I Chose Liberty - Ludwig von Mises Institute

148 I Chose Liberty: Autobiographies of Contemporary Libertarians
domestically successful product overseas. What I was exposed to at every level of government
made it very clear to me that the world was not as it was being reported on the nightly news.
Soon after, I realized that the media was part of the deception. Everywhere I turned there
was another layer of red tape and lies that provided nothing more than jobs for those who
produced nothing in return. With my 4th child just born in 1989, I was heavily invested in
the future of this country and keenly aware that our government had gone over to the dark
side. Just this last year we have been first hand witnesses to the passage of laws that I didn’t
expect for another 10–15 years, and many thought that I was exaggerating even then.
The only people that I came into contact with that had a full understanding of what was
going on, without having to embellish it, were libertarians. They were clear minded, for the
most part, and had the understanding of the need for a clear message that wasn’t cluttered
up with details of what people should do with their freedom once they got it. A good libertarian
friend, Kent Van Cleave, made it very clear that libertarianism is a means to an end.
Libertarianism is the process principled people advocate to regain their liberty in order to
deserve the freedom that they seek. The “goals” are left up to the individual. The idea that
you can force freedom on someone else is stink’n think’n from the beginning.
I found what I was looking for. I was free to do as I wished as long as I didn’t initiate
force upon another thus violating their rights . . . cool. My first contacts were Gary Fallon,
Mike Dugger, Kathy Harrer and Rick Tompkins. These people answered all of my questions
(first time that had ever happened) and I would later come back with more. They
were all principled, articulate; and I strove to be as consistent. A copy of L. Neil Smith’s
speech to the Salt Lake City Libertarian Party National Convention in 1992 was given to
Mike Dugger by Rick & Kathy. They saw it presented in person and knew we would like
it. Our favorite part was the quote, “Those Nerf Libertarians with their Foam Core
Platform . . .” We knew exactly what he meant, and we immediately became friends with
him and his family and fans of his books. Arizona activism was greatly influenced by this
no-compromise, call ’em as you see ’em, in the face of the enemy style of L. Neil Smith
tempered with the easy-going demeanor of Rick Tompkins. Each of us added our own
special energy to what quickly became the most voter-supported libertarian group in the
world. Decentralization was the key. . . . “Freedom baby, yeah!”
I quickly understood the difference between large and small “L” libertarians all too
well. To me, electoral politics was nothing more than a free soap box for the advocacy of
libertarianism while others saw it as a path to their own seats of power. While many of my
mentors were students of Spooner, Rothbard, Mises, Hazlitt, and Rand I was more in search
of a “bumper sticker” philosophy. I did a lot of reading but found that Atlas Shrugged covered
most of the philosophical bases, and I was far more interested in Hogan, Heinlien and L.
Neil Smith’s Science Fiction for the activist in me to be entertained and stimulated.
I would read much of what was “assigned” me by my new libertarian friends and found
that the common theme was the same, “voluntary association at all levels” was the key.
Almost all of the words were in support of this doctrine.
I came to the realization that the world was broken down into two major types: those
that wish to be left alone and those that will not leave them alone. Activism is nothing more
than making certain that there are consequences for unprincipled behavior by individuals