################################################################### FREEDOM NETWORK NEWS -- December 1993 Editor: Vincent H. Miller Asst Eds: James R. Elwood, Tim Starr ################################################################### IN THIS ISSUE ============= ** THE TRIUMPH OF THE LAMBS (Shakeup in Canadian Elections) ** EDITORIAL -- A Libertarian Vision ** NEW ISIL REP FOR CANADA/MARTIMES ** BULLETIN BOARD ** LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ** AYN RANDS "WE THE LIVING" NOW IN RUSSIAN ** DEMOCRACY PROJECT ** INTERNATIONAL REPORT ** INSIDE STORY ON SOMALIA (By ISIL Somali Correspondent) ** FIRST DETAILS OF ISIL WORLD CONFERENCE IN MEXICO ** CLASSIFIED ADS ###################################################################### ################### THE TRIUMPH OF THE LAMBS ######################## ###################################################################### A REPORT ON THE CANADIAN NATIONAL ELECTIONS =========================================== By David Anderson, Calgary, Alberta, Canada First the bad news: The Liberal Party of Canada, the one that put Canada firmly on the road to welfare socialism in the first place, has been re-elected with an overwhelming majority of seats in the House of Commons. In spite of this there is some room for optimism. The good news is that the days of welfare socialism in Canada may just be coming to a close. How soon this may happen is hard to say, but like the smell of thawing earth on a day in late winter, disenchantment is in the wind. My reasons for believing this are as follows: A CONSERVATIVE BLOODBATH The Conservative Party of Canada is practically dead, having been reduced from a governing majority to just two (2!) seats out of 295. The whole explanation for this is complex, to say the least, but high on the list of reasons is the fact that Brian Mulroney (until last summer, leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister) wanted to be a Ronald Reagan, and was originally elected to BE Canada's Reagan . . . but he succeeded only in being Canada's George Bush. Mulroney had nine years with a solid majority in the Commons, but failed to do anything about high taxes (in fact he raised them repeatedly). In welfare reform he wimped-out totally and created an enormous deficit (far higher per capita than America's) etc, etc. Yes, he did moderately well at privatization and got into NAFTA ... ho hum. For all you American readers, I should mention that Canadian big "C" Conservatives are nothing like American conservatives. They are in fact roughly on the same wavelength as President Clinton. Did you see the article in The Economist that called Clinton a closet Canadian? Not too far off the mark, I’m sorry to say. Anyway, this brand of "Conservatism" is currently a dead letter and may even stay that way . . . with luck. EXIT THE NDP -- STAGE LEFT The New Democratic Party of Canada, our very own menagerie of parlor-pink judas goats and labor union fat-cats, is mortally wounded and may be headed for extinction. The federal NDP lost 3/4 of its 40-odd seats, and got to only 9% in the national polls during the entire election campaign. Add to this the fact that the two sitting provincial NDP governments are in a fearful fix with enormous deficits, high taxes, and a highly discontented citizenry. They are also having to endure defections of labor union members -- and of course there was the total wipe-out of NDP seats in the Alberta legislature. It is safe to say that the official party of democratic socialism is on its way out in Canada. The few remaining NDP federal MPs were re-elected mainly on the strength of their personal popularity -- not due to any socialist convictions on the part of the electorate. Unfortunately, watered down socialist ideas are still very much in vogue . . . for now. ENTER THE REFORM PARTY The Reform Party of Canada scored a major success in this election, going from one seat to fifty-two, and coming in second in over 30 more federal ridings! Given that Reformers tend to be genuine conservatives (in the American sense again) and are willing to offer a degree of principled opposition to welfare statism, this is the best political news in Canada for a long time. However, it should be noted that the Reform Party is NOT campaigning strictly against welfarism. They declare instead that the core welfare programs should be maintained, or given over to complete provincial control. This, of course, is hardly the position that libertarians would care to hear, but it does suggest that some rational thinking on the problem is going on. Privately, I have discovered that many Reformers (as well as many ordinary citizens) are well aware that welfarism is a huge and costly boondoggle -- but they realize that direct opposition to welfarism in principle would be a strategic mistake. (Please note that this is the opinion of a few RPC members, and may not reflect the views or policies of any RPC official or elected member of parliament). Reformers, sad to say, are not libertarians, but they do appear to be decent and reasonable people, which I think bodes well for the future. As a libertarian myself, I felt no particular hesitation in helping my local candidate with her campaign, nor did I detect any of the mean-spiritedness that sometimes infects "conservative" organizations. For the time being, I think that activity in the Reform Party here has the potential to do more for the cause of liberty than supporting the vestigial Libertarian Party of Canada. I'd rather support someone I agree with 50%, than butt heads with the 99.5% of the population who have no time for Libertarian activists. SEPARATISTS SWEEP QUEBEC The Bloc Quebecois, the "sovereignist" party that advocates a high (though not total) degree of independence from the rest of Canada, won 54 seats in Parliament -- which involves extra money and staff and other perks. The irony of this situation is lost on very few people: the party that wants to split Quebec from Canada (traitors in the view of many) have become an integral part of it. There is some discussion that the BQ may refuse the opposition role, or that the house as a whole (or the Parliamentary speaker, or the Governor General or SOMEBODY) may rule that the opposition role would be better served in the hands of the Reform Party. There is no hard and fast rule saying that the Party with the second largest number of seats MUST form the opposition -- but what does happen remains to be seen. It is conceivable that the BQ, being the classical "disinterested onlooker" may actually do well in opposition -- who the heck knows? It is possible that the current governing Liberals may have seen the error of their ways, and may try to remedy some of the grievous harm that's been done both by previous Liberal governments and by the subsequent futzing around by the last decade of Conservative governments -- but don't bet the rent. Very recently, Prime Minister Jean Chretien announced his Cabinet appointments, and the four top economic posts have been given to the most respectable pro-business Liberal MPs that can be found. This, of course, is no particular sign of economic enlightenment but it does indicate that the new government is NOT about to immediately debauch the currency or nationalize everything in sight. As well, Mr. Chretien is widely known as a pragmatist, and there are quite a few very real economic constraints on government activity in Canada right now. Our national debt is in the $500 to 750 billion (C$) range (the upper figure if you include provincial debts) and the federal deficit is likely to top $40 billion this year. The C$ is wobbling around the $.77US mark, which is good for exports, but tough when the majority of imports come from the States. (Makes those US vacations expensive too . . .). Taxation is about as high as it can reasonably go (tax "cheating", smuggling and black marketeering is endemic). All of which suggests to me that our new government may have to do a few things right . . . especially when every day they will be faced in Parliament by pro-market Reform Party MPs who have nothing to lose by preaching economic common sense. In any case, Mr. Chretien now has five full years to do what ever he wants, and given the left-leaning stance of many others in Liberal ranks (about on a par with Hilary's pals) . . . well, heaven only knows. The Globe and Mail, Canada’s self-proclaimed national newspaper, said in an editorial that the election campaign now past demonstrated that "Voters are not sheep, and those who are, vote Liberal," Would that this was the case. I just hope that our "shepherds" remember that you can shear sheep many times, but only skin them once. Anyway folks . . . that's a quick and cursory view of how things are standing here in the "True North, Strong and Free . . . NOT!!." I'll be back with items of interest from time to time and . . . and I invite questions. I believe that Canada can provide many useful (bad) examples for Americans (and others) if only they take time to seek them out. =========================================================================== Privatization is stealing and fraud if under 51% is sold to the public. It is thereby still government owned, controlled and managed. It means the public subsidizes the corporation. Harry D. Schultz =========================================================================== ########################################################################### #################### FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR ######################## ########################################################################### **** A BATTLE PLAN FOR LIBERTY **** A Libertarian Vision . . . by Vincent H. Miller =========================================================================== When critical mass is reached, there's no stopping any government until it consumes the economy, crushes freedom and individual rights -- and then self-destructs. Harry D. Schultz =========================================================================== Has the growth of the American superstate reached "critical mass"? Is there any hope to stop or even slow down the current onslaught of unbridled state power? . . . or has this cancer so corrupted the body politic that only total collapse can stop it? Certainly things do not look terribly encouraging right now. There are all too many ominous parallels between the events that sparked the American Revolution of 1776 and Clinton's America of 1994. The mindlessly brutal attacks on the Branch Davidians and Randy Weaver may well parallel the Boston Massacre in historical significance. The Brady Bill which just passed (and a truly ominous "Crime Bill" just on the political horizon) will in effect repeal the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution and lead to massive seizures of privately owned weapons. The latter might well parallel the British attempts to seize the powder stores at Lexington in April of 1775 -- an event that stampeded the colonists into armed rebellion. It could conceivably do likewise today. There are already unconfirmed reports that in some states there are rumblings of secession over these rather ham-handed attempts to disarm the citizenry. THE SWISS SOLUTION? When the Swiss adopted their consitution in 1848, they were inspired by the American Constitution and its Republican system which, among other things, incorporated much of that great body of English Common