• Set up an open microphone or soapbox in a public place for people to use throughout the day. Have group members use it to read the Constitution and passages of “banned books” aloud. Sing “Happy Birthday” to the Constitution.
• Stage a debate about an issue that you think doesn’t get enough attention on campus. Or stage one between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists, using arguments from period writings like the Federalist Papers. (This is a great excuse to wear a costume!)
• Build a temporary “free speech wall” out of cardboard or plywood covered in paper and provide markers for students to exercise their right to anonymous speech on campus.
• Host a trivia event to find out what students really know about the Constitution and the First Amendment. Extra points for naming all five rights in the First Amendment!
• Hand out pocket Constitutions, or candy with articles, sections, or amendments to the Constitution attached. Everybody likes free stuff, especially free food.

Have fun, be creative, and send in pictures and videos of your events to post on FIRE’s CFN Facebook page and the CFN website. CFN members can also earn points for the CFN Incentive Program, with prizes including a $2,500 scholarship and a prize pack with a new Apple laptop, Flip camera, iPod Touch, and a 42″ HDTV.

RSVP to the Facebook event and join in on the celebration!

Photo by Scott Stuk

In an event co-sponsored with National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Arizona State University Students For Liberty brought in defense attorney Marc Victor for a “Know Your Rights” event.  The event was covered in the university’s newspaper, The State Press:

Victor said that police officers can take advantage of people’s lack of knowledge of the law. Being aware of your basic rights can be the difference between a conviction and an acquittal, he said.

ASU students picked up valuable advice from defense attorney Marc Victor, and many are excited for the Southwest Students For Liberty Regional Conference being held at ASU on October 16th.

The theme of “knowing your rights” will be continued at the conference with Jay Fleming, a former undercover narcotics officer who is now part of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.  Fleming has experience the War on Drugs from an officer’s standpoint, and attests, “The drug war I fought was not about ending drug use—it was about money and power.”

Fleming has made it his mission to speak out and expose the problems he‟s seen in the futile US policy of a “War on Drugs.”  Register today for what will surely be an interesting and exciting conference!

Learn more here: http://politicalconferences.org/2009/10/phoenix-conference-asu/

RSVP to the Facebook event and invite your friends!

The Regional Conferences serve as a local forum of support for students and non-students interested in the ideas of liberty.  They are free to attend, all you have to do is get yourself there. Three free meals and an evening social with hard and soft drinks will be provided at each conference.  These conferences are a great opportunity to meet your fellow pro-liberty students, make new connections to pro-liberty organizations, receive resources, listen to great speakers, and leave with a revitalized vision for the future of the freedom movement.

Here is the full list of conference dates and locations.  They are all one day events held on Saturdays.

• October 9 – Drexel University – Philadelphia, PA
• October 16 – University of Chicago – Chicago, IL
• October 16 – Arizona State University – Tempe, AZ
• October 23 – Columbia University – New York, NY
• October 23 – Kennesaw State University – Atlanta, GA
• October 23 – Pepperdine Univdersity – Malibu, CA
• November 6 – Harvard University – Boston, MA
• November 6 – University of California – Berkeley, CA
• November 6 – Univesity of Texas – Austin, TX

Registration is free, but space is limited.  Register today to reserve your seat, then invite your friends.

Click here to find the conference closest to you and register!

RSVP and invite your friends to the Facebook event!

The inspectors said her stand was illegal since she did not pay $120 to get a temporary restaurant license and informed the girl and her mother they would face a $500 fine if they did not desist. Although Multnomah County chairman has since told inspectors to stand down and apologize, the issue of licensing requirements that stifle free enterprise is far from dead in this country.

Tomorrow a “Lemonade Revolt” will be held in Cascadia in support of the girl and in protest of the state’s ridiculous enforcement of these unnecessary laws. Individuals will be setting up a lemonade bloc in the neighborhood in a show of peaceful defiance.

Not in Oregon? You can still show your support! Hold your own lemonade stand in protest and speak out against an overbearing state wherever you are. You can also donate to the Lemonade Revolt Fund.

• What: The Lemonade Revolt
• Where: Portland, Oregon, Alberta St. between 25th St. and 26th St. Or Your Own Neighborhood
• When: Thursday, August 26
• Why: Because state licensing restrictions do more harm than good!

This fall, he will be speaking at two Students For Liberty Regional Conferences.  These are one day events that are free and open to both students and non-students who are interested in learning more about liberty and how to advance it:

• Southern California SFL Regional Conference featuring Gary Johnson
  
• Saturday, October 23rd
• Pepperdine University
• More information: http://politicalconferences.org/2009/10/southern-california-conference/

• Texas SFL Regional Conference featuring Gary Johnson
  
• Saturday, November 6th
• University of Texas – Austin
• More information: http://politicalconferences.org/2009/11/texas-regional-conference/

While Governor Johnson is not running for president, that has not stopped political commentators from speculating about what would happen if he declared.  While much of his support has come from the liberty movement, recently he has been gaining traction with the progressive community.

On Wednesday, the Daily Kos declared that Governor Johnson should be the GOP nominee for president.

A Republican nominee opposed to the War, Wall Street and the War on Drugs would force Obama to the left. Because those are issues where there is some agreement between left and some on the right – the war needs to end, Wall St bail outs are corporate welfare and wrong, and the war on drugs is a waste of money and lives.  What if Obama were free to run a Presidential campaign on those terms.  Would he win?  I think he would.  Would he be governing more progressively?  Yes.

