Libertarian International Organization

 RE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/736882696414329/ Above: Viral LPD meme.

LIO Fans from Afghanistan to Zambia are delighted at the success of the Gov. Gary Johnson/Gov. Weld www.lp.org USA Campaign in setting a goal for creating one in their countries, and for now an easy way of entering Libertarianism into the dialogue. Non-political libertarianist think tanks and groups generally experienced a worldwide surge in interest as well.

During the campaign a workgroup supervised by the LIO curator, his son and daughter current co-ordinators in training, and followed by statisticians in several countries--the Facebook LPD Libertarian Poll Data Workgroup--garnered attention for in-depth poll analyses only LIO d-base data can provide, and accurately seeing through widespread poll manipulation to predict a massive breakthrough for Johnson and a Trump victory.

For reports and more see: https://www.facebook.com/groups/736882696414329   The group has 2000+ users from 120+ countries. Other activities include meme production, data retention, a 'Great Libertarian' of the past semi-regular post, and much data and news provided by users...A final report on the Johnson/Weld campaign is being prepared, and the group follows both elective and activist campaigns by libertarians in many countries.

 See: 

• https://www.facebook.com/LibertarianProgram/
•  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Libertarian-Program-Libertarians-in-Public-OfficeGOAL/221275797927517  

Kennon Gilson, son of the LIO curator and 5 times Libertarian public official as a teenager, networks 1000+ past and present libertarian and -interested public officials worldwide. In college he studies philosophy, film-making, and education, and his professional association co-founded with David Nolan, Libertarian Program/GOAL, says the focus is on meeting the needs of anyone from pledged Libertarian to just interested in Libertarian-interest tools, and also non-partisan and especially appointive-board or neighborhood council local office where citizens can most easily participate. Kennon hopes to be an educator, counselor and art-filmmaker helping youth in poverty.

It is time for pro-Libertarians to wake up worldwide, whatever their party. We’re missing 10,000 pro-libertarian public officials in the USA of 310 MM voters.

 

I challenge serious pro-libertarians IN EVERY COUNTRY and all local parties or independents to meet, set a goal of 33 officials per million voters, and get people in local office low-/no-cost. Tools and how-to’s are at the website above.

 

That is 264,000+ officials around the world advising on voluntary tools and rights.

It’s been known since late USLP director Ron Crickenberger studied the results of the US LP’s first 20 years: Dedicated pro-libertarians were occupying after some years of effort 33 public offices, high or low, per 1 MM citizens ( or 300,000 regular voters). We’ve seen this in NH, Vermont, Costa Rica, Pinellas in Florida.

 

It is immaterial if the official is a famed Senator or caring neighborhood council member. A pro-libertarian in office is a pro-libertarian in office is a pro-libertarian in office as far as the voter is concerned. Having served is a great calling card.

 

Their study, re-confirmed in 2002, also revealed:

 

>>Pro-libertarians in 50+% of the cases LEAD the bodies that they serve, typically elected by their colleagues for their calm, strong knowledge, and consensus approach.

>>Many in appointed public offices—95+% of offices in the USA—who go on to elected office get (as Gary Johnson did) 95+% of their support/votes from those in other parties and independents, about evenly split. This is decreasing as more re-vote for libertarian-type candidates. In the US, the major parties are trying to attract the ‘libertarian vote’ and get endorsements from local LP leaders.

>>Pro-libertarians get into public office as or increasingly more easily than those of other parties as their reputation spreads. The biggest growth constraint of the USLP is (2017) lack of trained pro-libertarians to seek office.

 

In countries like Costa Rica where local pro-libertarians have put in a lot of presence, they have more in office-to-population than the US or many US states.

Don’t waste your time attacking officials of other parties. The public is seeing pro-libertarians as healers who bring rights/voluntary/Green -sensitive ideas to the table that both conservatives and progressives can use. Focus on showing how that is so.

My group, LIBERTARIAN PROGRAM, urges focus on getting those numbers in primarily non-partisan, appointive/neighborhood, local office (primarily) for interested LIO fans. We use no money and no weapon beyond asking folks where we can help with these tools. As formal libertarian-direction party projects like the www.IALP.org expand, I challenge local groups and families to set that 33-per-million first target.

--July 17, 2017

RESOURCES: 

• https://www.facebook.com/LibertarianProgram/
• http://www.libertarianprogram.org/
• http://libprograms.webs.com/who-wins-themes

 

Now in every nation there  with LIO users, autonomous think tanks, and a growing number of 'Partidos Libertarios' a review of some of the photos sent us of the amazing enthusiasm in discussing Libertarian Philosophy and applied philosophy in daily life and service areas...

(Above)  Latin American Women like artist-petitioner Ester Mendez Delgado of Costa Rica set a new beat as Latin Libertarian-Liberals in a new generation leave the think tanks to Hit the Streets for open dialogue on ballot access, crime and corruption data transparency, and natural co-operatives.

Other organizing issues include proposals for more neighborhood governance and  'libertarian community areas' plus voluntary governance privatizations that actually work--and a free immigration and free trade treaty of the regions, then the Americas.

 the "Abraham Lincoln of Latin America" LIO curator, philosopher, 1904-5 revitalization co-founder  after whom the current curator is named: Michael Francis Lemos, who co-founded the Brazilian Republic, co-designed its flag, tried to turn positivism to libertarian pathways, and led the peacful emancipation of the slaves...

 Argentina and Brasil activists meet...

 Ecuador conference...Libertarians there are working on reviving the free immigration pact for the Americas--the San Lorenzo treaty...

Peru

 Costa Rica

 Rep. Mireya Zamora Alvarado

 Mexico

 Ecuador

 Hispanos en EE. UU.

The Big-L Libertarian spirit: Dorothy Day.

with MG

At a time when we again learn of new extremisms, vast atrocities, and official conspiracies... it's wise to take heart of the LIO Libertarian spirit--and a great proponent now on-track to Catholic Sainthood, my dear mentor--and frequent and often hilarious lunch companion--LIO Fellow and Old Liberal-Libertarian League associate Dorothy Day.

Day worked on three key tools--a non-punitive or restorative approach; the ideal that people should have an inalienable and untaxed homestead of a few acres as a secure base to use economic systems (sometimes called Catholic distributism: She rejected using legislation, however, or attempting to impose the optional approach on all); tolerance based on a loving heart. Her co-operative/intentional community effort while not a cure-all was essential to social life impervious to political manipulations of the economy, and a fund for good deeds. Her Libertarian 'Catholic Anarchism' Movement is still there and a great resource--and more important, many of her proposals are becoming increasing accepted or adapted.

Thus, many people are sharing the tools building eco-community 'prepper' networks, sustainable homes with their own personal social programs, working on de-criminalization and restorative justice, working on interfaith and secular-faith co-operation, etc. During the world economic crisis, many LIO fan/Libertarianist households weathered it all and were able to help others out mirroring her self-reliance concepts.  Above all, she understood as an Aristotle fan that for an action to be moral it must be in input benign, process benevolent, and in result actually beneficent. (Compare to 'our intentions were good, but it failed when we tried to force people.') She was grounded in the benign voluntary approach, started always with an assumption of good will and careful study, and urged people to focus on results that then arose from often easy but powerful changes. Dialogue: Is there something here that your home, extended family, or community network can use?

Day understood that capitalism/communism, selfishness/altruism, reason/caring, theory/action are false choices transcended with a holistic and rights/voluntary approach. She perceptively analyzed many evils of her time, worked in the trenches and lived the value of simple labor, and kept a high-minded and no-nonsense attitude that inspired many. There is no reason to wait for official sainthood to draw emotional, practical, and other inspiration from this Libertarian voluntarist hero of heroes.

Tools: Some useful if not always accurate links to get familiar/start dialogue. Enjoy!

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_acres_and_a_cow
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Day
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Worker_Movement
• http://www.catholicworker.org/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_of_God
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotelian_ethics

By MG.

Takeway: In the LIO Libertarian future, the poor will be the millionaires. Critics will say Libertarians failed.

Dialogue Sheet.

(Note: This began as a series of talks with LIO Fellows Gene Roddenberry, Robert Heinlein, R.Swanson, Murray Bookchin, Murray Rothbard, and David Nolan in 1974, plus valuable comments by Barbara Branden and Toni Nathan plus my promise to Padre A. The late Swanson developed an original draft. This as always is the curator’s advice for dialogue and as promising tools, and different LIO fans may have different takes.)