Law. However, even in 1848 the Swiss saw that in the American system of representative democracy the representatives of the people had already become corrupted by power and that their Congress was being ruled by vested-interest lobbys (that was in 1848 -- look at it now!). The Swiss opted instead for a decentralized state with a very small central government, in which most of the power was devolved to many small regions, or cantons. Their system is characterized by their reliance on numerous referenda and initiatives -- and includes the power to recall corrupt politicians and to veto legislation. For the most part the Swiss have been successful in avoiding the problems that have plagued centralized federal states around the world. Even though the Swiss have a great potential for conflict, with many religious and ethnic divisions within their borders, their policy of regional autonomy has assured a high degree of social harmony -- not to mention stellar economic performance. They are still listed at the very top of the list of the most desirable places in the world to live -- while the U.S. has plunged from 1st to 93rd. A BATTLE PLAN In 1994 ISIL will be promoting a major restructuring in the division of powers in the current political structure -- both in America and in other countries with similar problems. Special pamphlets, a special white paper, and audio cassettes on the devolution of federal power back to the states (as a first step), will be produced. We will be encourging you to spread the ideas -- particularly to your state-level Governors, Representatives and the media. At our world conference in Mexico October/94 we will bring together the world's leading experts on the subject. Invited are: Leon Louw and Frances Kendall from South Africa; John McClaughry, a former State Senator (R-Vermont) and author of The Vermont Papers; Scott Reid (author of Canada Remapped); ISIL Rep Alphonse Crespo of Switzerland. We have also invited Reform Party leader Preston Manning from Canada. Should be exciting. Stay tuned for more details. ######################################################################## ########## ANNOUNCING NEW ISIL REP FOR CANADIAN MARITIMES ############ ######################################################################## HOWARD MAC KINNON -- New ISIL Rep ================================= ISIL Rep David Morgan has moved in order to take a job in Saudi Arabia. David remains in close contact with ISIL as a correspondent but has turned over the reins of his job as Canadian Maritimes Rep. to Howard MacKinnon (formerly an ISIL student activist at Dalhousie University). A 32-year-old father of four children Howard now practices law in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. He is an admirer of Ayn Rand and ran as a candidate for the Canadian Libertarian Party in Halifax in 1988 and served on the Party's national Board of Directors until he joined the Reform Party in 1990. He ran as a Reform Party candidate in the recent federal elections and received 16% of the vote (the second-best Reform showing in Nova Scotia). Howard is interested in networking with other Reformers through ISIL and sees Canadian Reform as a model for the global movement towards individual liberty. He sees the movement as democratic, populist and gradualist. Howard is also a founding director of the fledgling Atlantic Free Market Institute based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is especially interested in hearing from others interested in promoting individual liberty within the Reform Party and welcomes contact by: Fax at + (902) 485-4100 or Phone + (902) 485-9292 (evenings) or Mail to Box 455, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada B2H 5E3. ######################################################################### ########################## BULLETIN BOARD ############################# ######################################################################### ISIL-NET BBS UPDATE Getting our BBS up and running has been far more complicated and certainly a lot more work than we could ever have imagined. However, in spite of a number of false starts, we are finally functioning at a reasonably acceptable level. We now have the entire ISIL literature series available for downloading, as well as the current Freedom Network News (and past issues). More recently we have added a number of electronic books (including Lysander Spooner's No Treason and research materials on constitutional matters. At present we are operating at 2400 baud but hope very soon to provide service at up to 14,400 baud (for those of you who have complained about slow transfer rates for data). If you have any suggestions as to how we might improve the system we are open to suggestions. We are gradually learning as we go. ISIL-Net (415) 864-0908 NEW! THE COMMITTEE FOR WACO JUSTICE ============================== The newly-formed Committee for Waco Justice is committed to ensuring that the public knows the truth about the Bureau of Tobacco, Firearms, and Alcohol's (BATF) initial raid upon, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) seige and destruction of, the Branch Davidian religious group in Waco, Texas. They believe the Treasury and Justice Department's reports have failed to expose the gross incompetence and criminal negligence of government agents. In a few weeks they will issue a complete and documented report regarding the serious questions raised by both hard and suggestive evidence, such as: ** In regards to the February 28 raid: -- evidence Branch Davidians attempted to cooperate with BATF and local police before the raid; evidence BATF was fed questionable information by professional "cult busters" committed to destroying the religious group; evidence of false and misleading information in the affidavit for warrant to excuse a full, paramilitary raid; evidence that frightened BATF agents shot first; evidence of excessive force during the raid, including shooting from helicopters; evidence that "friendly fire" wounded and even killed BATF agents. ** In regards to the April 19 assault and fire -- evidence of gross negligence in gassing and ramming a "fire trap" like the Mt. Carmel Center; evidence agents went beyond their authority in destructively ramming the building; evidence that agents feared an "intact" Mt. Carmel would expose BATF wrongdoing during the April 28 raid and lead to acquittals of Branch Davidians; evidence that FBI agents were responsible for the fire either from accidental causes or from driving the Branch Davidians to suicide. Finally, both the Treasury and Justice Department reports themselves contain evidence of coverup and whitewash. As long as certain evidence is not addressed, it will be used to support a variety of "conspiracy theories" about the growing "police state" mentality of the US government. Congress must pressure the Treasury and Justice departments to prosecute agents responsible for both the February 28 and April 19 assaults on the Branch Davidians. It must also ensure these agencies overhaul thier investigatory and enforcement procedures. Americans should never again be raided, assaulted and massacred as were members of the Branch Davidian religious group. The Committee for Waco Justice also supports fair trials, with full disclosure of relevant information, for the Branch Davidians now under indictment. We believe the trials will bring out further evidence of misconduct by government agents. They may even result in acquittals for some of the defendants. We also support survivors and family members filing complaints against the US government for civil rights violations and filing lawsuits for wrongful death. Government agencies and agents must be held fully accountable for their misdeeds. Please feel free to contact us for more information or to assist us in the work of this committee. Contact Carol Moore at (202) 986-1847 -- or Alan Forschler at (202) 797-9877. JONATHAN GULLIBLE BOOK TO BE PUBLISHED WIDELY ============================================= ISIL member Tomislav Krsmanovic (Belgrade) reports that he has found a publisher willing to publish Ken Schoolland's children's book on free market economics in Yugoslavia. Ken also reports that the English version is undergoing considerable revision for a second edition. Published by Small Business Hawaii it has already won two gold awards for excellence. This summer it was published in Norwegian by Linda Tjelta and the Progress Party Youth. We are also informed that the Tatar version (Russia) is translated and now ready for publication. FORT COLLINS, COLORADO CONVENTIONS FOR 1994 =========================================== April 29 - May 1 Colorado State Libertarian Party May 14 - 15 Nanotechnology May 20 - 29 Relationships. Limited to 50 single men and 50 single women. Cost $450 June 3 - 12 Forming a New Computer Services Company. Cost = $100 September 19 - 20 Pure Pleasure. Libertarianism, Nanotechnology, Life Extension, Cryonics, Space, Science Fiction, Virtual Reality, Wealth and the Future. For further information send a SASE and convention request to: ============================================================== Conventions 94 1317 Lakewood Drive, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521. ######################################################################## ####################### LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ######################## ######################################################################## CIVIC INSTITUTE/PRAGUE Dear friends . . . Let us express our many thanks for sending us the materials of your Society free of charge. You cannot imagine how useful this kind of help is for us. These materials are maybe the only ones in our country which are available in our reading room for anyone who wants to read them. Jaromir Zegklitz, Chairman Civic Institute Yysehradska 49 128 00 Praha 2, Czech Republic KUDOS FOR TALLINN ORGANIZERS We arrived in Tallinn individually, and we departed from Tallinn individually. And we sat in the E.M.I. auditorium (humming ceiling fixtures and all) individually, in keeping with I.S.I.L.'s principles. But really, nostalgia resembles verb conjugations: it makes the past perfect and the present tense (high expectations and hopes). With the anxieties and uncertainties of travel finished, retrospect shows that we did enjoy one another's company in a fallen world filled with imperfect knowledge: each learned a little something from everyone else. True libertarians have teachable but discerning spirits and have no omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent aspirations, inclinations or delusions about "playing God." And in subtle ways, we looked out for one another's welfare and better interests without dictating, imposing, intervening, meddling, interfering without their consent, because of those fallen-world limitations of the flesh and mind. So, at this point would be a good place for extending my thanks to: Finnish expatriots-Swedes Wessman and Ostland Estonian co-hosts Joeruut and Kaljundi Russian co-hosts Milonoff and Costygin . . . for their hard work in coordinating and directing us "ferriners." Class! Arthur E. Prosser, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA ISIL LITERATURE A BOON I want to thank you for the ISIL pamphlets and information you sent us earlier this fall for our Activities Midway. The MIT Libertarian group was formed just last year, and the contacts we made with new students during