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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Don’t miss the Freedom Fair!
Dear Western Standard reader,
The Western Standard is a media sponsor of the Freedom Fair in Edmonton on May 17th. The Freedom Fair will coincide with the Libertarian Party of Canada’s annual convention but is a non-partisan event open to the public featuring many exciting speakers.
The event will take place from 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the Holiday Inn Express on 10010 – 104 Street.
Here’s the line-up of speakers:
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
“Issues in the libertarian movement” panel
Speaker: Dr. Michael Wagner – author, home-schooler
Topic: The case for a socially conservative culture in the libertarian movement
Speaker: Paul Geddes – Columbia College instructor of economics
Topic: Have libertarians abandoned free trade?
1:15 PM – 2:00 PM
National Security panel
Speaker: Lorne Gunter – National Post columnist
Topic: Liberty vs. Security
Speaker: Moin A. Yahya – University of Alberta professor of law
Topic: Liberty vs. Security
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM
Environment panel
Speaker: Dr. Jan Narveson – University of Waterloo professor of philosophy
Topic: The politics of global warming
Speaker: Lorne Gunter – National Post columnist
Topic: The politics of global warming
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM
Media and advocacy panel
Speaker: Kalim Kassam – Western Standard general manager
Topic: The future of the Western Standard
Speaker: Scott Hennig – Canadian Taxpayers Federation (Alberta director)
Topic: Taxes: how much is too much?
4:15 PM – 5:00 PM
Justice panel
Speaker: Dr. Grant Brown - author
Topic: Deadbeat judges: how courts disenfranchise fathers
Speaker: Marc Emery – Cannabis Culture publisher
Topic: Marijuana legalization: a personal statement from Canada’s “Prince of Pot”
Admission to the event is $10 ($5 for students with ID) for the entire event. (RSVP to Mike Sturko at [email protected].)
Compliments of the Western Standard, the first 50 guests will receive a free copy of Ezra Levant’s bestseller on global warming – Fight Kyoto. There will also be 6 draws for Viva [Mark] Steyn t-shirts and copies of The War on Fun, another bestseller by Ezra Levant.
This is an event you don’t want to miss.
I hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Matthew Johnston
Publisher
Western Standard
Posted by Matthew Johnston on May 14, 2008 | Permalink
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Comments
Well at least Ezra's book "that no one will buy" will once again be given away. There must be a lot of xtra copies around from the old days.
I am suprised that there will be no discussion on Canada's defamation law. It seem there is a split in the Libertarian movement on this issue.
Who owns your rep anyhow you or the public???
Inquiring minds want to know
Posted by: Merle Terlesky | 2008-05-14 8:13:02 AM
Have you read "Fight Kyoto"? One of the best books I've ever read on global warming, er, climate change, er whatever they're calling it these days. I'm excited to get another copy that I can lend out to educate people.
We're not trying to get rid of unused books, we're trying to get people in the door.
Speakers were based on who's available and what the public wants to hear. I'm a Libertarian and I don't even know what you're referring to about the defamation law, so I wouldn't say it's a hot topic of conversation.
Posted by: Michael Sturko | 2008-05-14 9:02:29 AM
I'll be at the Freedom Fair, and I can't wait. My mother has read Ezra's books, and she loves them. So does my father. I've also lent out my copy to two of their friends, and they had the following reaction: "This is amazing," and "I didn't read it."
Three out of four, just from my own personal experience, is pretty good.
Defamation is interesting, Merle, but there are so many topics to cover. The Freedom Fair has a great line-up of speakers, and a great set of topics. If you want to talk about defamation, start your own gathering, and talk about it until you're blue in the face.
Posted by: P.M. Jaworski | 2008-05-14 11:05:09 AM
Another good guest on Liberty v. Security would have been Alex Jones of INFOWARS.com. A USA perspective.
Posted by: Guess What | 2008-05-14 3:23:00 PM
Although I look forward to my husband's speaking topic, I am most excited to learn more from the other speakers about libertarian ideals. Consider me a young potential libertarian politician of the future! There is so much I want to understand and share with others when it comes to liberty, personal freedom, and government. Thank you for inviting Marc Emery to speak, which is a great reason for me to attend and learn more about these themes.
Posted by: Jodie Emery | 2008-05-14 8:43:20 PM
What I like about libertarianism is that it fosters individual responsibility and work ethic. If John Galt was a pothead, he wouldn't be the fictional icon he's become. Galt wouldn't withdraw his services from a corrupt statist society by building an alternative society based on individualism. He would sit in his room and smoke pot dreaming of one. It wouldn't be realized because he would forget everything the next day. "Well, I was going to build utopia, but then I got high. Then I got high." And don't start splitting hairs about objectivism vs. libertarianism - it's a moot point.