The social sciences and most legislative proposals are fatally flawed for 3 reasons: They tacitly assume people are not conscious and hence are mere pawns of wider forces. They ignore that Libertarians are reshaping all societies by providing tools that improve personal awareness and control. They ignore the rise of more user-defined societies and economies with tools as a long-term vision of the SMILE economy, and interest in building blocks as eco-homes and co-op ventures as Mondragon (founded by Libertarian international activists). for example, neither capitalism nor communism gave us the internet--LIO Libertarians did, using voluntary capitalist and communist approaches to change the paradigm. Some 5 key tools that render most predictions obsolete from the start:

1. SMILE. LIO Fellow and Libertarian Gene Roddenberry sought to demonstrate a libertarian-structured and receptive future federation of intelligent, science-aware, and tolerant people--the Star Trek universe--so people could get inspired and in many cases back-engineer the many improvements ( e.g. e-tablets/Ipads originally seen in Star Trek; the portrayal of minorities and women as capable and equal)--but also traditional cultures were respected and left undisturbed except for the prospect of choice. Imagine now that public policymakers are often proposing rules to prevent such a world of choice from happening. Will they win in the long term, depending on unconscious general reactions and a spread of nihilism? LIO fans/libertarians have left behind the old smear that free-exchange is short-sighted, working locally and nationally for a moratorium eventually anchored on property law on air/sea pollution and for more eco-homes, free to low-cost machine servants for all, consumers informed by free exchange of data instead of secrecy-driven regulations, life-extension and user-defined community. In contrast, officials and economists call for contradictory imposed environmental policies that benefit wealth donors or totalitarian movement or use eminent domain to take away family farms and small homes and prohibit urban mini-farms; propose web charges, pro-censorship regulations, taxes; presume consumer choices are stupid and ill-informed creating an anti-rational culture; call for health plans to not treat the elderly--defined by some as over 71--but let them die while seizing private pensions and ignoring or suppressing life extension efforts and calls by LIO fans/libertarians for a retirement age of 50 by better social insurance management and personalized programs; calling for international taxation when the trend is towards libertarian-inspired localist autonomy. Any paper in social/science economics that ignores the growing SMILE direction as aware and insistent is wrong.

2. Eco-Homes and Co-ops; more proactive and user-defined pricing to Null-cost. An economy with eco-homes to local eco-villages as self-sustaining building blocks, and Libertarian-inspired entrepreneurs and co-operatives that see their job as driving costs down do products can be offered at nominal (null) price or free make a mockery of most official policies and economic predictions that stupidly assume 'the market' is driven by senseless anti-rights greed. the truth is many policies forbid free or low-cost services and are being targeted by libertarian/LIO fans: New rules against informal babysitting co-ops, Mondragon-like co-operatives and associations; collecting rainwater to create self-sustaining food ecologies, for coerced regulations creating higher prices and costs, penalizing helping the homeless or draconically taxing the poor who are trying to start a small firm, delegalizing taking films of police and public and private-for-public use officials at work (or too often, at play). Officials hiding corruption and anti-rights measures behind calls to selflessness, not self-empowering choices, are the problem.

3. The coming Libertarian leisure economies by IQ class. As more people are freed to produce intellectually and by providing free/low-cost inventions, financial compensation will-and is already shifting—from lifetime wages to burst of wage activity anchored by investment (or value from discount purchases) returns and co-op goods (such as belonging to an eco-farm, or well-organized extended families) from investments and self-fulfillment activity, and a return to self-sustaining farmlets with city homes able to weather any economic downturn personal or general. Officials are being driven to distraction by the growth of a vast libertarian-imitative informal economy where people trade goods to great benefit. They’re attempting to limit them by banning direct sales or trades of farm products as raw milk, or limiting barter societies and ‘yard sale’/swap meets—or trying to tax all internet sales, informal domestic help or live-ins, or even ban personally taking in homeless people. It's more productive to think of world economies, especially user-defined markets that may set various goals. LIO fans have liberated the Einstein-level plus IQ--the 1 per millions or better--by removing many blocking statutes and taxes so they the super-intelligent act, creating a vast rise in billionaires who earned--not stole via legislation--their money ( along with a bursting of NGO and e-network non-profits for the less financially inclined). At the same time, voluntary-based programs and growing legalization of communal/co-housing living ease a base income and equality experiments. Focus is on removing statutes that block egalitarian business co-ops such as Mondragon. The current 1% vs. 40% debate misses the point--of course the top 1% IQ of doctors, academics, inventors do very well while the slow-normal to highly deficient to insane lower IQ--the 40%--historically suited as domestics have only modest assets ( especially as such studies distort the inequalities, ignoring the vast libertarian/progressive driven public wealth of each citizen, plus where the low-income keep their wealth such as homes and retirement pensions). Many LIO fans are thinking we'll see more inequality writ large and that's a good thing--it means that the hyper-IQ are producing benefits for all--but also on the local level to be fair one must look at local goals that will be more conscious as we see better endowed social programs, and co-operative living arrangements. Old economic dialogues divert attention from how to use voluntary tools to, in each locality, create leisure eco-economies of guaranteed basic sustenance (home, food allotment, income, insurances) and modest 10-hour workweeks with robot servants for all. Many LIO fans are 'Going Galt' by using personal endowments, fanatic cost-cutting, and the web to lower needed workweek to a few hours while increasing their community volunteering and personal activities--yet ready to put in long work when opportunities arise. Nothing shows this more than recent smears on 'selfish Libertarians' during hurricane s sandy while praising FEMA as absolutely required--and arresting those who had accumulated prepper reserves or were going around regulations to bring gas and cheap supplies to their communities. Now, lawsuits are revealing that the whole time the anti-Libertarian/pro-government campaign by the extreme left and right hid that FEMA officials wanted to maximize damage to bring blind trust in the government then defraud homeowners of insurances ( and according to allegations, then buy up the artificially cheap damaged homes) and even threatening them arrest when they got they retrieved their own home-damage reports (so revealing government and crony corporation misdeeds) using their libertarian right to free information. FEMA is being foiled by local libertarian-informed groups, the libertarian-driven freedom of information act and class action suits, and growing interest in libertarian prepping. LIO fans and L/libertarians recognize that these are not exceptions but what anti-rights and anti-choice systems do. With growing public conversancy in libertarian /SMILE tools, a different economy/user-driven economies based on voluntary approaches that actually can work --or are at least not designed to defraud--is intended. The shift of attitude underway is:

• From focusing without context on income differences over a few years looking at the whole nation or world irrelevant to one’s personal action (e.g. scandalized worries comparing the low-income in a distant US state with a billionaire in Canada who now purportedly ‘controls most of society’s resources’ )

• To instead conscious bottom-up planning of multi-generational co-households –plans of 2-10 of the Higher/Middle IQ with allied lower-IQ homes for reaching satisfactory personal and common-use wealth goals over several generations—and supplemented by, not being driven by, now voluntary larger common public programs/social insurances as optional conveniences. (Point of information: a typical group of 100 homes will have 1% over 145 IQ and 2 % over genius 130; ~30% 110+ IQ college and technologist level, 20% average union/clerk-supervisor level, and ~40% at/under 95 IQ low-average to very low IQ domestic/simple labor/need living assistance. In practice, a college-educated and libertarian/SMILE conversant family can help and benefit by ‘adopting’ or establishing mutual help ties with 1 middle and 1 lower-IQ home, and serve as informed advocates of their actual needs against e.g. over-complex programs and aiding them in long-term investment and removing or handling any impairments, and steer people away from offenses-violent behavior and addictions.

Many LIO fan libertarian homes say they’re discussing, modeling, or doing just that by:

• Developing libertarian/SMILE informed neighborhood networks

• Re-contacting and revitalizing their extended families

• Encouraging eco-prepping entire local communities and foodshare programs that buy cheap in bulk for distribution to low-income volunteers, and ending statutes against worker/user co-ops

• Promoting local entrepreneurship classes, re-share, and forward share networks and stores

• Advising, co-housing or ‘adopting’ lower-IQ (bottom 40%) persons or homes for mutual and long-term benefit as a barrier to top-down feudalism, and jointly

• Developing co-housing, shared activity, solo-living assistance, and long-term intergenerational education and wealth plans/permanent portfolio plans with assets in several countries as both an ecological and official-misbehavior protection

• Encouraging cities to adopt independent and labor/asset based local currency choice, de-tax solar energy experiments, and allow farmer’s markets, mass buying via local farms, and more

• Turning poor areas into user-run ones owned by their users to prevent gentrification, aid long-term help

Individually, LIO fans use these tools to help think about what sort of home, community, and local economy they want from short to long term. They defy economic and 'moral' analysis rooted in the totalitarian 1930's.

One final thought about the SMILE economy: The unexplored planets and wealth therein are your home’s in aliquot division with all other families. It may well be that in future times they will own their own planet. At the same time vast ‘government’ but legally public common wealth is being mismanaged so defenseless people live in the streets, and the US Government perversely counts as an asset student loans while demanding new taxes for ‘free colleges’—all due to passing many regulations to hinder by-exam/thesis and other low-cost or free college options. Why let petty regulations and attitudes stand in the way of these present and long-term entitlements?

Discuss these concepts with your family and community along with our other tools to decide on your areas for betterment. What is your home's constitution, learning/prosperity plan, self-sustaining, life extension, mutual help, and other short-to-long term intergenerational approach?