this event allowed us to double our membership. For the two hours of the event our table was crowded with people waiting to take the Advocates for Self-government Political Quiz. In total, over 240 people took the quiz, and around 80 people fell into the libertarian sector. This is a fantastic way to find new members. We also handed out information material including the ISIL "Peace, Prosperity, and Freedom" pamphlet which you sent us. Our event was so successful that we were even mentioned in the LP News. Reading through the ISIL sample pamphlets, I found them to be very compelling and persuasive. The broad range of available topics is particularly valuable since people are often concerned about a specific issue, and it's nice to be able to hand them a pamphlet that discusses the exact issue they asked about. I expect that we will be ordering more of these for upcoming activities. Thank you once again for helping us get started. Jonathan D. Baker MIT Libertarians, Cambridge, Mass. LIBERTARIANS IN SERBIA It is clear that the main cause for the horrible fighting here in Yugoslavia is the politicians who could stop the terrible destruction and human suffering if they chose. There is also much confusion on the part of the public brought about by the ruling class who control the media and influence public opinion. They have used ethnic nationalist divisions to preserve the status quo and maintain their power. We urgently call for a cease-fire by all sides to help the victims and wounded and to try to start negotiations for a more permanent peace. At the same time in Serbia we must move toward free elections and make it possible for the opposition to have some say. The Swiss canton model as promoted by Leon & Frances?? Tomislav Krsmanovic Belgrade, Yugoslavia ######################################################################## ########### AYN RAND'S "WE THE LIVING" NOW IN RUSSIAN ################# ######################################################################## HISTORIC NEWS FROM RUSSIA! Ayn Rand's first novel, We The Living, a gripping story of life in Soviet Russia following the Russian Revolution, is just now being published in St. Petersburg, the city where Rand was born in 1905 and the one from which she fled to escape the horrors of communism in 1926. Publisher and ISIL member Dmitry Costygin with Y. Gvozdev write in the foreword: "This is her first novel. It is about Petrograd-Leningrad of the early 1920's. About the starvation of the vanquished and the semi-starvation of the victors . . . about the way people forgot their honor, dignity and integrity, committed large and small infamies, betrayals, treacheries. It is about the time when people stopped trusting each other." "The main idea of the book is individualism. The ability of a human being to remain an independently thinking creature, irrespective of the environment. Let all the people around him or her turn into a submissive obedient herd -- but they who have the will power and a clear objective will strive for happiness. Such people exist in the book." He then quotes Rand: "Ideologically, I had said exactly what I wanted, and I had had no difficulty expressing my ideas. I had wanted to write a novel about Man against the State. I had wanted to show, as the basic theme, the sanctity -- the supreme value -- of human life, and the immorality of treating men as sacrificial animals and ruling them by physical force. I did so." Of all ironies, all large publishing houses are still owned by the State in Russia and so as yet there are no private alternatives. This novel of the evils of Statism is being printed by a publishing division of the Russian military -- the Department of the Navy to be specific! Dmitry and friends, however, are struggling to build a publishing company of their own to produce books, magazines and films and are looking for donors or investors. They have launched many of their current projects with seed capital raised during a speaking tour of the U.S. that was sponsored by ISIL early this year and have expressed their gratitude to those far-sighted individuals. Glenn Cripe, back in the U.S. for a brief visit at ISIL's offices before heading back to Eastern Europe, showed us a trade tabloid that goes out to book stores throughout Russia with a full front-page ad displaying current and future publications by Dmitry's group. Shown were: a 2-volume set of The Fountainhead, a 3-volume set of Atlas Shrugged, Anthem and The Night of January 16th in another single volume, and last but not least Capitalism The Unkown Ideal. In the opening pages of the novel there is a page listing those individual whose aid and inspiration helped bring about this historic event. There were ISIL Directors Vincent H. Miller, James Elwood and Ken Schoolland and ISIL members Thomas Jacob, Glenn E. Cripe, Alan Yottey and R.W. Bradford, (editor of Liberty Magazine). A special vote of thanks is also offered the Board of Directors and the staff of the Ayn Rand Institute. Members interested in assisting Costygin may write: Dmitry Costygin, Drezdenskaya St, 4-33 194017 St Petersburg, Russia Fax: + 7-812 554-1066 ######################################################################## CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST U.S. GOVERNMENT REGARDING VIOLATIONS OF HELSINKI ACCORD by Bob Waldrop ######################################################################## In the 1970s, European countries, together with the U.S. and Canada, established the "Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe" (CSCE) to promote peace and human rights. The discussions led to the now-famous "Helsinki Accords" in 1975. In 1990, the foreign ministers of the then 35 CSCE states met in Copenhagen, Denmark and signed the "Document of the Copenhagen Meeting" which recognized human rights in the area of elections and political action. Among those guarantees are: (1) Free and genuine elections are the basis of democracy, (2) There must be a clear separation between the State and political parties, (3) Individuals have a right to run for political office, as members of parties or as independents, without discrimination, and . . . (4) All political parties must be provided with "the necessary legal guarantees to enable them to compete with each other on a basis of equal treatment before the law and by the authorities". The 21 year history of the Libertarian Party of the United States proves that national and state governments in this country are in gross violation of the Copenhagen Guarantees, as well as the U.S. Constitution which guarantees rights of freedom of speech, association, petition for redress of grievance, and equal treatment under the law. The Celebrate Liberty! Democracy Project is an "unincorporated uprising" of Libertarians and members of other US "third parties" who are convinced that U.S. Copenhagen Guarantee violations should be exposed via the CSCE enforcement mechanism. If requested by CSCE States, the "Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights" (ODIHR) in Warsaw will initiate an investigation of the allegations, report its findings and conclusions, and attempt to negotiate acceptable solutions. At the 1993 Libertarian Party National Convention, the Project held "public hearings" regarding US national and state compliance with the CSCE standards. Written testimony and documentary evidence was also received. The Project has produced a 525 page report, "US Violations of CSCE Human Rights Guarantees" which documents our allegations, chapter and verse, dates, times, and places. Prior to the convention, with the capable assistance of ISIL Director Hubert Jongen (Holland) as well as other members of ISIL's international network -- Nikolai Heering (Denmark), Stephen Brown (Poland) and various Romanians, Lithuanians, Latvians, and Finns recruited by Mr. Jongen, together with Utah libertarians Alex Danoyan and Mr. and Mrs. Kevin van Horn), a basic publicity piece for the Democracy Project was translated into Danish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Dutch, Romanian, Finnish, Latvian, and Lithuanian and distributed to embassies and governments of those countries. In the spring and summer of 1993, we corresponded with the Washington embassies of the CSCE states. Three countries -- the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic -- requested copies of "US Violations". Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Canada, France, the Holy See, Hungary, Poland, and Sweden notified us that our information was passed to their respective governments for further action. The U.K. embassy politely said "Go away". No response has been received from the other 28 CSCE states with embassies in D.C. The governors of Colorado, West Virginia and Maryland, together with the United States Congress Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Representative Karen Shepherd (D-Utah) also requested copies of the report. The Democracy Project continues to solicit further "evidence and testimony" regarding US violations of these agreements and will issue another report in 1994. We have filed a friend of the court brief in a case involving the South Carolina Libertarian Party and are interested in supporting other legal challenges to restrictive ballot access laws, as well as promoting and stimulating US compliance with the Copenhagen Guarantees by legislative action. Supporters of freedom in Europe can be of great help in this effort. While the Libertarian Party USA is one of the largest principled libertarian electoral efforts in the world, our efforts are continually hampered by exclusionary electoral practices designed to muzzle any effective opposition by third parties. US election practices are clearly outside of the ‘‘norm’’ for democratic countries, including those emerging from the "Former Soviet Union". In the December 1993 Russian Federation parliamentary elections, any party which submitted a petition signed by 100,000 voters was allowed to run candidates for office. 21 parties met this requirement. In the United States, to run candidates for all seats in the US House of Representatives, a minor party must turn in petitions signed by 1,341,000 voters -- thirteen times the amount required in Russia! The party would have to gather in excess of 5 MILLION signatures to run candidates, in a presidential election year, for all partisan offices, state legislature and up. By contacting their governments, libertarians and fellow-travellers throughout Europe can help break this "two party monopoly" in the U.S. HOW EUROPEANS CAN HELP: The specific provisions for CSCE redress (outlined in the 1991 Document of the Moscow Meeting) are: 1. A participating State may ask, bilaterally, for an explanation of an alleged abuse in a different participating State. 2. A participating State may ask the CSCE ODIHR to initiate an investigation. The panel will report its findings, including prospects for settlement and if appropriate, can attempt to negotiate solutions. 