girl frowned. “It started as a set of rules for safety. But the Lords now use it to determine lifestyle. You know, things like the right number of sinks, stoves, and toilets; the right number and kind of people; the right amount of space.” With a tinge of sarcasm she added, “So we ended up in the street where nothing meets the code—no sinks, stoves, or toilets, no privacy, and far too much space.”

Jonathan grew depressed thinking about her plight. Then he remembered the third building—brand new and vacant. It was the obvious solution to her problems. “Why don’t you move into BLOCK C, right there across the street?”

She laughed bitterly. “That would be a violation of the zoning rules.”

“Zoning rules?” he repeated. Leaning back on the sidewalk where he sat, Jonathan shook his head, incredulous.

“Those are rules about location. Zoning works like this,” she said picking up a stick to sketch a little map in the dirt. “The Council draws lines on a map of the town. People are allowed to sleep on one side of the line at night, but they must work on the other side during the day. BLOCK B is on the sleep side of the line and BLOCK C is on the work side. Usually work buildings are located across town from sleep buildings so that everyone needs to travel a lot every morning and evening. They say the long distances are good for physical exercise and carriage sales.”

Jonathan stared in bewilderment. A packed apartment building standing between two empty buildings and a street full of indigents. Sympathetically he asked, “What are you going to do?”

“We take one day at a time. My dad wants me to go with him to the gala ‘Thumbs Up Party’ that Lady Tweed is putting on for the homeless tomorrow. She promises to lift our spirits with games and a free lunch.”

“How generous,” remarked Jonathan drily, recalling his conversation with Lady Tweed. “Maybe she’d let you live in her house until you find something of your own.”

“Dad actually had the nerve to ask her that once, especially since Tweed led the Council in putting through rent controls. Lady Tweed declared, ‘But that would be charity! Charity is demeaning!’ She explained to him that it is far more respectable to require taxpayers give us housing. She told him to be patient and that she’d make arrangements with the Council.”

Then young woman smiled at Jonathan and asked, “By the way, they call me Alisa. Do you want to join us at Tweed’s free lunch tomorrow afternoon?”

Jonathan blushed. Maybe he could learn to enjoy this island. “Sure, I’d love to come along. By the way, I’m Jonathan.”

Alisa jumped up, smiling, “Then, Jonathan, we meet here tomorrow—same time. Bring your cat.”

Chapter 1: “A Great Storm”

Chapter 2: “Troublemakers”

Chapter 3: “A Commons Fish Tale”

Chapter 4: “The Food Police”

Chapter 5: “Candles and Coats”

Chapter 6: “The Tall Tax”

Chapter 7: “Best Laid Plans”

Chapter 8: “Two Zoos”

Chapter 9: “Making Money”

Chapter 10: “The Dream Machine”

Chapter 11: “Power Sale”

Visit http://www.jonathangullible.com/

It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.

~ John Philpot Curran, “Speech On the Right of Election” (1790)

Indeed nations, in general, are not apt to think until they feel; and therefore nations in general have lost their liberty: For as violations of the rights of the governed, are commonly not only specious, but small at the beginning, they spread over the multitude in such a manner, as to touch individuals but slightly. Thus they are disregarded. The power or profit that arises from these violations centering in few persons, is to them considerable. For this reason the governors having in view their particular purposes, successively preserve an uniformity of conduct for attaining them. They regularly increase the first injuries, till at length the inattentive people are compelled to perceive the heaviness of their burthens — They begin to complain and inquire — but too late. They find their oppressors so strengthened by success, and themselves so entangled in examples of express authority on the part of their rulers, and of tacit recognition on their own part, that they are quite confounded : fro millions entertain no other idea of the legality of power, than it is founded on the exercise of power.

~ John Dickenson, in The Political Writings of John Dickinson, Esquire Vol. I (1801), Letter XI

Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version of heaven on earth. And let me remind you, they are the very ones who always create the most hellish tyrannies. Absolute power does corrupt, and those who seek it must be suspect and must be opposed. Their mistaken course stems from false notions of equality, ladies and gentlemen. Equality, rightly understood, as our founding fathers understood it, leads to liberty and to the emancipation of creative differences. Wrongly understood, as it has been so tragically in our time, it leads first to conformity and then to despotism.