Tools: Take Action-- Some Resources of Libertarian User-Defined Home and on Economy:

What not to do…

• http://www.lpf.org/news-archive/south-florida-libertarians-join-forces-feed-homeless-today/

• http://insider.foxnews.com/2014/01/27/farmer-faces-2-million-fines-after-throwing-birthday-party-her-own-property

Home wealth/Co-housing/Condo

• http://www.thefarm.org LIO Fellow Gaskin’s commune turned condo offers many tools

• http://www.biblio.com/9781891231339 Homeless man discovers Libertarian tools, becomes homeowner.

• http://harrybrowne.org/PermanentPortfolioResults.htm

• https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=make+your+family+wealthy

• https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=family+constitution

• http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-turn-your-family-into-old-money-2012-9?op=1

• http://vickirobin.com/books/summary-of-your-money-or-your-life

• http://iqcomparisonsite.com/IQtable.aspx In general, a billionaire who in general didn’t misemploy legislation to effectively steal money based on our interviews has a 170+ IQ, and of those willing to learn how in the US now one in 10 homes are millionaires--but even modest IQ homes that are helped to save and invest are building substantial wealth over time. Obviously, many highly intelligent people choose more modest living or are not interested in studying precise wealth-building techniques.

Free exchange rethought the Libertarian way…

• http://www.mondragon-corporation.com/eng/

• http://www.heinleinsociety.org/pay-it-forward Heinlein publicized pay-it-forward free exchange approach

• http://free-share.org/

• https://www.freecycle.org/

• http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bookchin/gp/perspectives2.html

• http://www.communityeconomies.org/Home

• http://www.ic.org/directory/ecovillages  

...coming to a nation near you.

By MG, LIO curator.

I'm delighted to share the news of work towards a world Libertarian Parties Alliance. While activist contact groups exist, this will allow more formal work. My friend former www.lp.org chair Geoff Neale was appointed at their recent 2014 convention to help get things rolling. He reports: "...Last year, the National Convention of the Libertarian Party approved a resolution calling for the creation of an international association of Libertarian parties (IALP-MG), and suggested that I be appointed to assist in its creation. Since July of 2014, I have been working with people from the US, UK, Spain and the Netherlands to help found this organization...On March 6th, 2015, this organization will become a reality...Please like and share."

Today, IALP states: We are holding our formal Founding Meeting in Bournemouth, UK on March 6th, 2015. Confirmed Founding Members as of this posting are from Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States.

The Purposes of the International Alliance of Libertarian Parties (IALP) are:

To establish, maintain and promote a collaborative network of independent libertarian political parties from around the globe; to foster and facilitate the sharing of political strategies, tactics, experiences and best practices among its Members; and, to establish, maintain and promote libertarian political perspectives and solutions as a global brand.

Please join their Facebook to keep abreast:  https://www.facebook.com/IALibertarianParties/ 

PERSONAL NOTES:

There's some interesting history here.   In 2000 I worked with the USLP on developing its correspondent efforts to something more formal in conformity with the oddities of US law. It was agreed that when 3 countries besides the US had explicit party Libertarians in public office, it would be time to revisit the issue. At present, Australia, Costa Rica, Russia, US are notable. In recent years Euro-libertarian parties have created a joint statement and doing essential groundwork. Many other countries--Belarus, Norway, NZ--have libertarians in libertarianist parties, and many LIO fans are in non-partisan office from China to South Sudan.

Oddly enough, as a curator project (LIO endorses no parties) my initial focus in 1969 was reviving the Liberal and creating world conservative and Green alliances. Today, in several countries the Libertarians and greens are basically the same ( I created the Greens with my then companion, Petra Kelley on a common 10-point outline with the Libertarian civic platform). These provided conduits for voluntary and rights-sensitive concepts e.g. In many countries of course the main issue is developing basic libertarian-receptive democracy.

 A project aim (dubbed the 'Troika' approach by David Nolan)  is creating 3 libertarian-receptive parties of the center to discuss or focus on championing rights via voluntary eco-tools: liberalist (libertarian-oriented in our terminology) eco-parties to build the tolerant and stabilizing working-middle class, a libertarian-direction/federalist party such as the www.lp.org with invitation for people to take the non-coercion pledge, and on the local level groups working on LIO model and model-based Libertarian eco-home/eco-community with a focus on non-partisan local and especially appointive office (and centered on a project we share: See: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Libertarian-Program-Libertarians-in-Public-OfficeGOAL/221275797927517  ).  As always, L/libertarians/LIO fans work in all parties: these parties fill a gap and are offered as public conveniences (e.g. the original name for www.lp.org was 'New Liberals' but after discussion with LIO Libertarians was agreed). In due course almost all parties will start from Libertarian tools as a matter of course, whether with focus on the natural conservative/progressive social brakes and accelerators and their constituencies-- or on specific issues. In the US, we've already seen instances where the 'Big Party' candidate chided the www.lp.org candidate as having anti-Libertarian positions.

The civic mission of Libertarianism is to legalize libertarian-based societies from homes on. The www.lp.org has developed considerable institutional knowledge and materials that all parties interested in bettering awareness of rights can use. USLP public officials, despite occasional heated rhetoric, tend to lead the bodies they serve and are valued as calm resources for rights, due process, 'less-is-more' and voluntary options that empower the average person. I predict that as the materials and activist experiences of the different groups are shared, we'll see more great results. I hope to see the IALP logo in all nations with member parties or associated civic groups.

NB: And finally, for all you astro-biology/astrology fans (because we're full-service): Looks like IALP is a 5th House Pisces with Virgo Moon and Libra ascendant (9 AM meeting assumed), strong stellium in Aries and lucky Jupiter in the 11th House of politics. So it's well-aspected for visionary but precise action, likeability, both overt and behind-the-scenes work, and rewards initiative and informality. It will reach a peak of popularity starting in 20 years.

Costa Rica Libertarian-Liberal leader former Legislator Otto Guevara Guth is greeted by Li Yuancho, PRC Politburo. Mr. Li is not connected to LIO, but many in the Li clan say they like LIO tools.

Our survey of 3000 LIO homes in China (2011) report a focus on 3 key areas:

1. A US of China--the Chinese Dream--with more localist democracy
2. Stabilize growing free-exchange with anti-corruption and property law
3. Peaceful attitude with all nations towards science/cultural exchange

LIO L/libertarians there see the 'Chinese Dream' as a nice home, free-exchange for wealth and self-development in an atmosphere of respect for personal-property rights, choices of preferably voluntary-based low-cost social programs that work in a tolerant society.

From 2010 discussion handout:

In the early 1970's LIO Libertarian Advisor Damon Bordenave led a project of dialogue meeting with key persons in PRC and India, helping open up both socialist countries to Libertarian choice concepts. The vast Chinese Lee (or Li) clan has many branches with blood connection to the Lemos, the League founders  and LIO co-founders, and who worked to maintain choice concepts in less equable times.

In China in the last few months, outreach and interest has been considerable as citizens there continue to both liberalize and libertarianize.

• LIO activists and officials met to review the PRC plan for increasing democratization, and process issues such as development of a United States of China ( see e.g.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalism_in_China ) on a more con-federal model. Concerns were reviewed on invasion of the PRC by right-wing religious extremist parties under pretense of spreading free markets, accountability tools, and non-interference with eventual LIO clubs. Contrary to popular belief in the West, the PRC has several parties. Libertarian-interest civic groups were discussed as means of innovation starting in small areas; tools such as DDI and juries, and non-partisan local entities examined. Also examined were eco-concepts, free immigration within the PRC (which still has internal controls); abolition of the military to police levels; and ways of addressing the retirement crisis. LIO Fellows discussed how population reduction, universal unions, better wages and self-driven insured regulation could result from LIO tools. A separate workshop on ISO and CALEA standards resulted. It was set to work on Sister Cities more as well. Matters concluded with the PRC participants stating that without LIO dialogue nuclear war might have resulted; today the complaints are over cheap shirts.
• Groups such as the Unirule think tanks continue seminars and workshops on market reform and public program choice ( http://english.unirule.org.cn ), along with information efforts such as IMPencil ( http://www.impencil.org )
• A delegation from the Costa Rica Movimiento Libertario headed by Otto Guevara Guth discussed numerous issues to better trade and party-related concerns.
• Lib-interest groups such as www.ISIL.org have held conferences in China.

RESOURCES:

• http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/libertarianism-in-china/ Lib books translated
• http://mises.org/daily/1967 Thoughts on Chinese proto-libertarianism

(Article was prepared 2010-11 by R. Swanson and John Li )

LIO Fellows in appointive non-partisan public office such as Julie Chorgo, Dr. Ralph Swanson, and Dr. R. Holcombe have helped bring and spread homeschooling, in-home 'manage your mail' post e-offices and private 'public parks', and massive tax relief  combined with service improvements respectively--through high-minded approaches, courtesy, and presenting the many Libertarian-interest options to start dialogue. Now all LIO supporters can continue--and lead-- the worlwide process in a more systematic and unified way that also improves public service and engages all public officials as it raises public expectations--and interest in voluntary public programs.

LIO: Libertarian Candidate & Public Official Standards

The LIO re-isues the following  standards for candidates and public officials seeking to apply its Libertarian approaches and as guide for proponents of voluntary alternatives conducive to rights in public administration, and those interested in improved public service.