3. The participating State(s) making the request are responsible for paying for the expenses of the investigation. Thus, it is preferable that several states make the request, thereby amortizing that expense among several governments. Moreover, the more states that make the request, the higher a priority the mission becomes. Ask your governments to (1) request an explanation from the US government of these alleged abuses, and (2) ask the CSCE ODIHR to initiate an investigation of US non-compliance with the Copenhagen Guarantees. It is likely that each CSCE government has a specific bureaucratic agency in charge of CSCE matters, probably within its "Department of State" equivalent. Such officials should be contacted and lobbied regarding these allegations. We would appreciate notification of any efforts you undertake to encourage European governments to take notice of this situation. You can contact us at POB 526175, SLC, UT 84152, or 1-801-582-3318 (voice) or 1-801-582-3625 (fax), or 72204.3421@compuserve.com (email). @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ The Board of ISIL would like to thank the estate of Alta Hier for their generosity in providing a grant this summer which enabled us to further the growth of the liberty movement in Central & Eastern Europe. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ####################################################################### ########### FREEDOM NETWORK NEWS -- INTERNATIONAL REPORT ############ ####################################################################### BYELORUSSIA *********** CONFERENCE ON MARKET ECONOMIES PLANNED ISIL Board Member Ken Schoolland reports that he has been invited to speak at a special conference on "Economic Reforms in Postcommunistic Society: Liberal Choice" in Minsk. Ken met Mr. Igor Pelipas, the organizer of this event, at the Lithuanian conference of the Free Market Institute last summer. The Minsk-based organization is called the Independent Institute of Socio-economic and Political Studies and has been pressing against all odds for free market economic reforms. ISIL, at Ken Scholland's request has sent a selection of books from Freedom's Forum Books to Mr. Pelipas and Mr. A. Dobrovolsky and offered both ISIL memberships. ISIL members interested in helping this group should send donations directly to ISIL headquarters -- or to: Igor Pelipas and A. Dobrovolsky Slavinskogo St., 9-15 Minsk, 220086, Belarus (Belarus is Byelorussia to the US Post Office) Fax: (0172) 52-32-10 Tel: (0172) 20-79-95 CANADA ****** SMUGGLING LUCRATIVE BUSINESS IN CANADA ====================================== Obscene levels of taxation on cigarettes and booze in Canada have not unsurprisingly spawned a lucrative smuggling industry. A pack of cigarettes costs about $8 in Canada and a litre of vodka about $40. Smugglers in ultra-high-powered speed boats are regularly making dunces out of Canadian Customs border patrols in the St. Lawrence and Detroit rivers. Government officials, deprived of their ill-gotten loot, are railing against this "dangerous illegal activity" and vowing to get tough. About 50,000 cartons of smuggled cigarettes are transported through "Smugglers' Alley" at Cornwall on a daily basis. Sean Conway, a Liberal MP in the Provincial parliament reported that they were losing $650,000 a day in tax revenues. He further stated that two million cases of liquor are being smuggled into Ontario annually resulting in a loss of $250 million dollars in taxes. "NEW DEAL" FOR CANADA? ====================== During the period of the past Canadian election now Prime Minister Jean Chretien is reported to have been pressuring John Crowe, the head of the central Bank of Canada, to inflate the currency as a way out of Canada's finanicial crisis: "It is irresponsible for the head of the Bank of Canada not to use his position in a socially responsible manner." (emphasis added) Crowe rightly responded: "I'm not responsible for society – I'm responsible for the money supply." One wonders how long Crowe will last before a more pliable replacement can be found. There is a strong possibility that the new Liberal government will pursue a "New Deal" type of economic strategy with massive public works, deficit spending and a cranking up of the presses. Canadians had better buy gold -- fast! Ed. Submitted by Mary Lou Gutscher Toronto, Ontario, Canada CANADA'S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN TROUBLE ====================================== A bankrupt system, deficits, pay "equity," and excessive government regulations are forcing Canadian hospitals to the wall. Etobicoke General (in a suburb of Toronto) has been forced to make drastic cutbacks on elective surgery recently by axeing 50 staffers. At a recent U.S. medical job fair held in Toronto this month 1,100 job-hunting doctors turned up. Many were looking for jobs in the U.S. to escape the stifling atmosphere of the socialized health care system in Canada. "We hate the Peoples Republic of Ontario" said Richard Brodie, 32, a family practice physician. Another doctor said the provincial government is dictatorial and everything is unpredictable. Richard DeVito, an American organizer for the fair was amazed at the number of young people who wanted out of the sytem. CANADIAN JOURNALIST TELLS IT LIKE IT IS ======================================= As a result of (former) Canadian Revenue Minister Turner vowing to crack down on "tax cheaters", Conservative TORONTO SUN journalist Peter Worthington issued the following (withering) verbal blast: "Turner's threat has the flavor of protection rackets of the '30s, where thugs broke legs or torched small businesses that wouldn't pay protection money. "It was pure extortion then, it is blatant extortion now. "Taxes have long turned into a rip-off by government -- declining services at a higher price. Looked at objectively, it is gross distortion to call people dishonest or criminal for not paying a particular tax. Not paying income tax is, basically, just keeping what you've earned and saying "no" to extortionists. Stripped of euphemisms, taxes have become legalized theft by government which spends (wastes) our money, mostly on itself. ". . . High taxes feed the bureaucracy, cripple initiative, steal jobs, deter new businesses. ". . . Freedom's enemy is government -- extortionists and wastrels all." Amen! Ed. Submitted by ISIL Director Bruce Evoy Toronto, Ontario, Canada CHINA ***** REVOLUTION IN COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY THREATENS REGIME ======================================================== BEIJING -- Thousands of satellite dishes are sprouting up, as the Chinese say, "like bamboo shoots after a spring rain". Literally millions of Chinese are linking up via satellite and bypassing the Communist Party commissars. A Chinese journalist recently noted that: "The government has already lost control over information . . . The leaders may not know it yet, but these days they simply can't control what people know." Fax machines are everywhere, even in private homes, and direct-dial international telephones are multiplying much more quickly than the number of State Security employees who bug such calls. Computers are spreading as well so that now a growing number of people can communicate via electronic bulletin boards and E-Mail. Young people exchange information with Chinese students studying in the United States and even swap computer viruses -- like the one a couple of years ago that appears on a screen to ask whether the computer operator likes Prime Minister Li Peng. If the person at the keyboard says no, regular work continues. If the person says he likes the prime minister, the virus wipes out his computer. Submitted by Arthur E. Prosser Wilmington, North Carolina Seen in Sunday Star News JAPAN ***** DR. TAKASHI URATA, R.I.P. ========================= On April 11, 1993, Dr. Urata died. He was one of the few promoters of today's libertarian/classical liberal philosophy and movement in Japan. Dr. Urata was born on January 1, 1916, and after graduating from a medical school with a doctor's degree of medicine, he served a a naval surgeon for five years. After World War II, he started medical practice first in Kawasaki, and then in Tokyo. He lectured Life Sciences at Waseda University for about 20 years and General Medicine at the Jikei University School of Medicine for 7 years. He wrote many books on medicine and philosophy, and translated medical books, history of science and the history of freedom. He started seminars for medical practitioners in mid-Showa era, Medico-philosophical Society in 1968 and the "For Freedom Seminar" (Jiyu-no-tame no Zemi) in 1978. These seminars have been held regularly about once a month since the founding. Through the "For Freedom" seminars Urata and his associates introduced the ideas and philosophies of such promoters of freedom as Karl R. Popper, Ayn Rand, Ludwig von Mises, F.A. Hayek, and Milton Friedman. Members discuss matters of knowledge, reason and freedom widely and freely. Motofumi Kuze ISIL Rep Japan REFORM OF HEISEI LAUNCHED ========================= The Reform of Heisei, a citizens' movement for national reform was launched late last year by Kenichi Ohmae and some associates. Ohmae is chairman of McKinsey and Co. Japan, and the author of several best-selling books offering bold prescriptions for changing the Japanese political system. He proposed deregulation and market liberalization through such books as "Risono Kuni" (An Ideal Country) recently published by The Japan Times Ltd. and "Heisei Ishin" (The Reform of Heisei). Submitted by Motofumi Kuze ISIL Rep. Japan THE NETHERLANDS *************** DUTCH MP URGES RETHINK ON "EURO-CONDOM" ======================================= AMSTERDAM -- A Dutch politician announced that she will urge the European Commission to rethink plans for a standard European condom. The commission calculates that the average erect European penis measures about 6.7 inches long and 2.2 inches wide. Nel van Dijk, a member of the Dutch Green Party of the European Parliament, is worried that the EC’s two-year discussion on a standard prophylactic may not consider differences in penis size. She justified her concerns by producing evidence published in a medical journal last week that some men complained that one-size-fits-all condoms are too tight. The Dutch Green Party called it a serious issue because it impacts condom use, which in turn affects the spread of AIDS. Submitted by Alan Furman Seen on Libernet NEW ZEALAND *********** NO MORE FREE LUNCH IN NEW ZEALAND ================================= Letters in the local Wilmington daily newspaper praise the Canadian health-care system, but these satisfied exceptions only confirm the rule, I'm replying. I found out in New Zealand February 1991 that there's no more "free" medicine down there -- they have had to go back to charging fees for goods and services -- and on a competitive basis. Organized labor should be our next target as anti-market and thus, anti-job-creating. Our own right to work laws in America face a very real threat from that small militant minority which represents only 17 percent or less of the total private-sector workforce. Arthur E. Prosser Wilmington, North Carolina SOUTH AFRICA ************ GROUNDSWELL ACTIVITIES ====================== By ISIL Advisory Board Member Frances Kendall Groundswell South Africa is more active than ever before. Suddenly "democracy training and voter education" are the flavor of the month. Businesses around the country are frantically trying to teach their employees a few basics before next year's election. As a result we are being kept very busy teaching about devolution, classical rights, direct democracy and free enterprise in lectures throughout the country. We are also in the process of making an audio-tape in conjunction with Nedcor which we hope will reach hundreds of thousands within the next few months. In