~ Barry Goldwater, Acceptance Speech as Republican Presidential candidate (1964)

By Ken Schoolland

A husky, jolly woman bore down on Jonathan as he stood wondering where to go next. Without hesitation, she grabbed his right hand and began to pump it vigorously. “How do you do? Isn’t it a fine day?” she said at rapid-fire speed, still working his hand with her meaty arm. “I’m Lady Bess Tweed, your friendly neighborhood representative on the Council of Lords, and I would be most grateful to have your contribution and your vote for my re-election to office and there you have it, that is the pressing situation for our fine community.”

“Really?” said Jonathan. The speed and force of her speech knocked Jonathan back a step. He had never met a person who could say so many words in one breath.

“Oh yes,” continued Lady Tweed, barely listening to his reply, “and I am willing to pay you well, oh yes, I am willing to pay you, you can’t ask for a better deal, and how about that?”

“Pay me for a contribution and a vote?” asked Jonathan with a puzzled look.

“Of course, I can’t give you cash–that would be illegal, a bribe—say no more, say no more!” said Lady Tweed, winking slyly at him and poking him in the ribs with her elbow. She continued, “But I can give you something just as good as cash and worth many times the amount of your contribution to me. It’s as easy as priming a pump. A few bills in my palm right now and you can expect a gusher of goodies later. That’s what I’ll do and how about that?”

“That would be nice,” replied Jonathan, who could see she wasn’t listening to him anyway.

“What’s your occupation? I can arrange assistance–loans or licenses or subsidies or tax breaks. I can ruin your competitors with rules and regulations and inspections and fees. So you can see, there is no better investment in the world than a well-placed politician. Perhaps you’d like a new road or a park built in your neighborhood or maybe a large building or…”

“Wait!” shouted Jonathan, trying to stop the torrent of words. “How can you give me more than I give to you? Are you so very rich and generous?”

“Me rich? Saints and bullfrogs, no!” retorted Lady Tweed. “I’m not rich. Well, not that I will admit it. Generous? You could say so, but I don’t plan to pay with my own money. Of course, you see, I’m in charge of the official treasury. And, to be sure, I can be very generous with those funds, to the right people…” She grinned, winked twice and nudge him again in the ribs. “Say no more, say no more!”

Jonathan still did not understand what she meant. “But, if you buy my contribution and my vote, isn’t that sort of like, well, the same as bribery?”

Lady Tweed gave him a shrewd look. “I’ll be blunt with you, my dear friend.” She draped one arm over his shoulder and pulled him uncomfortably tight against her side. “It is bribery. But it’s legal when a politician uses money from other people rather than from his or her own pocket. Likewise, it is illegal for you to give me cash for specific favors, unless you call it a ‘campaign contribution.’ Then everything is okay. You can buy a hundred copies of my memoirs and not read a single one. Feel uncomfortable giving cash to me directly? Just ask a friend or a relative or an associate to offer permanent loans, stock options, or benefits to me or my kin–now or later.” She paused expectantly. “Now, do you understand?”

Jonathan shook his head; “I still don’t see the difference. I mean, bribing people for votes and favors is still bribery no matter who they are or whose money it is. The label makes no difference if the deed is the same.”

Lady Tweed smiled indulgently, “My dear, dear friend, you’ve got to be more flexible. The label is everything.” With her free hand, she gently grasped his chin and turned Jonathan’s head sideways “What’s your name? Did you know you’ve got a nice profile? You could go a long way if you ran for public office. If you’re flexible, I’m sure that I could find you a nice post in my bureau after re-election. Or is there something else you want?”

Jonathan shook his head free and managed to wriggle out from under her arm. “What do you get by giving away taxpayers’ money? Can you keep the money that’s given to you as contributions?”

