Live Earth: Dead Show September 2007 $4.00 the breath nations. /I - George Bernard Srlaw "Big Debate" at FREEDOMFEST Attracts Over 1000 Attendees "There is an excitement here I haven't felt in years." -- It was an historic event, and we are still getting emails about the "Big Nathaniel Branden Debate"·and the other panels, speeches, and events. The theme of this year's FreedomFest was "seven" -- 7 themes, 77 The unsolicited testimonials keep coming in: "Off the charts!" . speakers, and 777 attendees. The dates were unforgettable, July "a breath of fresh air"...... "nte most illuminating, 4-7, 2007, culminating in the "big debate" on US foreign policy enjoyable, educational, inspirational and satisfying on 07-07-07 in Las Vegas. seminars I've ever attended" ..... Asudden surge pushed attendance over 1,000. C-SPAN land 2 showed "WOW!! I'm still just so gob-smacked by the amazing up to film the event. Several freedom organizations signed up at experience of FreedomFest that I'm having trouble the last minute. Governor Schwarzenegger team came to check it finding my words....I had such a fantastic time I could out. almost regret my choice of career. I have always loved argum~nt and debate and have found it a continuous The buzz focused on the Big Debate between Dinesh D'Souza and Larry frustration that the life of a modem academic so seldom Abraham (the conservatives) versus Congressman Ron Paul and involves those things. I can honestly say that I have never Doug Casey (the libertarians) on US foreign policy and the war in had such agreeable disagreements as in those three days Iraq. "The BEST debate I've ever seen," commented an attendee. in Las Vegas." "Doug Casey was on fire," said another. (Professor Clive Wynn, Professor of Psychology, University of Fla.) FREEDOMFESTNow On CD: Yours for only $249 We sold more tapes/CDs of FreedomFest 2007 than ever before. Now you can experience FreedomFest yourself. The top 100 sessions can be ordered now for only $249 plus $12 shipping & handling ($ 261) . Included in the CDs are these popular sessions: II Animals vs. Man Debate, with John Mackey, Clive Wynn, moderated by Nick Gillespie (editor, Reason magazine) . • The Big Debate on US foreign policy. Plus Congressman Ron Paul, "How I Win II Immigration Debate: Ken Schoolland and Steve Moore, versus Lanny Ebenstein Elections Without Compromise!" andJerome Corsi. 1m The Millionaires Panel: How 4 self-made libertarians make it, spend it, and give it away, 1m Jose Pinera (Cato Institute) on "The World Revolution that Can't Be Stopped." Plus with multi-millionaires Doug Casey, Ted Nicholas, John Schaub, and Rick Rule. (This a popular panel on "Chile vs. Venezuela: Which Way Latin America?" session was jammed.) • "FreedomFest Go to the Movies," with Jo Ann Skousen, Socky O'Sullivan, Thor III John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, on his personal successful philosophy of "self­ Halvorssen, and Greg Rehmke. actualization" and his revolutionary brand of "conscious capitalism." • ''The New Asia: Boom or Threat?" with Jim Marsh (D. of Hawaii), Larry Abraham • Supply Siders Debate, with Art Laffer (Laffer Associates), Steve Moore (Wall Street (Insider Report), Mark TIer, and Ken Schoolland. Journal), and Dan Mitchell (Cato Institute), moderated by Mark Skousen. 1m Art Laffer on "Why I Left California for Good!" 1m "Evolution vs. Intelligent Design" Debate, with Michael Shenner (Scientific_ 1m ":lteligion for Good or for Evil" Debate, with Michael Shenner, Andy Olree, Harry American), Michael Denton, M. D. (author, "Nature's Destiny"), and Clive Wynn (U. of Veryser, David Theroux, and Doug Casey. Fla.), moderator by Alex Green. Adebate with more light than heat! • An entire 3-day investment conference, with Alex Green, Rick Rule, Dan Denning, II "How to Write a Bestseller....and a Classic!", with Charles Murray, George Gilder, Horacio Marquez, Albert Meyer, Larry Abraham, Peter Schiff, Frank Seuss, Jeff Socky O'Sullivan (Rollins College), moderated by Jo Ann Skousen (Mercy College). Verdon, Dave Phillips, Nicholas Vardy, Doug Fabian, Don McAlvany, Peter Zipper, Very popular session. Martin Truax, Keith Fitz-Gerald, Frank Trotter, and many more. 1m Debate between Nassim Taleb ("Black Swans" author) and Charles Murray (author of Bell Curve and Human Accomplishment). Plus dozens more speakers: Tom DiLorenzo, Nathaniel Branden, George • Mark Skousen on "Investing in One, Simple, Crazy Lesson" and ''The Big Three in Ayittey (Free Africa), Jon Utley, John Whitney, Debbie Brezina, Steven Economics: Smith, Marx and Keynes." Plus his "big announcement" on 07-07-07, the creation of the Free-Market Hall ofFame and Museum (go to www.freedomfest.comHayward.RichardTimberlake.Brian Doherty, Michael Strong, Bill for more details). Westmiller, Eamonn Butler, Jerry Cameron, Richard Viguerie, and