INTRODUCTION

These have been approved by the founders of the modern movement, and LIO is registering a non-partisan public administration arm with a sister peer association for those generally interested in Libertarian approaches in public  programs.  

It should be remembered that LIO sees change as happening primarily through peer-to-peer and opinion-leader/catalysts public awareness, direct democracy and the fruitful dialogue it brings, and market or jury action; however, public office models and pilots are needed and stabilize change. This personal arm of the movement founders curated by LIO is being developed but people are joining here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Libertarian-Program-Government-Officials-Association-on-Libertarianism/221275797927517  Resources useful to this approach will be uploaded there from time to time, along with appropriate best practice shares..

SUMMARY

The LIO encourages citizen involvement, and for those supportive of Libertarian-based programs or community in particular all candidates to first concentrate on adlective direct (volunteer or small group appointment) or appointive office; and if for election to focus on e.g. running by petition to meet and listen to the people and so run low-to-no budget non-attack campaigns; and so avoid unseemly contributions, including from public entities. Dialogue towards public offices that are volunteer and unpaid is encouraged.

We encourage all Libertarian supporters to seek volunteer public service, then appointive public office or board monitoring leading to that at a minimum. Libertarian governance occurs when those conversant with libertarianism, guided by pledged libertarians, are in those positions supportive of those developing change on a private or private of public character basis.

GENERAL

Libertarian supporters come from all walks of life with a tendency towards women and minorities; and the very young or elderly. Studies show Libertarians in elections draw equally from all political leanings but also bring out mostly new voters from independents or the center.

In general, 1 Libertarian in public office influences 300+ of his or her peers in public offices.Libertarians typically soon lead or serve in leadership positions in the boards or bodies they serve given collaborative voluntary approach; iron courtesy and refusal to take slight;d often superior sense of market, legal and parliamentary processes; and ability to mediate as a neutral figure with something in common with all views.

DATA

In general, our  and USLP studies have determined that elective:

• Candidatesmust run 3-4 times before winning, Libs slightly less so
• Candidates focused on proven concrete voluntary/rights solutions do well
• Candidates with record of community involvement and appointive boards do best
• 1%-10% of Libertarian groups are in public office, so Libertarians have participation and electability rates 30 or more times higher than other parties.

In other words, trained Libertarians are actually more electable than opponents or the general public: and even if they lose build formidable support groups that soon drive policy thanks to several runs, especially by petition seeking contact info. They continue to do well maintaining good contact and attacks on them backfire against the support.

SOCIETY SOUGHT

LIO encourages dialogue on devolution or legalization of formal service governance to local and voluntary entities respectful of rights; of sound endowment fund management;  of methods for non-use of services, and of open, participative process.

Examples would be based on proprietary or intentional communities, town-hall "Jeffersonian" democracy, and local associations welcoming voluntary and usewr driven optioons. In such communities most public office is adlective direct--volunteers set by the common meeting--or adlective appointive from those. Ideally there should be little competition for offices and they should be volunteer. Elective offices should be few and focused on competent appointment, fair public hearings, and opportunities to better rights through e.g. devolution.

'Informal societies' dialogue and implenetation such as on an anarchist co-op model as is being increasingly done, or unincorporated entities using a variety of market vendors is also encouraged.

HUMAN RIGHTS, LIBERAL, LIBERTARIAN CENTRIST PARTY FOCUS

LIO encourages dialogue on primary action to open the elective access and democratic transparency and particpation. In most cases, this should be the prime task as an appointive "farm team" is built. Direct Democracy/DDIR is included in this focus, especially as allowing direct constitutional initiative and plebiscite review of legislation.. In this rergard the Swiss and Florida USA models have much to adapt for those seeking models. Partisan Elective candidacies not supporting this initial task or general education while good should not become distractions as has happened in many cases, and are not even particularly germane in some countries and jurisdictions.

For example: We encourage dialogue that all Elective offices should be free of ballot requirements not directly germane to the office such as candidate fees; or also that especially small parties not acting as mass parties of social mediation should seek to be able to register at will with full control over adherents.

In cases such as the US where the Electoral College has been 'captured' by older parties due to legislative tricks in most states, proportional election of Electors as exists in some state is suggested as a key focus, along with MMP.

Public endowment or unrestricted private financing of elections that is voluntary is welcome; yet still should be avoided by LIO supporters and advocates of rights in general for reasons of focus as explained below. Parties have experienced problems with 'moles' or opportunists seeking funds, mis-applying them, and attracting offical scrutiny and disruption.Candidates who make it their business to meet the public, speak at campuses and community bodies, etc. tend to do best in terms of electability and quality of their service.

APPOINTIVE FOCUS

Over 95% of public offices in the world are adlective appointive: Citizen task forces, appointive advisory boards, neighborhood associations, judges and the like. Many high offices e.g. the US Presidency are technically appointive.. Appointive offices are a logical start, involve modest time and non-frightening to most people; and an excellent way to get involved in the process. As they are in close popular and community leader contact, "What the legislature proposes the appointive disposes."

We encourage general community involvement by all citizens, and for LIO supporters to in general focus first on locating and serving well in public service volunteer, then appointive, then if desired preferably non-partisan elective office.Those in elected should continue their good work in appointive.

POSTURE

We encourage a posture that is non-partisan and consensus in manner and offices sought, or non-confrontational MMP if elective (i.e. these at-large legislators do not take from other parties but attract Libertarian-interested non-voters as was seen in a Florida test in 2002). Attacks are not encouraged: LIO dialogue is to focus on the problem, not the person. No criticism of a program should be made without a Libertarian-interest and preferably voluntary solution at hand as an alternative that a) has public momentum, and/or b) defends a minority rights-group working alongside. 

CODE OF CONDUCT

LIO supporters and public officals in general should use the 3 C's:

• >Character: Honesty including care of public funds and courtesy.
• >Community: Low-budget campaigns, running by petition,  community advocacy
• >Competence: Understanding of office sought, its local policy history and enviroment, presentation of range of Libertarian-interest options for user choice

PLATFORM

Candidates may focus on these 3 areas of LIO interest:

• Liberalism/Libertarian-oriented: Reduce governance abuses/better rights
• Libertarian-direction:Introduction of voluntary options, challenge agencies
• LIO Program: Libertarian implementation in non-partisan office per LIO standards

These promote accountable and participative  democracy, market and community choice, and legalizing or easing choices of model Lib-based communities respectively. We recommend books such as Seamless City (Baker) Voluntary City (Beito) and Art of Community (MacCallum) respectively as good for orientation; and www.governing.com and www.reason.org and Lib community best or promising practices shared via LIO for respective policy tools, many already underway and adaptable to all communities.

The platform if for elected office should be simply "I will work courteously with all to uphold rights and better programs, seeing that voluntary and Libertarian programs receive a fair hearing where we can cut taxes while bettering choice and quality." (Or equivalent.)

We encourage an additional 1-3 issues as may enjoy public momentum involving voluntary-interest tools specific to that public office.What is most important is after illustrating how voluntary solutions might work, the best platform is dialogue based on the recommendations or statements of need by the public that can be solved by bettering rights, voluntary choices, or particpation.

LIO STANDARDS: PUBLIC OFFICIAL PROGRAM

These will be comprehensively issued later ( a version is under testing with select people in public office) but the format is one of dialogue improvement, organic and usabke by all public officials in a collaborative fashion: The 'Gilson 3 R's' in wide use--namely for all public programs officials will read the measure under study and budget line by line and with colleagues:

• Review: For legality, need user/home friendliness and comprehensiveness
• Remove: Legal blocks to voluntary dual action from volunteers to co-ops to firms
• Revise: Continual improvement by open choice, refusal waiver and citizen review

An example would be what LIO Friends and supportive libertarians have done so far in Florida:

• Reviews empowering home schools and parent-boards in public schools; capture of efficiencies leading to better teacher pay by sharing tools;
• Removing many blocks to private and home-based options and life learning/co-programs such as joint High School/College learning and credit by exam;
• Revisions as funding scholarships with a dedicated lottery and review by home school boards of the parents themselves with an effective schooling waiver by user directed standards; and free form simplified standards for all private schools along with encouragement of e.g. union or  industry-based certification.

Candidates or officials--or citizens-- are urged to use the 3 R's as a brainstorming framework on general betterment and voluntary/rights options and building consensus.

PUBLIC OFFICES BY IMPORTANCE LEVEL

LIO encourages supporters to get involved in public offices here ranked by level of importance and value to dialogue and social stabilization, and legalization or use of voluntary policy (the first 5 are generally adlective and mostly appointive):

1. Informed citizen/public board watchdog; Juror-Elector/Election Monitor
2. Neighborhood Association or Local Board; Charter, constitution etc. task force
3. Services Board: Libraries, Roads, Parks, Postal, Housing, Scool etc.
4. Mediation: Sister City, License, Zoning, Magistrate, Advisory...
5. Service Officer: Constable, Elections, District Attorney...
6. Non-partisan Elected or local elected e.g. Soil & Water, School, City...
7. Partisan/High Elective or advisory

Examples:

• US: http://www.stpete.org/boards/
• Spain: Barcelona

GROWTH EXPECTATIONS

Under 1-2 participants in public office per year per 1.3 million population, 90+% in non-partisan elective suggests something is being done incorrectly. People in multiple political offices are encouraged.