“Oh, some of it is useful for my expenses and I have a fortune promised to me should I ever retire, but mostly it buys me recognition or credibility or popularity or love or admiration or a place in history. All this and more for me and my progeny!” Lady Tweed chuckled softly. “Votes are power and there is nothing I enjoy more than having influence over the life, liberty, and property of every person on this island. Can you imagine how many people come to me—me—for big and little favors? Every tax and regulation presents an opportunity for me to grant a special exception. Every problem, big or little, solved gives me more influence. I award free lunches and free rides to whomever I choose. Ever since I was a child I dreamed of such importance. You, too, can share the glory!”

Jonathan tried to free his hand. But Lady Tweed kept him firmly in her eel-like grip. “Sure,” said Jonathan, “you and your friends have a great deal, but don’t other people get upset when you use their money to buy votes, favors, and power?”

“Certainly,” she said, lifting up her plump, double-chinned jaw proudly. “And I hear their concerns. So I’ve become the champion of reform.” Finally releasing Jonathan’s hand, Lady Tweed thrust her large, bejeweled fist into the air. “For years I’ve drafted new rules to take the money out of politics. I always say that campaign money causes a crisis of major proportion. And I have won a fair share of votes with promises for reform.” She paused to smirk and continued, “Fortunately for me, I always know a way around my rules so long as there are valuable favors to sell.” She winked and nudged again, “Know what I mean, know what I mean?”

Lady Tweed eyed Jonathan critically, taking in his tattered appearance. “No one pays you a penny for favors because you, as yet, have no favors to sell. Don’t you see? But, with your innocent looks–and the right backing from me, you could go far. Hmm…a new set of clothes, elevated shoes, a stylish haircut, and the proper fiancée. Yes, I could definitely triple the beginner’s vote tally for you. Then, after ten or twenty years of careful guidance—well, there’s no limit to the possibilities! Look me up at the Palace of Lords and I’ll see what I can do.” Lady Tweed spotted a group of workers that had gathered across the street, looking forlornly at the shuttered factory. She abruptly lost interest in Jonathan and marched swiftly away, searching for fresh prey.

“Spending other people’s money sounds like trouble,” mumbled Jonathan.

Her ears keenly tuned to any sound of disagreement, Lady Tweed stopped and turned quickly, “Did you say ‘trouble’? Ha! It really is like taking candy from a baby. What the people don’t give to me out of duty, I borrow from them. You see, I’ll be long gone and fondly remembered when their yet-unborn-babies get the bill. What’s your name, boy?”

“Ah, Jonathan Gullible, ma’am.”

Lady Tweed’s face turned hard and cold. “I’ll remember you, Jonathan Gullible. If you’re not with me, you’re against me. I reward friends and punish enemies. You can’t stand in the middle, understand me? There you have it, that is the pressing situation for our fine community. Say no more!” In a blink, her face snapped back into a broad, beaming smile. Then she vanished down the street.

Chapter 1: “A Great Storm”

Chapter 2: “Troublemakers”

Chapter 3: “A Commons Fish Tale”

Chapter 4: “The Food Police”

Chapter 5: “Candles and Coats”

Chapter 6: “The Tall Tax”

Chapter 7: “Best Laid Plans”

Chapter 8: “Two Zoos”

Chapter 9: “Making Money”

Chapter 10: “The Dream Machine”

Visit http://www.jonathangullible.com/

Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the Government’s purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil minded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding.

~ Justice Louis Brandeis, in Olmstead v. United States (1928)

He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.

~ Thomas Paine

The saddest epitaph which can be carved in memory of a vanished liberty is that it was lost because its possessors failed to stretch forth a saving hand while yet there was time.

~ Justice George Sutherland,  in his dissenting opinion on Associated Press v. National Labor Relations Board, 301 US 141 (1938)

By Ken Schoolland

In the company of Mices, Jonathan pressed on. The buildings grew larger and more people filled the street. Sidewalks made walking easier, even for the ones on their knees. As he passed a large brick building, he heard the roar of machinery coming from above. The rapid clickety-clack sounded like a printing press.  “Maybe it’s the town newspaper,” said Jonathan to his new companion.

“Good! Then I can read all about this island.”