three 1m Ayn Rand Panel on "Atlas Shrugged or Booming?" with Nathaniel Branden, Mark TIer, founding fathers (Patrick Henry, Ben Franklin, and ThomasJefferson) at the Jerome Tuccille, and Nelson Hulbert. gala Saturday night banquet! D Yes! Please send me the top 100 sessions of FreedomFest 2007. I enclose $249 plus $12 shipping and handling ($261 total). Make check payable to: Ensign Productions, and mail to Ensign Productions, P. O. Box 298, Riverton, Utah 84065, telephone 1-866-254-2057, email: [email protected]. Name _ o Charge my credit card (check one): 0 VISA 0 MASTERCARD 0 AMEX Address _ Card number: _ City State Zip _ Expiration Code # _ Telephone _ Signature _ Email address Or call Ensign Productions, toll-free 1-866-254-2057. Or go to our website, www.freedomfest.com. Next year's FreedomFest: July 10-12, 2008, at Bally's/Paris Resort. 7-11 in Las Vegas! See you there! September 2007 Inside Liberty Volume 21, Number 9 4 Letters After you. 9 Reflections We have a crisis of condoms, grill illegal weenies, dub Sir Salman, face the firing squad, fall off the fast track, melt our pennies, get demoted to Lesser Satan, move towards a single-payer tax system, catch an actress red-handed, and search for H.L. Mencken's Baltimore. Features 23 Cartman Shrugged The Founding Fathers, Adam Smith, Friedrich Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, and the creators of "South Park": Paul A. Cantor traces a distinguished intellectual tradition. 31 Somalia: The Rubble and the Blossom What works when the government doesn't? Vince Vasquez provides the answer. 34 Live Earth: Dead Show Chris Rock said he prayed that Live Earth would end global warming "the same way Live Aid ended world hunger." He'll get his wish, reports Tim Slagle. 37 Me and the Eiger There are two types of people in this world, and Murray Rothbard was never afraid to say what type he was. 38 Love Song Fame and obscurity, songs and silence, love and death: as Alec Mouhibian shows, opposites attract, and absolute opposites attract absolutely. Reviews 41 The Sicko Scam Patrick Quealy looks for a cogent analysis of health care, and finds that Moore is less. 43 A Low, Dishonest Decade The New Deal is an ever-growing monster of historical myths. Timothy Sandefur takes a good whack at it. 45 Containment and Character Jon Harrison traces the vicissitudes of American foreign polic)!, as seen in the career of George Kennan. 48 Seeking God, Dead or Alive Christopher Hitchens has staged a funeral for God, but Ted Roberts hasn't yet joined the mourners. 50 How·to Make an Army Think signing up for Selective Service is merely a formality? Bruce Ramsey bids you think again. 52 The Tribute Vice Pays to Virtue Sorting the virtues fronl the vices might be easier, Leland B. Yeager shows, if you had a good book to help you. 53 Summer Sizzler Jo Ann Skousen catches thelatest adventure of the detective who's saving the world, one movie at a time. 47 Notes on Contributors Our summer flings. 54 Terra Incognita Surrender to the void. How to Letters Subscribe [ ] Point of Sale A national sales tax on corporate to In the July Liberty, Gary Jason ar­ products could tax all income (includ­ gues (Reflections) that the economic ing a huge amount of underground costs of implementing the graduated income) at the point of sale and do so II Liberti] income tax might justify its replace­ in an impersonal and equitable man­ ment with a flat tax. May I provide him ner. Progressive taxes on income, like with an additional argument? our socialist labor unions, only widen Liberty takes individual Taxes· of all sorts are shifted from the natural wage gaps in a free society. freedom seriously ...•and seller to buyer in an inelastic market. Gerald P. Trygstad The progressive tax itself creates in­ Bremerton, Wash. the status quo with more elasticity by progressively shrinking Jason. responds: Mr. Trygstad is un­ than one grain of salt! thesupply of targeted labor. But it does doubtedlycorrect that the current tax not do so without harm. structure has unintended negative con­ Every issue of Liberty brings The supply of professionals in the sequences for prices and the supply of you news you can't miss, economic landscape is set by net in­ skilled labor. opinions you won't find comes, not by gross incomes. Demands His suggestion thatthebestsolution anywhere else, and the best on careers by progressive taxes (or by is to move to a "fair tax,1I i.e., to replace libertarian writing in the world. other legal insults) deter free men from the current income tax with some kind pursuing the targeted profession. The of national sales tax, is something I am You won't want to supply of trained professionals per sympathetic to, for the very reason he miss a single issue! capita falls. points to: we need tobe increasing, not But the fall is self-arresting.