Certain things assist the process:

• Lib Peer sharing and co-training/mentoring is highly valuable along with continued updates to relevant publics; Sharing Libertarian-interest sites and materials with non-Lib peers in public office is critical.
• Political attacks are never recommended and should be phased out as distracting from implementation and consensus-building.
• Bargaining against oneself by proposing "moderate" solutions or diversion into constitutional or populist issues is not germane to this process: Focus should be on the Dallas protocol ("Dallas Accord") of presenting the range of Libertarian solutions from modest to complete and letting dialogue find the way based on user needs.Removal of an agency is not per se Libertarian (though it may be relevant as to directional debate); voluntarization by removing coercive components such as secrecy, coercive taxes or statutory monopoly or advantage is.

IMPLEMENTATION

These standards work by starting dialogue and self-assessment. Please print out and review with your team to circle areas of action and improvement, and devise action items.Please share your successes in public office with your world peers at the Facebook or direct to its facilitators.

The LIO encourages dialogue centered on mediation by rights and localism parties or civic groups that are attentive to voluntary models, but endorses no party or candidate but welcomes all interested in the dialogue for betterment.

CONCLUSION

The LIO through registered projects will expect use of these standards by those advocating LIO eco-community or civic platforms set by the curator; and they're strongly recommended to all advocates of libertarian-conversant or general liberal federal democracy as maintaining a high- minded, participative, best-practice and therefore effective approach. Those not using the standards will in due course be outflanked by those who do, especially as they see that public information tending to demand for accountability, particpation, and choice increases.

Candidates or officials may evidence that they will work with the standards as best they can by linking here or to sites to be set to the purpose.

NOTE: The foregoing was reviewed by Mr. Gilson, Dr. Hospers, Mr. Nolan, and Dr. Swanson; and builds on a working paper for iimited distribution of Mr. Gilson and Dr. Rothbard, and a review by LP Political Director R. Crickenberger.

Libertarian International Organization Fellow Marla Gilson was the "driving force' for world attention to the needs of the differently abled, said admirers, and a key person in promoting both Jewish benevolent causes such as Hadassah and working for peace. 

Marla Gilson was a key LIO Advisor in bringing forth Libertarian approaches to understanding the needs of the differently abled and ending invidious discrimination.

The matter is still widely misunderstood even among some Libertarian supporters, who forget that there are 2 kinds of private entities--ones of public character such as common carriers and entities seeking to engage the general public, and those that are purely private of restricted membership to which public standards--menat to address the e.g. expectations of the less-informed public-- don't apply.

As she put it, "A Jewish study group is immune to the standards; one open to all persons must follow them."

Admirers say she worked brilliantly in the US in:

1. Joining together and doing needs assessments for once disparate groups, and pateiently educating uncomprehending or bigoted leaders...
2. Championing statutes ending where 80% of the discrimination existed--public facilities and government programs--such as better wheelchair access on sidewalks including the emblematic ramps as intersections spreading worldwide
3. Sensible statutes for private entities of public character such as stores open to the public, while preventing attempts to regulate purely private clubs and associations such as religious or fraternal groups of limited reach. At the same time, she encouraged such groups to adopt the public standards whenever feasible, and worked to bring all parties together in 'win-win' compromise. She also worked to prevent mis-use of stautes for anti-business, anti-union, or other agendas, typically by creating unrealistic staututes meant to drive policy as a hidden tax.One result was her "or equivalent: caveat in stautes so people could seek the most cost effective option possible.

The LIO periodically contacts members or in-laws of the Gilson and Monfort-de Lemos clans to see if they're interested in participation. She also worked through LIO Group to bring the concepts to all countries, noting that purportedly 'worker-friendly' coercively socialist-communist countries were the worst offenders in many cases--along with agencies that sought to exempt themselves from their own rules, such as the US Congress itself. A staunch advocate of reproductive freedom, she was in recent years involved in projects to fight genetic discrimination such as misuse of abortion to kill fetuses for genetic reasons--while uniting over 1000 scientific and advocacy groups to study ending all disease through e.g. pre-conception genetic engineering, working within the LIO co-ordinator's and original modern Libertarian view that the issues of abortion (which includes contraceptive use and caesarians) and unborn protection (e.g. non-destructive removal of embryos for humane reasons alone) are distinct and the rights status of the unborn utterly irrelevant just as it would be in the case of an adult which is driving innovations such as snowflake babies. She also worked quietly for separate and friendly states in the Mid-East of eventual Liberal secular character. In addition, she champoioned legal and cultural changes to allow business innovations such as work-at-home and flextime, which were often hampered by local statutes. According to her bio at http://www.geneticalliance.org/bio.gilson :

"...Marla Gilson is the Director of Hadassah’s Washington Action Office, a post she has held since 1997. Hadassah is the largest women’s membership organization in the US Marla is a registered lobbyist and advocates on health policy, domestic legislation, and U.S.-Israel relations. Her background includes extensive legislative, political, managerial, and administrative experience.

Marla has been working on or around Capitol Hill for over 30 years: on Capitol Hill for Congresswoman Bella Abzug (D-NY) and Congressman Bob Traxler (D-MI), and around the Hill as the Director of Community Relations, registered lobbyist at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and director of the Washington Office of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. She also worked in the Presidential campaigns of Mondale/Ferraro and Dukakis/Bentsen, and the Senate re-election campaign of Paul Sarbanes. Marla helped create the Coalition for Genetic Fairness and is currently on its executive committee. She serves on the board of the Coalition for Advanced Medical Research (CAMR) and is a member of the Board of Governors of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice."

In a twist exemplifying the still formidable forces of bigotry and incomprehension that she addressed, she herself was fired for becoming handicapped by her organization then fighting disabled and aging discrimination--the Association of Jewish Aging Services-- in a story that has galvanized activists worldwide.See: http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/03/29/3086608/longtime-activists-leukemia-sparks-bone-marrow-donor-drive  and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/06/marla-gilson-fired-from-t_n_845641.html

In contrast, Marla's doctor was an Egyptian--even her last act modelling her work for understanding and reaching out.

Said LIO curator Michael Gilson-De Lemos (MG): "She was the sort of modest but firm person at the nexus of LIO/Libertarian voluntary and rights-awaremethods, Liberal tolerance and cultivation of mind, and balanced progressive cultural and scientific sensibilities that are LIO's essence. If you wish her monument, look about you."

.

LIO Fellow Advisor Richard Winger is a world expert on field of fair elections. While focused on US issues he covers worldwide at : www.ballotaccess.org

LIO Friends, fans and activists continue leading and catalyzing dialogues worldwide on election improvement, and joining in coalitions to drive fairer elections in every country in  what is proving to be a multi-generational process.

1. Implement Basic Fair Elections and Rights Charters: http://www.wymdonline.org/
2. Fair Ballot Access and Party Registration with Citizen Initiative
3. DDI and MMP  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed-member_proportional_representation resources share

Join LIO Friends to share your good work. For more on OPERATION DEMOCRACY

US Libertarian-interested  consumer info journalist John Stossel congratulates  Jennifer Jones, who with LIO Friends  is championing use of more web and other technogy to spread democracy and 'civic engagement.'

LIO Friend Jennifer Jones is deeply interested in increased world democracy, participation, transparency and change via petitions  and initiatives...and just sharing key information on what's going on. As a result she's championing 'Do It Yourself'  DIY Democracy among other projects. She invites you to check out the site at: http://diydemocracy.org/welcome/ which explains the robot or 'app' that is powering change in many areas by uniting tools to obtain information and act in a timely fashion.

In addition, more tools are at: http://theprometheusinstitute.org/  which networkls additional data from otrher efforts and is helping LIO Friends and other activists in activities from improving Nigerian elections to crowdsourcing data to call out mis-statements by officials It also has projects such as helping young entrepreneurs with key items. These could anchor a great project for your activist group or personal activism.

Mr. Stossel has a more 'old school' school video project on his work at: http://stosselintheclassroom.org/index.php?p=aboutjohn.html&l=8

Remembering LIO Observer, Libertarian International Organization Legal Counsel Vito Marcoantonio who broke many paradigms. As LIO Counsel on his death he was succeeded by later LIO Honorary Fellows Chair  Hon.  William P. Rogers. He Championed Civil Rights, Cheap Union Healthcare, and a Secession Model in Use Now.

LIO Fellow and Libertarian International Association Counsel Vito Marcoantonio is being recalled by modern Libertarians-- with world refocus on Civil Rights non-discrimination, health care, union and local autonomy issues-- as a forgotten pioneer ...where he made signal advances in those and related areas with deep relevance today.