Darn it folks, lose the potheads. Yeah, I know, the war on drugs is a failure and it's wrong but if you're going to spread the message of liberty, bringing out the same tired potheads is the wrong way to go. Socialism didn't enter the Canadian mainstream because they hauled out Bolsheviks to speak to the public.
You need charismatic business leaders and independent-minded politicians, doctors an captains of industry.
Liberty is a serious issue but mainstream society will never accept your message when Cheech and Chong are its spokesmen.
Posted by: Buchanan | 2008-05-14 9:51:41 PM
Well PM and Micheal I was not taking a shot at the conference as I think it will be good!
I have a particular interest in defamation as I am being sued for $100,000 for that very so called offence.
All I was saying is other than Mr. Lemieux very few other Canadian libertarians have said their opinions on Canada's outdated defamation laws, and it is these laws like the HRC that need to be changed as I see no difference in the two. The result is the same; a denial of free speech and lots of $$ to lawyers to defend ones speech.
For me it's $5,300 so far and its far from over.
Please feel free to share your comments.
thanks and good luck with the conference
Posted by: Merle Terlesky | 2008-05-14 11:09:45 PM
If theLibertarian Party of Canada want documentation or information on corruption and/or ineptitude in the justice system, politicians, media and Canadian product licensing department you can contact us at the web-site nisaclaim. net. These issues will give you’re new party the story that has been kept from the public. The money could be in the billions. Some of the bad actors are named.
Posted by: NISACLAIM.NET | 2008-05-15 9:17:31 AM
Stephen Harper was reported as a Bilderberg Group attendee. Normally secret societies are secret because they want to keep what they are doing from the public because it is not good. Good thinks are shouted from the roof tops.
Gun control abolished in the budget, no.
Immigration changes, yes.
CWB farm marketting choice in the budget, no.
Immigration changes, yes.
Senite and justice reform in the budget, no.
Immigration changes, yes.
Posted by: Guess What | 2008-05-15 9:26:07 AM
It's a conspiracy, I tell ya!
Posted by: set you free | 2008-05-15 9:34:29 AM
Alex Jones is not a libertarian, Guess What, he's a conspiracy theorist.
The Bilderberg Group? Please, please tell me you're kidding. There are thousands of "secret" societies everywhere. Like the secret boys-only clubs in elementary school. If I recall correctly, those clubs only talk about which girls have cooties. I grant that that's not exactly "good" news, but it's not exactly sinister either. There are many reasons to have secret groups and societies, not all of them being to take over the world!
Incidentally, libertarians favour open immigration, globalization, and oppose border fences and keeping "them" out. Ron Paul may be a libertarian in general, but not on this issue (and, interestingly, his new book has no mention of the immigration issue according to a review of it in Reason magazine. Freer immigration was a platform he ran on under the Libertarian Party banner when he was their presidential candidate back in the day.)
As for potheads--I disagree with your assessment of both their work ethic, as well as whether or not they should be in the libertarian movement (of course, this isn't a club that you can kick people out of, people join or don't join, and it's not like the rest of us have much of a say about it).
If John Galt was a pothead, he would have created Galt's Gulch, would have done the radio show, would have done everything he did, except maybe he'd grow some pot plants in place of--or in addition to--the tomato plants. Turns out kids who smoke pot are better adjusted, get better grades, and are in general much cooler than their non-pot smoking classmates. And I can show you the study to prove it (just ask).
Posted by: P.M. Jaworski | 2008-05-15 1:07:15 PM
Posted by: P.M. Jaworski | 15-May-08 1:07:15 PM
The Bilderberg Group? Please, please tell me you're kidding. There are thousands of "secret" societies everywhere. Like the secret boys-only clubs in elementary school. If I recall correctly, those clubs only talk about which girls have cooties. I grant that that's not exactly "good" news, but it's not exactly sinister either. There are many reasons to have secret groups and societies, not all of them being to take over the world!
The Bilderberg Group wields a lot more power than giggling in the boys bathroom. I am quite sure that Stephen Harper would have no problem explaining what was discussed at his meeting with the Bilderberg Group in Parliament. He should explain what was discussed.
Posted by: Guess What | 2008-05-15 3:14:04 PM
Alex Jones is the one that started the campaign in the US at the city and state level to have the Patriot Act I and II rejected. In the US, Alex Jones claims for smoking you can have your citizen revoked, deported, tortured and even killed. This is stated in his numerous documentaries that can be viewed on the internet.