Hastily he rounded the corner looking for an entrance and nearly bumped into a smartly dressed couple walking arm-in-arm along the paved street. “Excuse me,” apologized Jonathan, “is this where they print the town newspaper?”

The lady smiled and the gentleman corrected Jonathan. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken, young man. This is the Official Bureau of Money Creation, not the newspaper.”

“Oh,” said Jonathan in disappointment. “I was hoping to find a printer of some importance.”

“Cheer up,” said the man. “There is no printer of greater importance than this bureau. Isn’t that right dear?” The man patted the woman’s gloved hand.

“Yes, that’s true,” said the woman with a giggle. “The Bureau brings lots of happiness with the money it prints.”

“That sounds wonderful!” said Jonathan excitedly. “Money would sure make me happy right now. If I could print some money then…”

“Oh, no!” said the man in disapproval. He shook a finger in Jonathan’s face. “That’s out of the question.”

“Of course,” said the woman in agreement. “Money printers who are not appointed by the Council of Lords are branded ‘counterfeiters’ and thrown behind bars. We don’t tolerate scoundrels.”

The man nodded vigorously. “When counterfeiters print their fake money and spend it, too much money circulates. Prices soar; wages, savings, and pensions become worth less. It’s pure thievery!”

Jonathan frowned. What had he missed? “I thought you said that printing lots of money makes people happy.”

“Oh, yes, that’s true,” replied the woman. “Provided…”

“…that it’s official money printing,” the man interjected before she could finish. The couple knew each other so well that they finished each other’s sentences. The man pulled a large leather wallet from his coat pocket and took out a piece of paper to show Jonathan. Pointing to an official seal of the Council of Lords, he noted, “See here. This says ‘legal tender,’ and that makes it official money.”

“The printing of official money is called ‘monetary policy,’” she proceeded, as though reciting from a memorized school text. “Monetary policy is all part of a master plan.”

Putting his wallet away, the man added, “If it’s official, then those who issue this ‘legal tender’ are not thieves.”

“Certainly not!” said she. “The Council of Lords spends this legal tender on our behalf.”

“Yes, and they are very generous,” he said with a wink. “They spend that official money on projects for their loyal subjects—especially those who help them get elected.”

“One more question, if you don’t mind,” continued Jonathan. “You said that when counterfeit money is everywhere, prices soar and wages, savings, and pensions are worth less. Doesn’t this also happen with that legal tender stuff?”

The couple looked at each other gleefully. The gentlemen said, “Well, prices do rise, but we’re always happy when the Lords have more money to spend on us. There are so many needs of the employed, the unemployed, the exceptional, the unexceptional, the young, the unyoung, the poor, and the unpoor.”

The woman added, “The Lords research the roots of our pricing problems scrupulously. They’ve identified bad luck and poor weather as the chief causes. The whims of nature cause rising prices and a declining standard of living—especially in our woodlands and farmlands.”

“Indeed!” exclaimed her escort. “Our island is besieged by cataclysms that ruin our economy with high prices. Surely the high prices of lumber and food will mean our downfall one day.”

“And low prices,” she cried. “Outsiders, with their dog-eat-dog competition, are always trying to sell us candles and coats at ruinously low prices. Our wise Council of Lords deals severely with those monsters as well.” Turning to her companion she tugged impatiently at his sleeve.

“Quite right,” he told her. “I hope you will excuse us, young man. We have an engagement with our investment banker. Must catch the boom in land and precious metals. Come dear.” The gentleman tipped his hat, the lady bowed politely, and both wished Jonathan a cheerful farewell.

Chapter 1: “A Great Storm”

Chapter 2: “Troublemakers”

Chapter 3: “A Commons Fish Tale”

Chapter 4: “The Food Police”

Chapter 5: “Candles and Coats”

Chapter 6: “The Tall Tax”

Chapter 7: “Best Laid Plans”

Chapter 8: “Two Zoos”

Visit http://www.jonathangullible.com/

It would indeed be ironic if, in the name of national defense, we would sanction the subversion of one of those liberties which make the defense of our nation worthwhile.

~ Chief Justice Earl Warren, in United States v. Robel (1967)

No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.