Like most Libertarians of his time, previous to the LIO encouraging foundation of increasingly Libertarian-oriented parties as a 'political home' he was involved in many political groups, and interested in instituting progressive public institutions to counter-act religious monopolies and outright Stalinism with the view of later libertarianization. .The attorney served as a distinguished Republican Congressman, member and later in public office for  the American Labor Party, and leader of an enormous open-entry uniion that was persecuted by the government for providing  low-cost health care--and was key strategist in restoring the natural law concepts of both protected private discrimination and breaking the back of religious-driven public offer and public bodies racial and other discrimination.

1. Civil Rights and Non-discrimination. He authored the first modern Civil Rights Act in the US, which went on to influence many  countries in ending invidious discrimination: His early version, H.R. 3994, was first introduced on March 13, 1941, but it died in committee. A second version, H.R. 7142, was introduced  on July 20, 1942, and it also died in committee. At that point it had done its job of opening eyes and creating a core coalition; and was adopted as a model and rally cry by a determined group of business, union, and legislative leaders--including John Kennedy--for the legislation of 20 years later, spearheaded and passed primarily by Liberal and Constitutionalist Republicans.
2. As vice-president and leader in the IWO, he worked for a "free union for voluntary, not Stalinist Communism' with a demonstration medical-dental plan for all participants. He warned that dependence on taxation of the rich was to be beholden to their incomes, and called for worker and middle class entities that were self-supporting. Unlike many Communist or other unions, ILO was open to all races and political beliefs, with a model of 'union-provided, not government centralized healthcare' that was extremely low-cost and attracted the ire of doctors for demanding professional improvement and 'allowing plumbers to fire surgeons' among other complaints; the ire of  the still powerful KKK-- which at that time had members in about 20% of American homes and many of whose families have come to control the Republicans, say critics-- for its racial openness; and dismayed insurance companies seeking legal prefrences along with hard-line Stalinists posing as 'Liberals'  and standing in the way of both government imposed 'private insurance only' or centralized options. It was closed under color of political activity but the 200,000 member union "... provided very low cost term life insurance, coverage which could be supplemented with additional protection against sickness..did not employ sales representatives and paid no commissions on policies ... published news in their own languages, organized singing societies, sports teams, marching bands, dance companies, and theater groups.... from a tiny organization of 3,000 to 5,000 members at the time of formation in 1930,  it... attracted to the low cost and nondiscriminatory availability of insurance and the willingness to take on as insureds anyone who worked, even those who worked in dangerous or high risk employment, as well as the mutual aid benefits.... it met pragmatic needs in an economic and social framework...IWO offered insurance to all working people at the same rate regardless of race or occupation and was, at the time, the only service provider where African Americans could obtain insurance at the same rate as others...' in that manner, says one site article.
3. Was a strong advocate of state autonomy, starting as an advocate of a new 'Commonwealth Free Associate State' status where a US territory or state could on application become non-voting, leave foreign affairs to the rest and be otherwise an independent copuntry. He used the model to promote normalization of the status of Puerto Rico,  which had become a preserve where people were expropriated by corporations favored by politicians in the capital to today a 'Commonwealth' or 'Free Associated State' helping, according to one commemorative site, reverse the situation where : ..."The once land owning farmers, dispossessed by huge sugar plantations...work the unfertile mountain soil or are landless. Only seven percent of the native dwellers in the rural regions are landowners in Puerto Rico … Over the heads of these small farmers hangs a total mortgage debt of about $25 million (NOTE: In the curency of the mid-century)… The landless peasants have been converted into a great army of colonial slaves in the sugar plantations, or are unemployed..."

His interest in voluntary and libertarian communism in a liberal society that also welcomed free markets as opposed to Stalinist monopolies was lost on the FBI, which the story is told by old-timers in the movement at one time had Marcoantonio under constant surveillance-- including meetings with the FBI head and Ezra Benson, an LIO Fellow who became part of the Eisenhower administration. At one time the confused government spies of both the US and USSR were following him about, at a loss to comprehend his work and convinced he was a secet agent for the other country. His ability to get broad support across all parties even led the government to pass primary restriction and anti-fusion (running as a candidate endorsed by several parties) laws that libertarian and other groups in the US are slowly reversing today after a titanic 40-year fight.

LIO past honorary Chair Ralph Swanson, who interacted  withh Marcoantonio, Kennedy and later King, has noted that while there may be room for improvement in matters of discrimination or judicial interpretations, the 'US Federal Rights Act is correct in banning official discimination and that of public offer private businesses, while protecting strictly private firms or organizations in ability' to discriminate, though, he notes, "Even the Ku Klux Klan has begun admitting members of different races..." and the Rights was carefully studied in formulating the standard USLP platform to guide legislative coalitions.Libertarians should not confuse strictly private associations with those of public offer; in any event, most discrimination was forced on business and non-profits by government regulations that ironically were originally supported by racial progressives in many cases, or leftist groups seeking to stir up ill feeling..."

The Freelancer's Union in the US has ( http://www.freelancersunion.org/ )   recently revived many of the IWO service concepts, and Libertarians suggest dialogue on placing many social services in the hands of union and consumer groups unhindered by legislative bans or 'nanny-state' forced centralization. In the US Cover Florida, a Health care exchange predating current efforts to assist consumers has been developed by pro-Libertarians.

The US in later years, egged on by Libertarians, divested itself of its 'ridiculous play-colonial 'empire, says Swanson, with a variety of agreements, mutual free association and governance compacts, or simple independence, maintaining friendly relations. In cases such as the Northern Marianas, Libertarian groups helped mediate transition. Today many Libertarians remain interested in the Commonwealth model as a means to bring greater autonomy and experimentation to US states or local governments--from eased drug laws to non-tax zones-- consistent with the rights of the individual.

_________

Note RE Secreatry E. T. Benson, who wrote extensively on intergrating Libertarian concepts to Mormon religious practice and worked to champion the Sister City concept: "“I am a libertarian. I want to be known as a libertarian and as a constitutionalist in the tradition of the early James Madison ~ father of the Constitution. Labels change ... though in its original British connotation the term liberal fits me better than the original meaning of the word, conservative.”(Ezra T. Benson, The Red Carpet p.206) . At the time the LIO, then the League, was a smaller advisory group, not the growing networks of today.

Above. Dr Schoolland and daughter on work in interview.100K+ CD's have been delivered among even more items that address non-coercive society, English, and basic literacy.

The LIO registered  www.LibertarianBookClub.org lead readings--Adventures of Jonathan Gullible (JG) and the companion free Liberty Flash--are now available in over 40 languages, with more translations under consideration. JG, authored by dynamic political economy educator, philanthropist, and talk show host LIO Fellow Dr. Ken Schoolland, is a charming children's book that is also being used in English tutorials and illiteracy worldwide. It expalins through memorable short adventures many supposedly difficult concepts with additional exercises for schools or home study. The short Flash orients the viewer to non-coercive moral and social themes.

Several initiatives  use the items in a "Liberty Camp" youth movement  with an array of activities in China ( https://sites.google.com/site/chinaaustrianeconomicscampc/ ) ; Central Asia and  East Europe ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKR9MzsceZ0 ) and other countries ( http://profitfromfreedom.com/about-the-conferences.html ). The www.LibertarianBookClub.org will be rolling out by-country e-group book/action clubs to support LIO/Libertarian-interested  communities and forums in 2012 alerting people locally of the readings including other free e-books.

While English, Spanish and french cover most copuntries and populations, the translations are of great help in reaching local budding leaders. See: http://www.jonathangullible.com/ to obtain information on JG, offer to translate, or donate--and download the free e-Flash or link it to your site. Please share or link this post.

Founder of psycho-epistemology, or the science of efficent thinking and authentic and aware feeling philosopher Barabara Branden has released her long unavailable seminal course on "Principles of Efficient Thinking." Her work has been credited with launching the entire mental self-improvement and goals analysis movement in personal development and management.The course helps the auditor identify  mental habits, examine common fallacies, improve emotions and sub-conscious activity, and introduces her ground-breaking approaches.Her site is at: http://barbarabranden.com/thinking.html She explains:

Thinking is not an automatic process known to everyone "instinctively." Thinking is an acquired skill and — like every human skill — it involves certain principles which have to be identified and learned.

Barbara Branden's course on this subject, available on audiocassette, deals with the art of thinking in both its theoretical and practical aspects. The theoretical aspect covers in detail the principles that make possible the most efficient use of one's mind; the practical aspect covers specific techniques by which one avoids thinking errors and maximizes the productiveness of one's mental effort.

The course contains ten lectures, and includes a discussion of such issues as the following:

Why a science of thinking is necessary — the relation between efficient thinking and intelligence — the philosophical base of efficient thinking — the nature of intellectual focusing — the various levels of focusing — the problem of concentration — the nature of the subconscious — the subconscious as a "Univac" — the proper use of the subconscious — the psychology of "inspiration" — the effect of repression on thinking

The nature of the conceptual level of consciousness — the nature of intelligence — the destroyers of intelligence — thinking in essentials — the destructiveness of treating emotions as tools of cognition — the manner in which wishes and fears can distort the thinking process — "emotional-perceptual" thinking.

