Spreading the ideas of freedom and glories of free markets is an ongoing job. One thing we do here at the Spy Briefing Club is resurrect the works of previous generations of freedom fighters. It is the Rothbards, the Chodorovs, and Nocks on whose shoulders we stand. The works of these champions of laissez faire not only mold our thinking, but inspire our lives.
But what of the next generation? To whom is the torch being passed? Hans Hoppe very much has an eye to the future of liberty and each year invites the next generation of libertarian leaders from around the world to his Property and Freedom Society salon, held at the Hotel Karia Princess in Bodrum, Turkey. These young libertarians provide the leadership, passion, and youthful energy to ensure that freedom will thrive in the future.
Hoppe even assigned the conference’s closing speech to Economics.org.au editor Benjamin Marks, from Australia. Marks gave a provocative speech about a libertarian legend who is mostly forgotten about at academic conferences — H.L. Mencken. The Sage of Baltimore was the most influential writer of his time and distinctly individualistic He was Murray Rothbard’s favorite author, and once when I asked Murray for tips on writing, he replied, “Read Mencken. He will show you how to write.”
Mencken wrote to amuse himself and in turn amused and (mostly) offended millions of readers. He took a dim view of the typical American (calling them the booboisie) and was even more critical of politicians. Marks made the point that Menken believed that he would not be influential and that politics were just a form of entertainment. Mencken had low expectations for the prospects of liberty, while Mencken fan Rothbard held out a naive hope for change through politics. “Rothbard’s optimism was rubbish,” Marks told the crowd.
Conversely, the young are ambitious and idealistic. Indeed, every political campaign courts young people, first for their energy and next for their cheap labor. Youth have a keen interest in shaping the world they will live and raise their kids in. Political machines of all stripes take advantage of this eagerness.
Regrettably, many young people waste their energy and talents on political action. They don’t realize that working for a candidate or party deadens the soul and sets one up for a life of hardened cynicism when their naivety is exposed to the harsh reality of how government and politics really work. What is said on the campaign trail and at supporter rallies is lost when the legislative sausage is made.
The Property and Freedom crowd tend to lean toward anarchism, but still, even a few of the hopeful were stunned to hear that even a President Ron Paul would not be able to dial the American leviathan back to Jeffersonian dimensions.
A meeting was held one evening that included all the institute and think tank heads from around the world. There were more than a dozen people there, including yours truly, there to share my past experiences.
Organizations from Hong Kong, Estonia, Lithuania, Turkey, Austria, Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Brazil were represented. The groups ranged in size and longevity to one person and starting next month to organizations with a dozen staff and decades in existence. But it’s safe to characterize all these groups as fledgling.
In many cases, the organizations have no paid staff and operate strictly on a volunteer basis. Money is raised on a project-by-project basis. It is a passion for the ideas that drives their work, not a big paycheck and a secure career.
These organizations, while being small and having little funding, have the ability to reach a large audience quickly through the Internet. Distributing information once took thousands of man-hours. Those seeking information about liberty had to call an organization. Someone had to answer that call. Information was then copied, envelopes stuffed and postage applied.
The liberty movement was at the mercy of the world’s post offices. In some ways, it still is. (More about that in a moment.) Today, the various Mises institutes and similar organizations can copy, emulate, and collaborate with like-minded groups around the world. The result is more and more young people will learn about Austrian economics, sound money, and free markets.
While putting a Web presence together is not expensive, providing books for interested students is. The good news is that many foreign students read and speak English. But what they lack are the books.
Here at Spy Briefing, we have an inventory of the classic texts on liberty and free markets. These books can change the lives of students around the world. But the young people must gain access to them.
That’s where Spy Briefing’s Freedom Kit Initiative comes in. We have the books, we know which organizations want them desperately, and we have the connections to ship the books inexpensively. This is important, because in small and medium quantities, shipping will often cost more than what is being shipped.
You can help us with the missing piece. You can push the ideas of liberty to the far reaches of the world with the purchase of a Freedom Kit or donating toward the purchase of a kit. Promoting freedom efficiently requires shipping in quantity to groups already working with students who have interest in the ideas of liberty.
There are thousands of students both here and abroad wanting to absorb free market ideas. To educate them in turn harnesses their passion to spread the idea of liberty. One day, instead of kids around the world wearing Che Guevara shirts celebrating socialism, the world will be filled with kids wearing Rothbard and Mises shirts.
There is no greater gift or better cause than spreading free market ideas and educating young people. Think of it as teaching the world to fish, while your government’s foreign aid feeds dictators. We will even include some Mencken in the Freedom Kits. He may not have been hopeful, but no one skewers government and politicians as deliciously as Menken does.
The meeting of the young freedom fighters in Bodrum was set to run for an hour, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. But time flew by and the group adjourned after two hours only to reconvene at the hotel’s amazing pool and garden area. Talk of freedom and ideas extended into the night.
Spy Briefing Books makes it easy for you to make the world a freer place. Click here for Freedom Kit information.
Sincerely,
Douglas French