~ Gideon J. Tucker, Final Accounting in the Estate of A. B. (1866)

Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it; no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it… What is this liberty that must lie in the hearts of men and women? It is not the ruthless, the unbridled will; it is not the freedom to do as one likes. That is the denial of liberty and leads straight to its overthrow. A society in which men recognize no check on their freedom soon becomes a society where freedom is the possession of only a savage few — as we have learned to our sorrow.

What then is the spirit of liberty? I cannot define it; I can only tell you my own faith. The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias; the spirit of liberty remembers that not even a sparrow falls to earth unheeded; the spirit of liberty is the spirit of Him who, near two thousand years ago, taught mankind that lesson it has never learned, but has never quite forgotten; that there may be a kingdom where the least shall be heard and considered side by side with the greatest.

~ Judge Billings Learned Hand, “The Spirit of Liberty” - speech at “I Am an American Day” ceremony, Central Park, New York City (21 May 1944)

But rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.

~ Thomas Jefferson

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

~ Ronald Reagan, address to the annual meeting of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce (30 March 1961)

The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle. If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.

~ Frederick Douglass, address on West India Emancipation (4 August 1857)

Liberty and good government do not exclude each other; and there are excellent reasons why they should go together. Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end.

~ Lord Acton, The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)

By Ron Paul

The Founders’ inspired vision of limited government has been kept alive by the hard work and generosity of Americans who truly cherish individual Liberty… average people like you and me.

In the toughest times… times like we are facing right now in the life of our nation… freedom fighters have always stepped forward for America—armed with whatever it takes and at whatever sacrifice—to answer the call to defend our liberty. That’s how America was born and how we, as a free and sovereign nation, have survived.

A major economic crisis is unfolding in our nation. New government programs are started daily, and future plans are being made for even more costly government expansion. All are based on the belief that we’re in this mess because free-market capitalism and sound money failed. The obsession is with more spending, bailouts of bad investments, more debt, and further dollar debasement. Many are saying we need an international answer to our problems with the establishment of a world central bank and a single fiat reserve currency.

These suggestions are merely more of the same policies that created our mess and are doomed to fail.

It is unimaginable that Congress could be so derelict in its duty. It does nothing but condone the arrogance of the Fed in its refusal to tell us where the $2 trillion has gone. Every Member of Congress and every American should be outraged that conditions could deteriorate to this degree. It’s no wonder that a large and growing number of Americans are now demanding an end to the Fed.

The Federal Reserve created our problem, yet it manages to gain even more power in the socialization of the entire financial system. The whole bailout process this past year was characterized by no oversight, no limits, no concerns, no understanding, and no common sense.

I hear daily from Americans like you who are up in arms about what is going on in our nation. Messages come into my congressional office morning, noon and night. Taxpayers are outraged by the huge bailouts, the massive expansion of government and the refusal by Congress and the leaders of both parties to follow the Constitution.

Many Americans are frustrated—or even outright angry—about failed government policies that just tighten the government’s noose around our necks.

The results of the recent election and the socialist policies that we are seeing proposed are indeed reminiscent of FDR and the New Deal and are equally dangerous. Free market economists and historians have correctly pointed out that Roosevelt’s horrendous economic policies only served to prolong and extend the severity of the Great Depression by many years. When the market is not allowed to work, government-created economic downturns are only made that much worse.

Since the financial crisi s has become more and more apparent and the attempts by the Fed, and Treasury and Congress to solve the problem have become more desperate, my phone has been ringing off the wall with calls from media outlets wanting to interview me and get my opinions about what is going on and how we need to deal with it.

During the presidential election, do you remember how the media scoffed at my suggestions that we were facing economic disaster? They laughed at my calls for limited government, for abolishing the Fed and the IRS, for cutting federal spending at home and abroad to balance our budget, and my call for a sound monetary system.

Today, with the crisis at hand, they are not laughing any more.

But, if we love our nation, it is not sufficient for us to sit back and say “we told you so.”

The task before us is huge. Our challenge is both political and philosophical, but either way the solution must begin by properly educating Americans as to why our current out-of-control, misguided political and financial systems have failed, and what must be done to turn things around.

My Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE) has been waging such an educational effort for several decades. We have had a great deal of success publishing newsletters and books and producing radio and TV programs teaching people about the Constitution and free markets and sound money.

FREE has done much to educate patriots like you and to win the battle for the hearts and minds of Americans young and old. Today, however, given the severity of the crisis we face, we must do even more in our battle to spread the truth It is imperative that we redouble and expand the work and scope of FREE’s educational effort. Right now, while people are still looking for answers and even the media is trying to figure out what in the world is going on, we must step in to fill the void that exists and to provide answers and solutions for the problems that face us.

You have been a faithful supporter of the cause of liberty. You understand the serious nature of the threats that confront us and the dangers posed to our freedom and our very way of life.

It is up to us step up and lead the pro-freedom movement, not just in Congress, but in every community and at every level of government and every institution of learning.

Our ability to lead this movement comes from your tax-deductible contribution to FREE. $50 or $100, or even $250 or more if you can afford it, is urgently needed to help fund the effort to turn our government and our nation around… before it is too late.

Leadership is sorely lacking in Washington. It is time for true leaders like us to step forward and offer the vision needed to point Congress and our nation in the right direction… and to halt the assault on our nation’s sovereignty.

This is a dangerous time. But it is also an historic opportunity. Please help today with your most generous, tax-deductible gift for freedom. We must act swiftly to fill the leadership void in Washington. The time is NOW and the need is urgent!!!

Please log on to www.FREE-NEFL.com and contribute to the incredibly important work of FREE. No gift is too small… and every donation will help me continue to lead the battle for Liberty.

I’m counting on you.

P.S. If you can help with $50 or more, I will send you my “Freedom Report” newsletter for a full year as my “thank you” for your generous help. And for a gift of $100 or more I would like to send you a copy of my book on foreign policy…  A Foreign Policy of Freedom.

P.P.S. If you can help FREE with a magnificent gift of $500 or more, I’ll send you a personally autographed copy of my best-selling book, The Revolution: A Manifesto.

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty, than those attending too small a degree of it.

~ Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Archibald Stuart (23 December 1791)

The laws and the entire scheme of our civil rule, from the town meeting to the State capitals and the national capital, is yours. Your every voter, as surely as your Chief Magistrate, under the same high sanction, though in a different sphere, exercises a public trust. Nor is this all. Every citizen owes to the country a vigilant watch and close scrutiny of its public servants and a fair and reasonable estimate of their fidelity and usefulness. Thus is the people’s will impressed upon the whole framework of our civil polity — municipal, State, and Federal; and this is the price of our liberty and the inspiration of our faith in the Republic.

~ President Grover Cleveland, First Inaugural Address (4 March 1885)

By Ken Schoolland

Forward

In accordance with Mr. Gullible’s last wishes, I take up the task of recounting a story that he related to me over the years of our acquaintance. Strange as this story may sound to the reader, I have made every effort to remain true to his account, despite some minor literary license.

A Great Storm

In a sunny seaside town, long before it filled up with movie stars driving convertibles, there lived a young man named Jonathan Gullible. He was unremarkable to anyone except his parents, who thought him clever, sincere, and remarkably athletic—from the top of his tousled sandy-brown head to the bottoms of his oversized feet. They worked hard in a small chandler’s shop on the main street of a town that was home to a busy fishing fleet. It had a fair number of hard-working folk, some good, some bad, and mostly just plain average.

When he wasn’t doing chores or errands for his family’s store, Jonathan would steer his rough sailboat out the narrow channel of a small boat harbor in search of adventure. Like many youths spending their early years in the same place, Jonathan found life a little dull and thought the people around him unimaginative. He longed to see a strange ship or sea serpent on his brief voyages beyond the channel. Maybe he would run into a pirate ship and be forced to sail the seven seas as part of the crew. Or, perhaps, a whaler on the prowl for oily prey would let him on board for the hunt. Most sailings, however, ended when his stomach pinched with hunger or his throat parched with thirst and the thought of supper was the only thing on his mind.