That said, the one viable Republican who brings all this to the table is Gary Johnson.  There are a lot of issues where Gary Johnson would be a disaster:  taxes, school choice, many entitlement programs, etc.  But there are a few issues where he would be a very rational alternative to Obama, which is a GOOD thing.

Read the full article here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/8/18/894283/-The-man-who-SHOULD-be-the-GOP-frontrunner:Gary-Johnson

Obviously the author is not exactly a champion of liberty, but it is interesting to see those in the progressive community taking note of Gary Johnson’s efforts, especially in giving him (and by extension, other liberty advocates) credit for civil liberties and anti-war positions.

“Seasteads” are essentially homesteads on the high seas. They provide a tangible means for people to freely experiment with new policies and regulation and to customize the environment to the needs of their commercial and residential customers. The project, which has gained international media attention, provides a new frontier for experimenting with new social and political systems outside the rules set on land by governments.

Semi-finalists will be given the opportunity to present their idea to investors and an invitation to join the Commercial Seasteading Network. The First Place prize is $2,500!

There is no entry fee. Submissions are due October 8! Find out all details here!

• How to Advocate Free Speech on Your Campus
• Free Market Banking
• Blogging for Freedom
• Liberty Round Table
• Stickin’ It to the Man
• Free Market Dispute Resolution

And now, SFL is excited to announce that Stefan Molyneux will be the opening keynote speaker for the conference. Stefan is the host of Freedomainradio.com, a website dedicated to philosophy and inquiry into the human condition.  Stefan covers topics ranging from politics to philosophy to science to economics to relationships to atheism, and everything in between!

This will not be Stefan’s first visit to the Philadelphia area.  At his first appearance on the fourth of July, Molyneux made a poignant speech in front of Independence Hall and the next day faced off with 2004 libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik in a debate entitled ”How Much Government is Necessary”.  Since then Molyneux’s reputation has grown dramatically. He has also debated Jan Helfield and delivered addresses at PorcFest and FreedomFest.  The Mid-Atlantic Region is truly excited and honored to have him as the opening keynote.

The conference will be held at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvalia on July 31 from 9:00am-11:00pm. The topics of discussion include practical presentations such as the Most Effective Arguments For Real Freedom, Tabling for Liberty and Flyering for Liberty as well as more theoretical discussions on Anarchy, Voting and Taxation. For a full schedule check out the event’s Facebook page.

If you are interested in attending contact studentlibertyfront@gmail.com.

This unique gathering is known officially as the LSS, but some past participants have described it as “LibertyStock” and “Ayn Rand meets Survivor”.  Speakers and participants travel from across Canada and the United States, and even cross oceans to attend this one-of-a-kind combination of camping and intellectual debate grounded in the classical liberal ideas of freedom and individualism.  Past SFL members have attended and returned raving about the great experience.

This year’s seminar looks like the biggest and best yet, and the Institute for Liberal Studies is hard at work getting ready for this unique event. Join ILS for good discussion, good company and great food in a relaxed outdoor setting.

Click here for more information and to register.

Over the last couple of days, Students For Liberty participated in a wonderful event in the hills of New Hampshire called PorcFest 2010.  This four-day event was an official celebration of the Free State Project (FSP) but was also an unofficial celebration of the liberty movement around the world.  For one weekend, the participants actually got to live a life of freedom instead of merely sitting around theorizing about what it would be like to be free.

Libertarians, anarchists, minarchists, objectivists… lover’s of individuality and freedom of all stripes gathered to trade, celebrate and network with each other free of state intervention or harassment.  There were hundreds of people open-carrying firearms, drinking alcohol in public, agorists trading without permits or licenses, and generally doing everything they could to peacefully coexist as free men and women.  At least two couples were married at PorcFest; in front of witnesses and loved ones they swore their fidelity to each other and explicitly declared that their relationship was one of sovereign individuals and they were married even if the government did not recognize it.

It is hard sometimes for libertarians to remember that the freedom we fight for is an actual thing, and this can be particularly true for those of us operating here in Washington DC.  Life for many of us is about happiness and we need to remind ourselves what we are fighting for by actually experiencing freedom when we get the opportunity.  It can be extremely refreshing to retreat to a libertarian bubble for a short while to avoid the burn out that is inevitable when constantly defending our values and philosophical beliefs.

Being a true lover of liberty is not only about preaching free markets, free minds and free bodies, it is also about living as a free person every day.  Sometimes living free means conflict, like it would if you truly tried to be free in Washington DC.  But sometimes it means living the carefree existence (even if only for a short time) of a person in a community of peaceful, loving people who made the explicit choice to live a life free of coercion. I hope everyone gets the opportunity to go to PorcFest 2011 (June 23-26, 2011), It is sure to be an experience that won’t be forgotten.

The Free State Project is an agreement among 20,000 pro-liberty activists to move to New Hampshire, where they will exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of government is the protection of life, liberty, and property.  The success of the Project would likely entail reductions in taxation and regulation, reforms at all levels of government, to expand individual rights and free markets, and a restoration of constitutional federalism, demonstrating the benefits of liberty to the rest of the nation and the world.