The importance of knowing the source and validation of one's concepts — the role of integration in thinking — forms of the failure of integration — evasion as the sabotaging of consciousness — common aberrations in thinking and consequent mental habits — the inability to think in principles — the misuse of abstractions — the "socialized consciousness" and the destruction of language — failures of discrimination in thinking — the error of intellectual "package-dealing" — the danger of false axioms.

Psychological causes of inefficient thinking: the surrender of the will to efficacy; failure of self-esteem; the "malevolent universe" premise; "social metaphysics" — the source and conditions of intellectual certainty.

 (Reposted November)

LIO fan and former Libertarian  in the Costa Rica Congress Otto Guevara, left, meets recently with Chinese officials to examine better free trade and other common ground affecting Central America and Asia.

Fall 2011 Update: On July 17th, 2010, with the expansion of LIO friends, many pro-LIO activists with Libertarian and Liberal supporters began “Operation Democracy” with 3 dialogue goals:

1. Move the 41 remaining problem nations to federalist secular democracy options

2. Start Lib book clubs, Libertarian-interested communities, parties in all countries

3. Direct Democracy (DDIR), jury rule, and voluntary choice in all nations

LIO Operation Democracy builds on the prior and ongoing LIO Trident initiative begun in the 1950’s with Ezra Benson, and re-oriented in the late 1970’s, to encourage in all countries:

1. Citizen Diplomacy through Sister City Boards, core open democracy standards

2. Starting with ISIL and Atlas , Libertarian-oriented and LIO think tanks

3. World workshops and info-shares on using technology to street organize

The LIO curator advises—as always-- that all action and demonstrations be peaceful, respectful of public officials and forgiving of any wrongs, and work initially through solidarity/awareness-raising via personal and union/professional networks. Appeals to foreign help are not condoned, except for medical supplies. Purely defensive small arms in extreme cases sanctioned by the UN, while understood, are not helpful or advised, as these tend to attract big-power interference, terrorists, or military-industrial complexes. The LIO Friends helps share activist key items.

Much initial work was facilitated by the late David Nolan, lead founder of the US Libertarian Party. Unitarian and other lines of contact were explored. Relevant LIO Public Safety Group participants met simultaneously with leaders or their representatives in problem countries starting December 21, 2010 in a show of firmness to advise errant officials their time was up and suggest avenues of exile or reconciliation. 500,000 sheets or communications on organizing were distributed by community leaders; other civil society groups were discreetly encouraged to move forward. The aim was as a first milestone massive change in the Mid-East by the anniversary of 9/11 and the previous LIO ‘push’ that eased the fall of coercive Communism and many right-wing dictators.

As of September 2011, progress is ongoing and satisfactory, as LIO Friends and supporters at our Facebook and Twitter, many doing the work, are aware: Besides the autonomous and natural long-term work of the think-tanks and others, many have started or joined with e.g. social and phone network communication projects touching an estimated 2 million opinion-leader users in 51 countries. In no sense is LIO or users intervening in the affairs of other countries, but making people aware of voluntarist approaches and lines of dialogue to users secured UN Rights as a non-partisan resource. The curator and LIO cultural board, while aware, manage no details.

No action was taken in nations such as China except already continuing improvement, given current policy of eventual federalism, more market choice, and full democratization. Protests should address specifics working with officials in a frank and fraternal fashion wherever democratic processes are underway, and focus especially on system betterment.

Work will continue until all goals are achieved: Recent attacks by media and bloggers ridiculing or portraying Libertarians as: against democracy, oblivious to current protests, anti-Muslim, ineffective, helps fanatic radicals, creates chaos as in Somalia, etc. or that protests are driven by the CIA (presumably some are), are a triumph of US or extremist aid, etc. are disinformative.

RESOURCES::                                                                                                                                           

>  http://www.libertarianinternational.org/apps/blog/show/6130254-libertarian-dialogue-direct-democracy-in-all-nations

> http://www.libertarianinternational.org/apps/blog/show/6084703-lio-libertarians-in-1st-international-conference-to-help-open-last-authoritarian-countries

> http://www.libertarianinternational.org/apps/blog/show/5590381-islam-libertarians-lead-charge-

> http://www.libertarianinternational.org/apps/blog/show/6130254-libertarian-dialogue-direct-democracy-in-all-nations

> http://www.libertarianinternational.org/apps/blog/show/6533908-foreign-policy-2111-x-prize-projects-as-nasa-eyes-stars

> http://www.libertarianinternational.org/apps/blog/show/2943173-lio-head-libs-drive-citizen-foreign-policy-

> http://www.libertarianinternational.org/apps/blog/show/5492930-libertarian-romanians-ended-communism-lead-reforms

People in Asia open new local project thanks to Openworld: http://www.openworld.com where Somali activists and Libertarians are not only fighting for a better Somalia on a democratic-localist and market model free of the remnants of government and other imposed terror, but spreading tools worldwide for improvement based on their insights and advice of development experts on voluntary options.

 (See earlier article on Somalia and Somaliland below)

A Somali Investor inspired by Libertarian development tools and an LIO Fellow are among those at work using the concepts and the web to empower under-served people around the globe, and hope their work will inspire similar efforts. Among other items, users are informed by tools of Libertarian choice, Liberal tolerance, and progressive action to implement the needs of the users in simple and cost-effective ways.

Soleman Abdi Idd, founding Chairman of Openworld Inc., is a Somali-born investor and entrepreneur active in private sector environmental initiatives, ecotourism, agricultural ventures, and free economic zone development in Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East.

LIO Fellow Mark Frazier, Openworld's President, has experience in developing market-oriented initiatives for private and public sector clients in 56 countries. A graduate of Harvard University and former Visiting Fellow of the Lehrman Institute, he is a past publisher and managing editor of Reason magazine as well as cofounder of the Local Government Center, springboard for Reason Foundation's privatization practice. He specializes in economic reforms, free zones for knowledge industries, sustainability strategies for self-help groups, and skills diffusion initiatives in emerging economies.

GROWING LIST OF PROJECTS

The group networks volunteers, investors, people with proposals and contributors who simply like the concept. Among the projects underway, according to the site:

>The Horizon Lanka Academy in Sri Lanka. Openworld and its partners are helping to fund microscholarships, work-study projects, student creation of eLessons, and a dedicated internet connection for a pioneering private school launched on a volunteer basis in rural in Sri Lanka. The project has attracted diaspora funding for land grant and building endowments to help ensure its future, and gained national media and political support as an example for villages across the country.

>eCenters and Microscholarship Funds in Kyrgyzstan. With support from the Academy for Educational Development and a $100,000 catalytic microvoucher challenge grant from USAID, Openworld has assisted private telecenter operators in this Central Asian country in extending online learning and certification opportunities at grassroots levels, following local commitment of land grants as endowments for ongoing microscholarship funds. A multimedia presentation on their progress -- with more than 5000 microvoucher recipients over the first 18 months -- can be seen here.

>Strategy development for Business Parks and eGovernment initiatives in Eastern Europe. In response to the growing interest of municipalities in private sector-led eCenters and Business and Technology Parks, Openworld and its partners have been working with communities to design "quickstart" facilities and development tenders for land grant concessions that offer liberalized business climates.

VIRTUAL TOOLS

In addition, Openworld is extending catalytic offers of microscholarships, work-study projects, and in-kind contributions -- including video cameras, notebook computers, and software -- to local self-help initiatives interested in endowing microvoucher funds and "eAcademies" through land grants in Somaliland, Gabon, and Haiti.

Openworld and its partners also have a range of online projects to promote sustainable eLearning opportunities and to support private sector-led projects that can generate resources for local microscholarship funds. These include:

>Launching an "Assisting Entrepreneurial Schools" portal with resources for market-based learning alternatives to succeed, including information on microscholarship funds, land grants, and opportunities to engage students as designers/co-owners of new for profit schools and eLearning ventures;

>Preparing a Virtual Business Incubator CD - with funding from USAID's Regional Competitiveness Initiative - for jobseekers and freelancers in Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro to find projects in rapidly-growing online free markets for telework (click here to request a copy);

>Offering "Openworld Presenter" freeware/shareware authoring tools for creation of eLessons that can fill gaps in existing educational systems;

>Using free Skype internet calling software for diaspora and other volunteer faculty to offer online "English as a Second Language" practice sessions for schools serving poor communities;

>Working with FLOW -- an emerging movement for liberating the entrepreneurial spirit and focusing it on the goals of sustainable peace, prosperity, and happiness -- to engage students in cross-cultural exchange to understand and develop Openworld approaches to local social and economic development; and

>Providing digital toolkits in international and local languages for private development of eAcademies, eCenters and Technology Parks around the world on a success-sharing basis with nonprofit organizations.

>Click the siute for more on tools for e.g. global eAcademies , Bulgarian eCenters and Business/Technology Parks, and Krygyz eCenters.