Please check them out. It costs you nothing. Marc Emery may want too check into this issue.
Posted by: Guess What | 2008-05-15 4:45:06 PM
Thats smoking pot. Sorry for that.
Posted by: Guess What | 2008-05-15 4:46:51 PM
The Corbett Report decided to call up Barry Cooper, a political theory and social sciences professor at the University of Calgary who happens to be one of many Bohemian Grove members whose name appears in the 2006 roster that was sent anonymously to the Infowars office. Many of these members belong to the world of academia, and some are even listed alongside their university.
Cooper admitted to being a member of the Bohemian Club and to attending the grove annually, but declined to further discuss what goes on at the power meeting, though he did deny taking part in the Cremation of Care ritual that grove members take part in each year.
Video now playing see Alex Jones Infowars.com.
Posted by: Guess What | 2008-05-15 6:17:02 PM
P.M., you are surely kidding. If you allow me to be anecdotal for a minute, I personally knew and know many people who smoke pot. All of them have been hurt by it. All of them became underachievers, had lower ambition, failed to realize their objectives, etc. They became losers.
Posted by: Buchanan | 2008-05-19 7:55:21 PM
No sarcasm intended Buchanan, but is it possible you've just known a lot of born losers? Have you taken time to examine the cause and effect? Maybe those folks started smoking pot to relieve their feelings of uselessness.
Posted by: dp | 2008-05-19 8:09:00 PM
I'm not kidding, Buchanan. And dp makes a great point: we need to know whether pot leads to underachieving, or whether underachieving leads to pot (but it doesn't matter because, in spite of anecdotal evidence to the contrary, academic studies--which don't go by "I knew three guys who smoked pot, and they were all lazy!"--suggest that there is little to no negative work-to-pot-smoking correlation.
I don't know very many people from all of the universities I went to who didn't at least try pot once or five times. I know very many who smoke it regularly (like once a week or so). I can't use their pot-smoking habit as an indicator of laziness, or lack of success since whether or not someone smokes pot seems, according to my anecdotal evidence, to have no bearing on whether or not you'll be a hard worker. I do know, however, that the better-adjusted, and more fun people, smoke pot at least once in a while.
Posted by: P.M. Jaworski | 2008-05-20 6:25:16 AM
Okay, you didn't ask for it, but here it is anyway:
The study: http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/161/11/1042
The results: "Compared with those using both substances, cannabis-only youth were younger (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.82) and more likely to be male (AOR, 2.19), to play sports (AOR, 1.64), to live with both parents (AOR, 1.33), to be students (AOR, 2.56), and to have good grades (AOR, 1.57) and less likely to have been drunk (AOR, 0.55), to have started using cannabis before the age of 15 years (AOR, 0.71), to have used cannabis more than once or twice in the previous month (AOR, 0.64), and to perceive their pubertal timing as early (AOR, 0.59). Compared with abstainers, they were more likely to be male (AOR, 2.10), to have a good relationship with friends (AOR, 1.62), to be sensation seeking (AOR, 1.32), and to practice sports (AOR, 1.37) and less likely to have a good relationship with their parents (AOR, 0.59). They were more likely to attend high school (AOR, 1.43), to skip class (AOR, 2.28), and to have been drunk (AOR, 2.54) or to have used illicit drugs (AOR, 2.28).
Conclusions: Cannabis-only adolescents show better functioning than those who also use tobacco. Compared with abstainers, they are more socially driven and do not seem to have psychosocial problems at a higher rate."
And here's a more-or-less useless study (I don't like "qualitative" studies, or any studies with a small pool, since it still seems too anecdotal) on middle-class folk like you and I smoking pot and being productive (actually, it's a news story that talks about the study): http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=3e1b7647-05e9-4adb-ac75-533e74345e41
Posted by: P.M. Jaworski | 2008-05-20 6:34:44 AM
Ok, dp's comment was funny, but the answer is, no, they were ambitious and hard-working prior to using pot regularly. That's the truth. I am referring to regular users here. I won't even get into the mountain of scientific evidence outlining the harmful medical issues associated with regular smoking of marijuana. Regardless, the study you've quoted is interesting. I will take the time to read about it.
My point about perception still stands. For libertarianism to be taken seriously, it's spokesmen can't be potheads, dude. I think you should snatch Keith Martin from the brink of obscurity into which he will likely descend, and get him to talk about private healthcare and human rights commissions.
Posted by: Buchanan | 2008-05-20 9:11:02 PM
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