On one of those fine spring days, when the air was as crisp as a sun-dried sheet, the sea looked so good that Jonathan thought nothing of packing his lunch and fishing gear into his little boat for a cruise. As he tacked beyond the rocky point of the lighthouse, he felt as free-spirited as the great condor that he watched soaring above the coastal mountains. With his back to the breeze, Jonathan didn’t notice the dark storm clouds gathering on the horizon.

Jonathan had only recently begun to sail beyond the mouth of the harbor, but he was getting more confident. When the wind began to pick up strength, he didn’t worry until it was too late. Soon he was struggling frantically at the rigging as the storm broke over him with violent force. His boat tossed dizzily among the waves like a cork in a tub. Every effort he made to control his vessel failed, useless against the tremendous winds. At last, he dropped to the bottom of the boat, clutching the sides and hoping that he would not capsize. Night and day blended together in a terrifying swirl.

When the storm finally died, his boat was a shambles, its mast broken, sails torn, and it leaned in a definite list to starboard. The sea calmed but a thick fog lingered, shrouding his craft and cutting off any view. After drifting for days his water ran out and he could only moisten his lips on the condensation that dripped off the shreds of canvas. Then the fog lifted and Jonathan spotted the faint outline of an island. As he drifted closer, he made out unfamiliar headlands jutting from sandy beaches and steep hillsides covered by lush vegetation.

The waves carried him on to a shallow reef. Abandoning his craft, Jonathan swam eagerly to shore. He quickly found and devoured the pink guavas, ripe bananas and other delicious fruit that flourished beyond the narrow sandy beach in the humid jungle climate. As soon as he regained some strength, Jonathan felt desolate but relieved to be alive. He actually grew excited at his unintended plunge into adventure. He immediately set off along the white sand beach to discover more about this strange new land.

Visit http://www.jonathangullible.com/

Fascism will come at the hands of perfectly authentic Americans, as violently against Hitler and Mussolini as the next one, but who are convinced that the present economic system is washed up and that the present political system in America has outlived its usefulness and who wish to commit this country to the rule of the bureaucratic state; interfering in the affairs of the states and cities; taking part in the management of industry and finance and agriculture; assuming the role of great national banker and investor, borrowing millions every year and spending them on all sorts of projects through which such a government can paralyze opposition and command public support; marshaling great armies and navies at crushing costs to support the industry of war and preparation for war which will become our greatest industry; and adding to all this the most romantic adventures in global planning, regeneration, and domination all to be done under the authority of a powerfully centralized government in which the executive will hold in effect all the powers with Congress reduced to the role of a debating society. There is your fascist. And the sooner America realizes this dreadful fact the sooner it will arm itself to make an end of American fascism masquerading under the guise of the champion of democracy.

~ John T. Flynn, As We Go Marching

Hawaii Liberty Chronicles on Saturday, December 6, will begin releasing in chronology, portions of The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible by Ken Schoolland every Saturday.

This highly acclaimed, award winning work began as a radio series on KHVH in Hawaii and was later broadcast as a dramatic production in Alaska. This book has since been translated into more than twenty languages.

Schoolland is presently an associate professor of economics and political science at Hawaii Pacific University. Prior to that, he was the Director of the Master of Science in Japanese Business Studies program at Chaminade University of Honolulu and head of the Business and Economics Program at Hawaii Loa College.

Following his graduate studies at Georgetown University, he served as an international economist in the U.S. International Trade Com¬mission, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and on assignment to the White House, Office of the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations.

Schoolland left government for the field of education, teaching business and economics at Sheldon Jackson College in Alaska. He also taught at Hakodate University in Japan and wrote a book, Shogun’s Ghost: The Dark Side of Japanese Education, which has been published in English and in Japanese.

Schoolland is a member of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Individual Liberty.

The true antidote to racism is liberty. Liberty means having a limited, constitutional government devoted to the protection of individual rights rather than group claims. Liberty means free-market capitalism, which rewards individual achievement and competence, not skin color, gender, or ethnicity.

~ Ron Paul

‘Emergencies’ have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.

~ F.A. Hayek