Said LIO curator Michael Gilson-De Lemos: "You can teach someone to fish, or show  how to fish--or best of all teach how to start a fish farm. In my opinion the combination of such networking sites and making assistance programs non-coercive and better accountable make the Libertarian approach-- of dialogue for international understanding while ending poverty and teaching wealth creation so the free markets and intentional community or co-op proejects are a ready tool, not a mystery-- a growing reality to end humanity's true foes: poverty, ignorance, and mutual fear. We heartly encourage interest in such projects especially of people reaching across borders to share their experience where it may help others." 

LIO Fan turned Fellow Christina Tobin discusses election improvements with Mr. Grayson, Kentucky, USA Secretary of State.

LIO fans continue expanding their work in bringing low-requirement and fair ballots and elections to every country. One target is the US itself, where Libertarians have been chipping away at laws over 4 decades that made third parties difficult until a few years ago...but much remains to be done. Christina Tobin co-ordinates various coalitions and efforts in the US that work for fair ballot access and elections, inspiring many worldwide to work to improve democracies on a non-partisan basis to better citizen participation.

Common ballot problems, advocates say, include nonsense requirements, unrealistic signature levels, ill-trained officials, bizarre party qualifications, and openly hostile legislation.

RESOURCES:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Tobin
• http://www.freeandequal.org/

For decades LIO's Milton Friedman worked on issues internationally from abolishing the draft to freeing up markets and ending poverty with limited government tools. Now his relative Patri Friedman is an LIO Fellow and helping people discuss how to bring more societal choice through small and designed community tools, especially free cities and new mini-countries. In addition, his network includes people working on cleaning up the oceans and other ecological issues using market or voluntary tools.

Friedman has brought together interested activists from around the world to study and present commercially viable sea communities and alternatives such as charter communities. He invites those interested to join his groups and monitor and contribute with the many intellectuals, business investors, and interested consumers involved. The LIO encourages general use of Libertarian and voluntaristic tools to design innovative and stabilizing communities, eco-villages and co-housing experiments, and dialogue on clean oceans with residential but minimal industrial or drilling use by e.g. coastal eco-parks with both common and family permenent seastead use.

The USA has over 15,000 competing governments, and people increasingly accept that once territorially based public services can be privatized by firms or non-profit groups and offered locally or on the market e.g. phone service co-operatives  or competing cell phone companies instead of a state monopoly as existed before Libertarians got involved. In addition, Libertarians have driven a relaxation of localism impediments leading to an explosion of designed communities and housing co-operatives in e.g. the US  that act with whatever level of governance participants desire. Many feel what the Friedman group is studying is an important next step.

RESOURCES:

• http://www.seasteading.org/blogs/main/2010/12/03/the-future-free-cities-conference-2011-announcement Seasteading
• http://athousandnations.com/ Cambrian Explosion in Governance
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkdqqpkDVyQ Eco-village ideas
• http://www.projectkaisei.org/ Clean oceans

Direct Democracy expert Prof. Ted Becker advises DDI projects.

The Libertarian International Organization is encouraging rights activists to work for dialogue on DDI in all countries--the combination of Direct Democracy, citizen Initiative including plebiscite and referenda, MMP (mixed-member proportional, or at large by party legislative representatives additional to direct by district  ones) representation, and eased ballot requirements--as essential to citizen participation, official accountability, and implementation by direct citizen authorization of e.g. Libertarian voluntary options. Dialogue may include devolution of decisions to local neighborhood levels, as is done in parts of the US, Switzerland, and elsewhere where Direct Democracy is equivalent to the vote, a system praised by Thomas Jefferson and others (typically of 1000 voters). The LIO encourages both individually-decided public programs, and where there is a consensus a range of communities as designed or as desired by the users on the local level, consistent with respect for rights and voluntary participation.

WHAT IS NEW

The LIO has started a conversation that DDI should be treated as a political priority, and  as structurally essential and implemented in every country on local-regional levels and national or federal levels where devolution does not apply. In addition, encouragement includes the concept that citizens should be able to e.g. set governmental budgets in their own homes by a simple system of check-offs, enjoy electronic or Tele-democracy voting, and dialogue on other innovations.

Many countries have become aware that these are desirable components of open governance and improved social quality through accountability. New Zealand, including at the instance of LIO Libertarian activist initiated coalitions, has adopted MMP with good results; Florida, USA has direct citizen amendment of the constitution creating a more choice-oriented trend in public policy championed by LIO activists; and many countries have dramatically eased ballot requirements creating a wave of independent and 'third party' candidates. Many intentional communities use forms of DDI as well.

Neither Direct Democracy nor other methods may be understood as means of oppression or subversion of rights: typical experience has shown an independent judiciary and citizen education is adequate protection. In practice, as is seen in countries such as Switzerland, DDI best facilitates obliging a social dialogue, removing corrupt officials or racket rule, increasing citizen involvement and education, and building consensus in setting policies for increased choice or better management.  In addition, elements such as fair ballot access are basic, and quickly implemented or improved where there is DDI.

LIO Fellow and international DDI champion Prof. Ted Becker and others have developed valuable websites to network and inform activists and policy leaders. The autonomous LIO registered public administration project will focus on moving to help citizens if desired implement DDI/MMP as first priority; then use these for ballot access improvements and authorize Libertarian choices in each area and improve Liberal localism and other improvements desired by citizens; and ease proportionately representative elected officals, facilitating a natural political dialogue and evolution at whatever pace the electorate deems comfortable. Dialogue includes this be developed as a non-partisan effort involving joint support by all parties and groups.

RESOURCES:

> http://www.world-wide-democracy.net/

> https://fp.auburn.edu/tann/ (Tele-democracy)

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_member_proportional_representation MMP

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracy DDI across the globe

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communes_of_Switzerland Swiss communes

>  http://www.iandrinstitute.org/ US status

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

> Form a coalition to improve along these lines in your area or country

> Dialogue on multi-party common ground

By Ralph Swanson, LIO Advisory Chair Emeritus

 (Updated February 2011)

In a series of secure phone conferences ending last October, Libertarian and Liberal participants in the confidential LIO Public Safety Group agreed to move on a long developing plan to help dialogue and advise citizen transition of the world to democracy, and prod democracies to more open systems with increased use of voluntary solutions.

The group is one of 3 advisory teams of the LIO, with a broader open Cultural Advisory Board and a new Network of senior community activists in formation.

The high-level group of over 600 senior retired or promising public safety leaders, diplomats, and social scientists interested in advancing LIO tools through discreet means, with an average of 2 per country, continues the work of a smaller contact group that played a key role in the reforms in Communist and Right-Wing regimes on a non-partisan basis. The conference is the first of its kind, and the group has been greatly expanded in the last decade. It is  autonomously co-ordinated. (A follow up conference was held in October 2010).

LIO curator Michael Gilson-De Lemos circulated his advice that 'the time to close the era of severe abuse' had come. The group targeted the last 29 highly authoritarian countries, mostly in the Islamic Conference ( http://www.oic-oci.org ), and additional budding but troubled democracies for interest. In addition, a focus on seeing formal laws of religious freedom and the removal of official state religions was encouraged as key.

Countries where pro-Libertarian think tanks exist or are being formed, such as China, will be monitored and a process of meetings already underway continue. The curator advised the Cultural Advisory Board things were underway several weeks ago and LIO  supporters have been following events at the e.g. LIO Twitter for the past month. The curator paraphrased Eisenhower and stated national defense was too important to be left to governments and was the proper domain of citizen peace and rights groups; and emphasized that if any leaders should step down his expectation was it would be voluntarily and with honor. The group also blessed creation of a more open group of senior policy experts or retired or promising officals per country as part of the Cultural Advisory Board.

The group set 3 areas of action: Meeting simultaneously with senior leaders in 40 countries ( Done December 21, 2010 in most cases, or staffs) in a show of solidarity to encourage interest in democratic transition and blessed the continuing training of activists in using both new and old communication technologies and street organization techniques by an autonomous group; agreed to encourage dialogue on bringing Direct Democracy plus other items such as jury use and more transparency to all nations, also opening more dialogue on non-citizen track immigration and eventual planetary colonization; agreed to work to ever encourage non-partisan sister city and advisory appointive councils of average citizens in all countries. The group will continue communication on an informal basis.

 The curator re-affirmed that LIO encourages heightened dialogue and research for transitions of troubled countries to Liberal and federalist democracy; of such democracy to increased use of voluntary options in all public services with direct democracy, MMP, jury use, and level ballot access; and in those friendliness towards emerging or eventual Libertarian eco-communities and Libertarian-interested networks in ever area of about 1 million population, and enlightened voluntary societies and solutions in general. Finally, the curator re-emphasized his advice that citizens must have democratic and Libertarian tools to defend themselves from misguided religious and corporate groups that seek to use the law to plunder and control the average person, action must be peaceful and use respectful passive resistance and dialogue; saying: The walls shall come tumbling down, and things improve each generation.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

>Look into participation via your local Sister City board; and contact groups such as http://atlasnetwork.org/ and http://www.ISIL.org on donations to help bring young thinkers to their conferences and activities. (In July 2010 LIO Friends was inaugurated with 100 activists to network a variety of non-partisan and autonomous projects of social entrepreneurship and information sharing on rights issues and change techniques).