spite of the unrelentingly negative focus of the western media there is no need to be unduly pessimistic. In reality things are going as well, if not better than we expected. Firstly we are definitely going to have a multi-party democracy with regular elections, proportional representation, a bill of rights supported by an independent judiciary, and considerable regional and local powers. All of this looked like a pipe dream as little as five years ago. The extent of regional powers is as yet undecided, with considerable to-ing and fro-ing on the subject between the NP, ANC and Freedom Alliance (made up of the Zulu Inkatha + right wing conservatives). However, every day the ANC agrees to more entrenched powers for the regions in an attempt to attract the federalists back into the process. Also it is important to remember that the constitution presently being debated is an interim constitution and that the final constitution will be drawn up by the elected government over a process of two to five years. My own opinion is that many of the people elected next year will have strong regional affiliations and interests. Also the entire local government debate, which has thus far been ignored at the World Trade Center, will be fed into the process, and in the local government, for there are many ANC people who favor strong and autonomous regions. Also important to keep in mind that during the first years we will have a multi-party cabinet along Swiss lines as suggested in our book The Solution -- so the ANC will not have things all their own way. I think too that the ANC is no longer a communist party -- though it does have some communists in its ranks. More accurately it is a social democrat party which thinks more and more along typically European (especially German) lines. We are still a long way from The Solution, but we are considerably closer to it than many thought possible. The most likely outcome at present is a German-styled federation -- but the Freedom Alliance may yet push the whole thing further in the Swiss cantonal direction. To provide assistance, contact: GROUNDSWELL-SA Fax: + 27 11 442-7247 SWEDEN ****** POLICE RAID NUNNERY =================== On Nov 24 Swedish police, in a search for illegal political refugees, raided a nunnery north of Stockholm. The nuns in the Alsike convent have for a long time been giving sanctuary to refugees hiding from the government to avoid deportation. The police stormed the nunnery during the morning prayer, kicking in the doors. Several of the aliens were seized by the police. The action has been condemned by church officals in Sweden, including the archbishop. Maria Jacky, a libertarian as well as a volunteer at the church, called for an international protest against this police brutality. If anyone would like to send a fax protest to the Swedish government the numbers are: 046-8-723 11 71 (Prime Minister Carl Bildt) and 046-8-723 1176 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Henrik Bejke, ISIL Rep Sweden BATTLE OVER THE DRAFT ===================== There has been some turmoil at the convention of the Moderate (conservative) party in Sweden. Most of the delegates were traditional conservatives but there were also a group of young and outspoken libertarians present. When the debate came to conscription, several of the young libertarians argued against it. Mattias Svensson (who attended ISIL's Tallinn, Estonia conference) climbed to the pulpit and said: "By definition, conscription is slavery!!" He then addressed the conservative Minister of Defense: "How the Hell can you sit and administer such a slave system?" This made a big splash in the media. Mattias' statement (and the reply from Defense Minister) were on both the TV-news shows that evening and were quoted in several newspapers the day after. When the votes were counted, the conservatives sadly dominated and the system of conscription was upheld. But they at least had a good spirited debate. One of the conservatives said in agony, "God protect us from the libertarians!" NEW LIBERTARIAN BOOKS ===================== At a book fair in Gothenburg, Swedish publisher Bra Bocker introduced several of Robert Heinlein's novels, including The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress (this thanks to the influence of libertarian/ISIL member John-Henri Holmberg). They are also publishing a Swedish translation of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead which will be printed in more than 50,000 copies. John-Henri is also author of an Ayn Rand special (a long presentation on her life and philosophy) in the current issue of Nyliberalen magazine (The New Liberal). Report by Henrik Bejke, ISIL Rep Sweden NEW! DIALOGUE WITH OBJECTIVISTS ========================== Besides Frihetsfronten, the Swedish Objectivists were also participants at the book fair, with a booth just a few meters from ours. At first we thought there would be a hostile atmosphere between us, but nothing like that occurred. There has been a split in the Swedish Objectivist movement, so now there are two groups denouncing each other -- one west coast faction and one east coast faction. Per Olaf Samuelsson and Henrik Unné, the two most dogmatic objectivists, and their followers were not present. Instead we met several very nice people who were willing to talk with us. They even sold us a lot of books and pamphlets. This is a very good development, as far as I can see. With the dogmatic loonies gone, we will be able to have interesting discussions with the Objectivists. UNITED KINGDOM ************** BRITS SLAM PASSIVE SMOKING HYSTERIA =================================== ISIL UK Rep. Chris Tame in a press release by Forest (Freedom Organization for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco), points to an independent report published by Dr. Gary Huber in the American journal Consumer's Research in which scare stories of "second-hand smoke" are debunked. Professor Huber and his colleagues argue that "the generation, interpretation, and use of scientific and medical information about ETS has been influenced, and probably distorted, by a 'social movement' to shift the emphasis on the adverse health effects of smoking in the active smoker to an implied health risk for the non-smoker. They argue that: ". . . much of the research on ETS has been shoddy and poorly conceived. . . . No matter how the data from all the epidemiological studies are manipulated, re-calculated, 'cooked', or 'massaged', the risk from exposure to spousal smoking and lung cancer remains weak." For a copy of the information sheet, "Passive Smoking: How Great a Hazard?" send $2.00+ to cover p & h to: FOREST, 2 Grosvenor Gardens London SW1W ODH, England USA *** RANDY WEAVER ACQUITTED OF MURDERING FEDERAL AGENT ================================================= BOISE, IDAHO -- In a strong rebuke of the government's use of violent force during an armed seige of Randy Weaver's Selkirk Mountain cabin last summer, a jury acquitted two men in the slaying of a federal marshal. After 19 days of deliberation, virtually all of the government's case against Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris 25, a family friend, was rejected by the federal court jury. The trial made clear that federal agents have become overly dependent on heavy armaments and huge shows of force to terrorize people into submission Essentially, the jury found that Harris and Weaver acted in self defense in the shooting death of U.S. Marshall William Degan. During the seige, Weaver's 14-year old son Samuel was shot in the back, and Weaver's wife Vicki was shot to death while she was holding her 10-month old baby in her .arms. Weaver's attorney, Gerry Spence stated, "Here you had Federal agents come into a little county in northern Idaho, suspend state law and then say they had the right to eliminate anyone with a gun." Spence urged that the federal agents be tried for murder and that civil compensation be made as well.. RANDY WEAVER FINE FUND ====================== When the smoke cleared in the Randy Weaver case he was exonerated on all charges except for two of failing to appear on (trumped up) weapons charges. His fine amounts to $10,000. Tom Valentine announced on KTVB Radio Free America recently that a fund had been established to pay for the fine. Any persons interested in helping Weaver may send donations to the following address: Randy Weaver Fine Fund, c/o Julie Brown P.O. Box 38, Johnston, Iowa 50131 ADVOCATES PRISON SEMINARS A SUCCESS =================================== Thanks to help from libertarians on the Libernet, the Advocates for Self Government were able to run one of their introductory Seminar-1 presentations at the Northeast Correctional Center for a group of inmates interested in improving themselves. Of the 13 who started the seminar, 6 finished the seminar agreeing with libertarian principles! For the special prison Seminar-1, they used ISIL Director Dr. Mary Ruwart's excellent book Healing Our World as the text. The Advocates trained seminar leaders, (two prison inmates), to run the seminar in a five week course. (Advocates organizers stayed away on purpose so that the inmates would not feel compelled to agree with libertarian ideas – so that they could decide for themselves). Their efforts were met with success. Six inmates discovered the ideas of libertarianism and agreed with them. The Advocates For Self Government's seminars are an excellent vehicle for introducing libertarianism to the general public. For more information on the Advocates, write Carole Ann Rand, 3955 Pleasantdale Rd., #106-A, Atlanta, Georgia 30340. Tel: (800) 932-1776. LANDLORDS FORCED TO HIRE ARMED GUARDS ===================================== NEW JESEY -- a new Irvington, New Jersey ordinance now requires property owners, at their own expense, to place security guards in apartment complexes with more than 100 units. Armed guards must be on the premises for eight hours a day. Visitors will be required to sign in and out at the guard's post, which will be equipped with two-way radio contact with police headquarters. Property owners found guilty of violating this Draconic ordinance are to be fined up to $1,000 for each day of non-compliance, and may receive up to a 90 day jail term and 90 days of community service. A similar ordinance in Newark, New Jersey has already withstood constitutional challenges in the courts, at both trial and appellate levels. From the New Jersey Property Owners Association Bulletin. BEWARE THE "CAKE" POLICE ======================== The thugs of Maricopa County "Health" department, Arizona, have a favorite passtime lately: crashing wedding parties in search of wedding cakes that were baked by the newlyweds' friends or family members – or anyone else who would dare sink to the unspeakable depths of baking a wedding cake without a permit or license from the "health" dept. Whether or not these fearless, heroic guardians of the "public" health then seize all the property owned by the wretched criminal "bakeperson" I do not know. Nothing would surprise me any more (Ed) Submitted by Robert Markley Phoenix, Arizona YOU WILL LIKE OUR BUS SERVICE ==== LAS VEGAS -- After nationalization of the bus industry in once-free Nevada service has gone to the dogs with long waits, breakdowns and delays. People are upset and shouting at each other and the drivers. One lady who vented her anger at a ticket counter after a three-hour wait to get to work was arrested for disturbing