I Chose Liberty - Ludwig von Mises Institute

46 I Chose Liberty: Autobiographies of Contemporary Libertarians
got very involved in the campaign and that took a bite out my studies, probably slowing
my graduation by a semester. I also continued my reading, including Mises’s Socialism,
Omnipotent Government, and The Anti-Capitalist Mentality, and more Rothbard, including
Power and Market and America’s Great Depression. Finally, I graduated in 1966 and entered
USC Law School that fall.
During the sixties, Rand, Branden and the Objectivists were a big factor in my libertarian
education, although they didn’t call themselves libertarians. Living in Southern
California, I could not attend the New York-based Nathaniel Branden Institute lectures
until they came out on tape. Some may recall the way that was done. An authorized agent
of NBI would rent a space and make contact with the usual suspects who could then sign
up to attend the taped lectures. It was valuable education, but the meetings were deadly
serious. Some of us would gather afterward for coffee and further discussion. I recall that
a friend and I, neither of the deadly-serious persuasion, had fun, enjoyable discussions, with
copious laughter. Others were offended by our lack of seriousness. That made it even funnier.
All in all a very positive experience.
Another positive influence was the local newspaper, the Santa Ana Register, published
by R.C. Hoiles, about as hardcore a libertarian as one could find. For example, during
World War II he editorialized against the internment of Japanese Americans, a truly courageous
stand. Lincoln would have jailed him. The Register’s editorial policy was pure libertarian.
My public school teacher friends were appalled that I liked the paper. R.C. Hoiles
is gone now, but he remains one of my heroes, and what is now the Orange County Register,
continues to hew to the libertarian line editorially.
I did meet Rand, Nathaniel, and Barbara Branden sometime about 1965. That would
have made me about 30 at the time. They were the main attraction at a major Objectivist
event in Los Angeles and I was a Senior Fire Inspector with the L.A. Fire Department
with responsibility for public assemblages. So I showed up at their event in my official
role. It was packed to the rafters, with exits blocked and various other life hazards violating
the Fire Code. Barbara Branden spoke to me, asking if they could pay a fine and go on
with the show. Very New York. I told her that would not be necessary, I was an Objectivist
and on their side. We went to work unlocking the exits, clearing aisles, etc., and the show
did go on. I had brief conversations with Nathaniel and Ayn Rand during the intermission
and was thrilled to meet them and tell them how much I appreciated their work. For me,
very memorable.
Many will recall that, ultimately, things went badly in Objectivist-land. Rand and
Branden split in 1968 and all Objectivists were called upon to choose sides. Branden came
to Southern California and was a guest lecturer in philosophy at USC, having been invited
by John Hospers, the new head of the Department of Philosophy. I just happened to be in
my last year at the USC Law School and was Editor-in-Chief of the Southern California
Law Review. I contacted Professor Hospers and reintroduced myself to Nathaniel. Then I
arranged for Nathaniel to publish an article in the Law Review. Fortunately, it was not
difficult for him to produce it. He used a chapter from his forthcoming book, The Psychology
of Self-Esteem, modifying it to fit the Law Review article format. I considered publishing
the article quite a coup, but some of the professors at the Law School were upset, as were