the peace. "I was trying to get home. After three hours and two buses I was upset." During her brief stay in the city jail that evening, she found a sympathetic ear. There was another guy there who was arrested at a bus stop for the same thing. Yes, you read right. This government "service" is now throwing its customers in jail for yelling about the pathetic treatment given them. Submitted by Eric Klien Las Vegas, Nevada BREAKTHROUGH ON CIVIL ASSET FORFEITURE ====================================== SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: As a result of a bungled attempt by law enforcement lobbyists to retain unlimited powers to seize property, a less repressive law will supplant the existing one at the end of the year. A hard-line approach adopted by Attorney General Dan Lungren and his prosecutors, disgusted Lungren's Republican allies in the Assembly and alienated Assemblyman John Burton, the lead Democrat working on asset forfeiture. As a result, no new legislation was produced to replace the current law, which happily will "sunset" at the end of this year. The law enforcement lobbyists' strategy failed to take into account the rising wave of indignation and outrage on the part of the public over the spectacle of cops turned into robbers-with-badges. For libertarians it was a truly disgusting, not to mention eye-opening spectacle to see how blatant and callous the police lobby was in their attempt to maintain the right to loot -- unimpeded by such niceties as having to lay a formal charges or respecting other individual constitutional rights to due process. NEW MOVIE VERSION OF THE FOUNTAINHEAD ===================================== Writer/producer James Hill has completed his latest draft of The Fountainhead script and has turned it in to Warner Bros., where he is slated to make the adaptation of the now famous 1943 Ayn Rand novel that sets two lovers against a backdrop of architecture and politics. The big-screen remake of The Fountainhead will not be helmed by Phil Joanou, as was planned. Creative differences differences between the director and Hill resulted in his departure. Casting has yet to begin on the new Fountainhead, which will be set in current times. ######################################################################## ############## THE INSIDE STORY ON THE SOMALI CONFLICT ############### ######################################################################## By Michael van Notten, ISIL Advisory Board Member and Correspondent, Somalia BACKGROUND In June 1991, the General Assembly of the United Somali Congress (USC) elected its chairman from between two candidates: Aideed and a side-kick of Ali Mahdi. Aideed received 2/3 of the vote, yet Ali Mahdi refused to step down as the self-appointed USC President of the Republic of Somalia. Four months earlier, Aideed had warned Ali Mahdi that the Somali people would never accept his presidency if he appointed himself to the office. Now he warned Ali Mahdi that he had also been rejected by his political party. He added, that he, Aideed, would never use force to depose Ali Mahdi. In October 1991, Ali Mahdi had finally formed a government numbering 80 ministers, each one more incompetent than the other. Immediately the Italian government promised massive financial support. That is where Aideed's patience ran out. He declared that his faction of the USC was the only legitimate government of the area. Ali Mahdi reacted by declaring war on Aideed. Ali Mahdi's attack caused only material damage. Aideed's counter-attack defeated Ali Mahdi quickly. All the territory left to him was the tiny part of Mogadishu inhabited by his own tribesmen. Aideed could easily have captured that part as well, but why bother? The war had served its purpose. Ali Mahdi's clan had vacated the government center, his ministers had all fled and his troops had lost their supply lines. Rather than destroying the remnants of his cousin's army (Ali Mahdi is related to Aideed), Aideed used the following six months to expell from Southern Somalia the army of Somalia's former dictator, Syad Barre. This army had proved to be a big nuisance, robbing friend and foe alike and causing wide-spread famine. DEFINING THE SOMALI PROBLEM Outsiders believe that the problem is about who should rule. In reality it is about how Somalia should be ruled. Ali Mahdi seeks an Italian type of democracy, Aideed a return to traditional, tribal government; to kritarchy. Democracy hinges on the rule of law, kritarchy on the rule of human rights. Democracy works by majority rule; kritarchy by consensus. Aideed's point of view is presently prevailing. The facts speak for themselves. On March 30th, 1993 the four tribes in Somalia's North West established an independent tribal republic based on their traditional constitution, the Xeer (pronounced hair). Following, June 4th, the Majerteen and Hawiye clans of the North East and Center also concluded peace and agreed to return to the Xeer. The following August 9th, nine Somali clans in Eastern Ethiopia sent home the democratic autonomous government given to them by the Ethiopians. The new office holders, inclined towards kritarchy, promised subordination to the tribal leaders. In dozens of villages suffering from constant violent conflict, peace returned, peace based on the Xeer. Meanwhile Aideed was elected as a traditional leader of his own Hawiye/Habar Ghirir/Saad clan. THE UNITED NATIONS A few months after the conflict between Aideed and Ali Mahdi had been settled, the UN opened an office in Mogadishu and offered to mediate. Pretty soon, UN Res. Rep. Mohamed Sahnoun realized that the UN had come too late for this. Therefore he concentrated on reducing the famine in the South and helping local governments to combat the bandits. The UN Secretary General, however, was seeking a more spectacular role for his organization. He fired Sahnoun just when the local governments were gradually getting things under control. Sahnoun's successors declared that Somalia was an anarchy. They asserted that Aideed was no longer head of a legitimate government but was a bandit. The Somali problem was defined as "an excess of arms". Their solution was "full disarmament". They said that the UN was the only organization that could implement this policy. Thus, the stage was set for a UN trusteeship over Somalia, including military occupation. Those observers who pointed to the many places where peace reigned despite the presence of numerous arms, both light and heavy, were ignored, just as their view that the famine in Baidoa didn't call for the occupation of all of Somalia. THE RESULT Over the past ten months, the UN has been spending over three million US dollars per day in Somalia. It bought: chaos, destruction and thousands of Somalis killed or wounded by UN guns and UN bombs. All economic development and nearly all humanitarian activity has stopped. Despite this failure, the UN is digging in, dragging along the USA, whose special troops have been instructed to stay until the return of . . . law and order. Meant are: martial law and martial order, imposed by . . . foreigners. The Somalis want customary law and tribal order. That is why the conflict is getting bigger every day. The Somalis have now declared war on the UN. The six largest tribes have pledged 10,000 troops each to expell the American troops. Already in June, UNOSom troops in Bosaso were told to leave the North East. On September 10, 1993 UNO-Som officials were expelled from the North West which seceded from Somalia in March 1993 because of UNO-Som's imperialist policies. THE UN FAILURE Many mistakes were made: The UN lied to the Somalis. It asked Aideed's permission to fight those bandits who were impeding the relief operations. Upon arrival, the UN started to rule Somalia. The UN pontificated that Somalia was without government. In reality it has many governments, some aristocratic, some democratic and some tribal, with a general trend towards tribal. The UN ignores the fact that tribal government is more effective and efficient and also more just than the national government the UN is trying to impose upon the Somalis. Indeed, the Somalis perceive UNO-Som (and most other foreigners) as savages. The UN let itself be guided by its perceived might, rather than what is right. The UN ignored the fact that most Somalis forget their mutual differences when the survival of their nation is at stake. Indeed, all UN efforts to play off one clan against another proved to be counter-productive. The UN thought that the Somali soldiers are being commanded by Aideed. In actual fact, Somali soldiers don't take orders; they don't get paid either. Every soldier is his own general, defending his freedom and tribal culture as he sees fit. The UN reopened a conflict that had been closed. It sided with the loser, Ali Mahdi, an ignorant urban man without roots in rural Somalia, where 90% of the nation lives. The UN played up the importance of democratic parties when Somalia was rapidly becoming tribal again. In tribal society, politics is decided by the odayasha, the elected judges. The UN didn't understand that when the Somalis say democracy they mean tribal government based on the Xeer, which stipulates government by judges. Traditional Somali society centers on timeless, unchangeable and universal human rights rather than on ever-changing government laws. The UN constantly referred to Somalia's inability to govern itself, ignoring the fact that foreign governments kept Somalia's dictator Syad Barre in power long after his rejection by the Somali population and that foreign governments prevented Somalia's liberator, Aideed, from forming the first post-dictatorial government. The UN listens primarily to Somalis who belong to either the democratic dreamers of the 1960's or the corrupt followers of Somalia's dictator Syad Barre during the 1970's and 80's. The UN seems to ignore that every Somali is always ready to defend his human right to keep and bear arms. Upon its arrival in Mogadishu, the UN stopped the local police militias from protecting the foreign humanitarian organizations, claiming that it could do so more efficiently. In this way, the UN made thousands of Somalis jobless until . . . they started robbing the foreigners. The UN judges killings wrongly. When it kills hundreds of Somali citizens it regrets that "it had to be done". When a handful of UN soldiers are killed, it cries murder. In reality, in times of war, killing soldiers is no crime. Killing civilians, on the contrary is plain murder. WHAT NEXT? All foreign government agencies should leave Somalia without delay because gradualism would be a new source of conflicts. Foreign governments need not maintain even embassies, only consulates. Humanitarian assistance and economic development is best left to non-governmental organizations. In fact, the longer UNO-Som clings to Somalia, the more difficult it will be, after its departure, to put that country together again. US Defense Minister Les Aspin predicts that Somalia will revert to famine and political chaos upon US withdrawal. Such events are not likely to return, however, especially not when the indigenous police forces are strengthened, particularly those belonging to the tribal alliance SNA. UNO-Som is least qualified to undertake this job, given its history of meddling in tribal politics and the fact that its hands are dripping with Somali blood. Best qualified for this job would be private security agencies, such as the British SECURICOR. The Somali chaos is of two kinds. First the chaos of 1991-92, when Ali Mahdi, helped by a foreign government, tried to impose democracy. This chaos was prolonged when former dictator Syad Barre, helped by another foreign government, occupied the South and marched on Mogadishu. All tribes now agree that such chaos can be avoided by having tribal, instead of central government. And their agreement has been followed by action. Therefore, there will be no return to chaos upon UNO-Som withdrawal. Second, there is the political chaos created by UNO-Som. In hundreds of villages visited by UNO-Som officials, UNO-Som strawmen are presently engaged in merciless fights with tribal leaders over the question of who will receive the money UNO-Som's democratic government will eventually dish out. This chaos must disappear. It will disappear only after UNO-Som will have withdrawn. UNO-Som will never understand tribal government. This type of government prevailed in rural Somalia while the intellectuals were experimenting with democracy and tyranny in Mogadishu. Tribal government, if left alone, can deal with any conflict. It does not spell the end of Somalia. On the contrary, the Somalis became a nation, with one language, one poetry, one music, one culture, one territory and one religion, precisely because it had tribal government. The Somalis do not need a common President or a common executive in order to stick together. Since time immemorial, they have had a common Bill of Rights and Procedures (the Xeer) . . . and the common will to enforce them. CONCLUSION Somalia's main problem is neither banditism nor anarchy. It is that foreigners are sabotaging the creation of indigenous governments. The UN is now the main obstacle to a return of law and order. In addition, it has Somali blood on its hands. Therefore it should leave immediately. It can do so without regrets, because its mission has not been totally negative. The UN has united all Somalis; not only against itself, but also in favor of customary law and tribal order, eventually leading to a federation of their regional governments. Borama, Somaliland, September 27, 1993 Michael van Notten, ISIL Correspondent/Somalia NOTE: Michael van Notten will be a speaker at ISIL's World Conference Merida, Mexico. October 2-6, 1994 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ANNOUNCING! INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY WORLD CONFERENCE -- MEXICO 1994 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ DATE: October 2 to 7th, 1994 PLACE: MERIDA, MEXICO ===================================================== Now is your opportunity to meet with the powerful international figures you have read about in the Freedom Network News. The world's top libertarian activists from between 20 and 30 countries will be meeting in Mérida, Mexico (located on the Yucatan peninsula – only 75 miles east of the famous Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza) to debate strategies on many subjects vital to peace and harmony in our world – including devolution of power, free trade, privatization, libertarianism and the arts – and more. Merida, a beautiful city, is known for its stately Paseo Montejo, an eight block tree-lined boulevard modeled after the Champs Elysées, and its French, Italian and Spanish-Moorish architecture. Year-round temperatures are in the 70s. It's a great place for freedom lovers to meet and enjoy a holiday together. CONFERENCE FEES: ================ Total fees of $550US for the week (Sunday thru Thursday) include: ** Attendance at all conference sessions, ** Double occupancy rooms at a luxury hotel with swimming pool, two bars and local entertainment, ** All breakfasts, ** an opening buffet/cocktail reception and ** A closing grand banquet -- plus a local guided sightseeing tour. SPECIAL EARLY BIRD RATES ======================== Register by December 31, 1993 for only $475.00US (Save $75) Register before the end of March 1994 for $525.00US (Save $25) Please make checks/money orders payable in US$ to: ================================================= ISIL Conferences, 484 Church St., Ste 1507, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4Y 2C7 Tel/fax (416) 964-0142. We also accept VISA and MasterCard payments. ============================================ ######################################################################### ####################### CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ########################## ######################################################################### ABAPA FREER: 1993 sampler describes 20 areas (most in/near Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire) having fewer taxes & restrictions, more tolerance, various cultures & climates & many libertarians. Plus practical tips for living freer most anywhere; and unedited discussions. 48 pages (some shrunk). $1, cash preferred. POB 759-SIL, Veneta, OR 97487 Agents Wanted to sell mortgage reduction program which saves homeowners $50,000 or more in mortgage interest, reduces a 30 year mortgage to 20 years, builds home equity 2-3 times faster and can be transferred to future mortgages. No previous experience or license required. Call 800-365-7550, extension 70021, to have a free information package sent. Animals: Does libertarianism say they are morally cum legally equivalent to a sack of wheat, or a load of bricks? That as property, you may dispose of "yours" any way you wish, however painful or frivolous? I say no. Literature: $2. James Dawson, Box 613F, Redwood Valley, CA 94570. Ballot Access News, newsletter of the struggle to end official USA government discrimination against political parties other than the Democratic and Republican Parties. Subscribe for only $7 per year ($12 overseas, airmail) for 13 issues. P.O. Box 470296, San Francisco, CA 94123. Phone (415) 922-9779. Capital & Liberty, a new publication with the expressed purpose of opposing statism. Philosophical ammunition against state controlled ethics, gun control, and the "New World Order", and in favor of strong personal ethics, private property rights, and laissez-faire capitalism. For a FREE copy send a stamp to; Seymour Enterprises, Box 694, Wayne, MI 48184. Capitalist Collectibles: Own a keepsake of free enterprise. Common stocks from "robber baron" Cornelius Vanderbilt's railroad, bought and sold by men like Bache and Ernst before they had partners. Also, private money and USPO stamps. $1 and SASE for pricelist and sample: Mercury Atwell, PO Box 954, Fowlerville, MI 48836 Claustrophobia monthly newsletter available for only $5 per year. If you’re interested in individual liberty and the philosophy behind politics, subscribe now. $5 to Claustrophobia, 400 N. High St. #137, Columbus, OH 43215. For sample copy, send 29-cent stamp. Also looking for contributors. Cross Verbal Swords in The (Libertarian) Connection, open-forum magazine since 1968. Subscribers may insert one page/issue free, unedited. Lots of stimulating conversation. Eight issues (one year) $20. Strauss, Box 3343J, Fairfax, VA 22038 Eden Press, famed as the publisher of The Paper Trip, has just published How To Legally Hide Your Money in Switzerland, a 29-page report revealing the very latest status of banking and financial possibilities in Switzerland. Included are methods of establishing private accounts and contracts that are strictly Swiss, unbeholden to any U.S. authorities. The author, Adam Starchild, is an internationally recognized expert on bank havens and banking privacy. The report is available for $13 from Eden Press, Box 8410, Fountain Valley, CA 92728. European Smart Drugs: Piracetam, Hydergine, Vinpocetine, Oxiracetam, Minaprine, Deprenyl and other nootropics are available to Americans by mail order, for personal use. The Nootropic News includes: medical reviews, newsletter, book reviews, and the Directory of Mail Order Suppliers. This updated directory includes the addresses, phone and fax numbers of 15+ overseas mail order suppliers. Current prices for the nootropics are listed. As we are not affiliated with any suppliers, our information is objective and non-promotional. Send $8 for this info packet to: Nootropic News, Box 177, Camarillo, CA 93011. Extropy: The Journal of Transhumanist Thought is a high-IQ publication with deep thoughts on futurist topics: Transhumanist philosophy, physical immortality, intelligence augmentation, artificial life/intelligence/persons, nanotechnology, spontaneous order, cryptoanarchy, free communities, human-computer integration, self-transformation, ultimate limits of physics, Hans Moravec, articles, reviews. $4.50 for sample of #10; $13.50 for 3 issues sub. ($15 Canada; $22 overseas) from Extropy Institute, P.O. Box 57306, Los Angeles, CA 90057-0306. 213-484-6383 more@usc.edu. Fed Up with being a government serial number? Clinton wants to stick you with an ID card! Your right to drive -- to vote! -- in jeopardy. We can and must fight back. The Anumeralist, published bimonthly, $5/year. Sample $1.00. Box 2084, Norristown, Pennsylvania 19404. CASH ONLY. Banks demand SS numbers. First Edition Ayn Rand & Others. Free catalog. Others include Browne, both Brandens, rare Hazlitt, Mises, Murdock, Paterson and Smith. Dennis Bohn, 10111 Marine View Dr., Mukilteo, WA 98275 or FAX 206-347-7757. Free Money - Free Banking. Money demystified. Learn why debts keep growing, why the federal budget can’t be balanced, how private initiative can create a rational alternative exchange system. Order Money and Debt: A Solution to the Global Crisis by Thomas Greco: $6.50 + $1.50 p & h to: Greco, Box 42663, Dept. I, Tucson, Arizona 85733 USA. Free Copy of Expat World (The Expatriate's Newsletter) for those living or travelling abroad (unique travel info, secret bank account, 6% Mastercard, 2nd legal passport etc.) $2.00 postage to: C. Nawrocki, Agent for Expat World, Skr. P.-8, 86-170 Nowe, Poland. Free Pamphlet-Catalog: "The Elegant New Age Of Romanticism". Send 3 stamps: Integrity Imprints, POB 61, Felton, PA 17322. ``I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.’’ Help us create a real-life Galt’s Gulch, based on the principles of Randian Objectivism. Write: Galt’s Gulch, P.O. Box 73203, Fairbanks, AK 99707. Inventors -- Save Hundreds of Dollars. Do your own patent search at no cost. It's easy and it's educational. Searching gives you ideas. The method has been available for decades. Buy the Guide to Patent Searches. Usually $19.95 + S&H but only $15.00 for ISIL members, Coral Systems Co., 79 Commonwealth Ave., Massapequa, N.Y. 11758. CSC will answer your letter if you have questions. Libertarian Attorney, male 35, married, interested in correspondence with Czechs concerning the developmenty of free societies. I am also interested in firearms, Aikido and epiphyllum cactus cultivation. I am considering international migration for my self and family. Please write to: Blake Ashley, 7818 Stewart & Gray Rd., Apt 209, Downey, California, USA 90241. Libertarian Lodging: Help Us To Help Each Other. List your home from $5 to $12 per night. Travel can be affordable. Send SASE for info: Route 5, Box 183, Joplin, MO 64804 Libertarian Republicans. Subscribe to Republican Liberty! Covers campaigns, elections, elected libertarians, Weld, Zimmer, duPont, & Pinkerton. $10.00 a year -- Trial Subscription. Five issues (8-12 pages) plus bulletins. Write RLC, 1717 Apalachee Pkwy. #434, Tallahassee, FL 32301 Libertarian Screen Printer in Florida would like to make contact with anyone who could give me information of the state of the commercial repro-graphics and sign-making industry in East Europe and Russia. Screen printing in particular. Ken Wise, 1209 E. Cayuga, Tampa, FL 33603 USA. Libertarians Wanted to live in Fort Collins, Colorado. For information send $1.00 and SASE to: Mary Margaret Glennie, FREEDOM NOW, 1317 Lakewood Dr., Fort Collins, Colorado 80521 USA. Lithuanian Free Market Foundation is a recently established organization promoting the ideas of liberty and capitalism in Lithuania. Being genuine libertarians, we do not ask for your help and support. Just loan a sum of money to us – the interest rate per annum is 20-30 per cent. For more details call us: Tel/Fax: (370-2) 624218. Living Free newsletter promotes self-liberation, practical methods to increase personal freedom, and has provided a forum for freedom-seekers, libertarians, survivalists, anarchists, outlaws, since 1979. Lively, unique. $8.00 for 6 issues, $12.00 overseas, sample $1.00, overseas $2.00, USA funds only. Jim Stumm, Box 29F, Hiler Branch, Buffalo, New York 14223, USA. Male Libertarian, 25 years old, MSc degree in Business Administration, studying for my CMA degree, currently employed as a planner at an information systems department, wants to start a living in Texas. Sick of living in a collectivist society such as Holland. Who is willing to employ me? Open to any arrangement. Available August 1994. Adrian Struijk, Lijsterbesplein 8, 2563 KZ, Den Haag, Netherlands. Open Relationships, Group Marriage, intimate friendship, multi-lateral marriage. Sound interesting? Touchpoint is a discreet contact service for those who wish to develop long-term emotionally as well as sexually intimate, non-monogamous relationships. SASE for details. Current issue $4.00. Touchpoint, P.O. Box 408-FN2, Chloride, AZ 86431 Panarchy. Government by choice, not chance. People-oriented Government, not government-oriented people. Idea whose time has come. Investigate a political system offering both freedom and security. Ultimate Libertarian Newsletter, $8/year or $3 for sample. Checks to LeGrand E. Day, Editor, Panarchy Dialectic, Box 353F, Reseda, California 91333, USA. Protect Your Privacy! Phone scramble (works in matched pairs) usable with cordless or wired phones. Anti-Theft (shocking) briefcase. Either item US$1600 + US$25 freight in USA. Will quote foreign orders. Books: ‘‘Your FBI Dossier’’ $75, ‘‘The Passport Report’’ $120, postpaid worldwide. Security/privacy protection books/devices, free list with SASE. In NY add tax. Catallaxy Corporation, Dept. FNN1, 662 Franklin Avenue, Suite 449, Garden City, NY 11530, USA. Restore The Bill of Rights with Fully Informed Juries. When you serve on a jury, vote your conscience. You cannot be punished for your verdict. Call 1-800-"TEL-JURY" for recorded message. SALON. This is the zine that explains libertarianism to artists and art to libertarians. Become a more knowledgeable and discerning private sector consumer of art while having a hell of a good time. It’s kind of like going to a party with a bunch of interesting, amusing and intelligent people, with stacks of original art work and other goodies thrown in. Send S.A.S.E. for a handful of sample pages, or $5 for an issue or $20 for a year, payable to Pat Hartman. SALON: A Journal of Aesthetics, 305 West Magnolia, Ste. 386, Fort Collins, CO 80521. Sell American. $100,000+ per year possible helping "Bring Our Money Home Again!" Learn insider secrets of earning huge profits in your own homebased exporting business from a self-made millionaire with over 30 years experience. Write for free Sell American report from Phlander Company, Dept. 70197, P.O. Box 5385, Cleveland, TN 37320-5385 Sign up discount long distance accounts with rates up to 30% lower than all others. Receive residual commissions for life! Start by ordering "Unleash The Entrepreneur Within" for a refundable deposit of $29.95 plus $4.50 shipping and handling. Call 800-945-1333, operator 3642 or send $34.45 to BNC Fulfillment Processing Center, 2770 Ridgway, Suite 3642, Walled Lake, MI 48390. Slippery When Wet. Limericks, limerence, & lusty literature; photos, feminism & frivolity; cartoons & crusty commentary: A quarterly magazine of sex and fun for folks of all orientations. Whole Earth Review says:... new breed of sex zine, appealng to almost anyone who is curious or open ... fiction ranges from hot to hilarious ... Factsheet Five says: You cannot be disappointed with [Slippery When Wet]! $19.50 for four issues or $7 for one issue; statement of legal age required. P.O. Box 3101, Berkeley, CA 94703. Stanczyk has been published since 1986. It is the oldest Polish journal edited by Polish defenders of laissez-faire capitalism. We have been looking for people, organizations, foundations, ready to give us any help in publishing our journal. The contact with the editorial board is: STANCZYK, ul. St. Pietaka 9, 51-140, Wroclaw, Poland. Tax Havens are one of the most important subjects for an international entrepreneur or investor, yet few understand and use them properly. One group discount them as hiding holes for dirty money, which is not a legitimate use for tax havens. Others think they are only for banking money after you have made it. Not true either. Tax havens are a very complex subject, but the hours you spend studying their use will probably pay you more per hour than the hours you spend directly earning an income – an unfortunate commentary on the confiscatory taxation policies of most governments. For the best detailed information on tax havens, order The Tax Haven Report by Adam Starchild, from Scope International Ltd., 62 Murray Road, Waterlooville, Hants., PO8 9JL, United Kingdom. The price is $125, including airmail postage worldwide, ($100 if you want it by slower surface mail) and they accept Visa or MasterCard. Just stop and think for a moment how much faster your money can grow if you are not paying out an average of 40% to a taxing government somewhere. TERRA LIBRA! Freedom-boggling breakthrough! Free and enrich yourself with Freedom Technology. Personal Power beats bureaucrats. Free Details. ZENO Press, Box 170-I, Sedalia, CO 80135 The Voluntaryist, edited and published by Carl Watner since 1982. The only pure free market newsletter to eschew electoral politics and violent revolution. $18 for 6 issues/yearly (add $5 overseas). For Table of Contents and sample copy send $5 or $1 per sample issue. Box 1275, Gramling SC 29348 West Coast Libertarian: Canada’s premier Libertarian publication. Read the News from the North. 6 issues (1 year): $15; U.S. send $15US; Overseas l$20 or 25 IRC’s (International Reply Coupons). Sample: $2 or 3 IRC’s. Greater Vancouver Libertarian Association, 922 Cloverley St., North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7L 1N3 Canada. The Philosophy of Firearms: Reality and the Right to Arms ? Philosophical foundation of the right to arms. Liberal and conservative movements incompatible with the right to arms. Right to bear nukes? Rebellion? Civil disobedience? Gun Control Mentality. Irrationality of Gun Control. Why pro-gun organizations are powerless. Why the right to arms will be lost and what is required to win it back. Extensive bibliography, index, 190+pp. 30-day money back guarantee! Send $17.95 + $2.00 S & H to: Broad Reach Publishing, P.O. Box 145, Dept ISIL, Evanston, WY 82931. What Happened to the slavery clause in the original Declaration of Independence? WHO wrote the first draft? Provocative new book, A Personal Declaration of Independence, explains this and more. $10 postpaid/moneyback. Free personal declaration with/without order. ZENO Press, Box 170-I, Sedalia, CO 80135. Your Ticket to unlimited discount travel. Full-service travel agency, guaranteed lowest available airfare, up to 60% savings on hotels. Before you book elsewhere call toll free to see what you can save. 1-800-966-CLUB and refer to Discount Travel Number 12639. Option (no obligation) to join travel club and earn referral commissions. There is no charge for Pen Pal Ads for ISIL members. Be sure to inform us when you would like your ad removed or changed. ##### PEN PAL SECTION ############################################### An 18-year-old boy from Estonia is waiting for all kinds of letters from all over the world. Interested in libertarianism, computers, business, politics, and many other things. Address: Yüri Kaljundi, P.O. Box 68, Tallinn, EE0900, Estonia. Retired Professional man seeks challenging excuse to travel anywhere here or abroad. Invite me to stay at your place a couple of days. Let’s discuss Libertarian ideas and see if there are any examples of them in action to videotape in your town. My photo, phone, and full particulars from Charles Yale, Box 27198, Las Vegas, NV 89126 I would like to correspond with libertarians in Hungary, Poland, Russia, Peru and Argentina. Write: Robert A. Markley, 2515 E. Thomas Rd., Ste 16-742, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 USA. I am a man, 29 years old and single. I am interested in free markets and free societies. I like travelling, meeting people of all races, religions and political understanding. I also like keeping artifacts. I would like to make contact with any libertarians in any part of the United States of America. Nkadi Azuh, 111 Road, Block 5, Flat 2, Festac Town, Lagos, Nigeria. A Young Adult. Business oriented. Would love to hear from sociable open-minded persons from the U.S.A. and all around the world. I promise to reply to all correspondents. Shina Oluyemi, P.O. Box 4975, Shomolu, Lagos, Nigeria. I am 31. I am married and have two children. I am an economist ing with marketing but I am also interested in free markets and societies. My hobbies are: psychology, astronomy, home computers (Especially Titan) and I also keep some exotic species of fish. Boguslaw B. Kolata, UL. Trzech Diamentow 36/27, 43-300 Bielsko-Biata, Poland. I love writing and music. I'm interested in science, particularly biology; and art, especially speculative fiction. Animated films and stand-up comedians rock my world. All letters will get some kind of reply. Altairn Edwards, 8155 Jamacha Rd., San Diego, CA 92114. Libertarian Male, 33, interested in Free Market and Environmental Economics wishes to exchange ideas with other independent minds, preferably single, free-thinking female libertarians. Europeans please write. Scott, P.O. Box 41, Oakton, Virginia 22124, USA. Libertarians in Netherlands, especially Amsterdam, wanted for correspondence and friendship. Please write: Raymond Kiely, 4981 Springhill Dr., Pensacola, FL 32503, USA Married female 33. Experience in business start-up, patents, and natural sciences. Degrees in Biology, Psych, and Geology. I would like friendship and correspondence in English with people of free market spirit in the Soviet Commonwealth or adjacent republics. Will reply to all correspondence. Laurie Johansen, 4938 Pennsylvania Ave., La Crescenta, CA 91214, USA MIT student, male, would like a pen pal in (or from) Iceland. I am interested in libertarianism, space exploration and development of Icelandic bands such as the Sugarcubes. What is it like to live in Iceland? Scott Carpenter, 69 Chestnut St., Cambridge, MA 02139 Single, Christian would like to correspond with other Christians. Also interested in love songs and would like to find out other people's love songs. Ken Miller, RD4 Box 11 Curtis Dr., Vernon, NJ 07462