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03-22-2009, 7:51 PM Jeffery Small Joined on 12-12-2005 Posts 19 Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign I am sponsoring an Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign event during the month of April to coordinate with the Tea Party tax protests scheduled across the country for April 15th, 2009.  The idea is to extend the message of that protest beyond one focused exclusively on excessive taxation into the broader realms of freedom, the restoration of individual rights, the need to take personal responsibility for one's own life, and limiting the scope of government to its original constitutional mandates. The ides is to have people purchase one or more copies of Atlas Shrugged during the month of April and send it to various politicians with a letter expressing their personal concerns over current government policies and proposals and the direction in which the country is being steered. My expectation is that the huge spike in the sales of the book will lead to news coverage that will get our message of protest into the main stream media, and that the volume of books received by the politicians will send a clear message to them that they better wake up and pay attention to the growing body of dissidents who are rapidly coalescing into a an organized force. The long range goal of this and future campaigns is to redirect our culture back towards one of personal autonomy and individual responsibility.  But the more immediate, short range goal of this action is to throw a wrench into the machinery of the Obama administration and halt the implementation of some of the draconian proposals being pushed through such as the further socialization of the medical, financial and automotive industries, among others. Go to go-galt.org for more details on this campaign, and information on how you can participate and be heard.  Thanks for your support. Regards, -- Jeffery Small P.S.:  I am not regularly monitoring this forum, so if you would like to communicate further regarding this action, please write to me at: jeff@go-galt.org    Report

03-22-2009, 11:36 PM slacker00 Joined on 03-08-2009 Posts 22 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign Post here more, you'll gain credibility here. I'm not really interested in your campaign to send a book to my representatives.  But maybe I'll keep this campaign in mind when buying an extra copy of Atlas Shrugged.  Is there any specific way I need to purchase a copy during the month of April so that I know my purchase is being counted?    Report

03-22-2009, 11:56 PM galtsgulcher Joined on 03-15-2009 Posts 47 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign Hi slacker, I agree on the lack of credibility. It's like junk mail thrown at you from a passing car. There is a way you see how well Atlas Shrigged is selling from moment to moment. Just go to Amazon.com and find the book page. Scroll down and you'll see the sales rank #. I check it all the time just for fun to see if news events affect the sales, and it spikes all over the place like crazy. One day it very briefly hit #2, which is amazing for a 50+year old work of fiction... #63 right now. Take Care, Greg    Report

03-29-2009, 4:17 PM Jeffery Small Joined on 12-12-2005 Posts 19 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign Interesting comments. I have put my time, energy and money behind this campaign, and I think the web site speaks clearly to the intent of the project.  I have also posted here with my real name, so I am willing to put my personal reputation on the line as well.  I hope that this sort of pessimism and distrust of the motives of others is not typical of the Objectivist community at large. In response to some questions raised elsewhere asking what I really expect to be achieved by this action, I wrote the following: -------------------- Some people have wonder about whether I expect the books sent to politicians to actually be read by them and change their minds. Of course I do not. They don't even read their own legislation so they certainly are not going to follow our suggestion regarding this book. The majority of politicians hold their office because they enjoy the power it affords them, and most are interested in expanding, not relinquishing that power. So the ultimate message of Atlas Shrugged is lost on them. In terms of direct impact on the politicians, the only thing that they respond to is the shifting tide of their voter base. If enough of their constituents write in regarding an issue, then they sit up and take notice - not because they actually care about the issue (and that appears to be especially so when the issue is centered around liberty or individual rights) - but because it just might affect their reelection. The physical presence of the book is concrete and caries an emotional impact to complement the abstract intellectual ideas contained in the accompanying messages and letters. Multiply the impact of one book by turning it into a pile, and you have something that I believe can penetrate those concrete-bound mentalities. As I say on my web site, "Let each politician take measure of the weight of our displeasure made manifest in the weight of the books received!" In this way, I hope to put the "fear of Galt" into them by letting them see that there are many like-minded people who seriously disapprove of their tactics, and more importantly, that they are becoming organized and united, as witnessed by the Tea Party protests and this book campaign. This is the language of the politician and if we are going to challenge them on their own turf, we need to learn how to speak it. Having said that, the real purpose of this book campaign is not directed at influencing the politicians, but in sending a message to the public that there are many people who oppose the current administration and its policies, and explain the reasons for that opposition. In order to get that message out, you need a channel to the media, and to get that, you need a newsworthy event. The Tea Parties, scheduled for April 15th are one great opportunity for generating coverage. I would hope that everyone reading this would attend a protest in their region and make an effort to seek out the media and express a cogent message that could be aired or published. You might even prepare, in advance, a short statement in case you are interviewed, and have a typewritten page you could hand out to press members at the rally with a few quotable statements that could be used in an article. As advocates for liberty, you have the opportunity to expand the message at these rallies beyond one of simple tax protest to one of moral outrage at the erosion of our rights by the previous and current administrations. I see the book campaign as another opportunity to get press coverage. It will hopefully be announced at the Tea Party rallies, so the press might follow up on it from that lead. It would also be a good idea to send copies of the book to the editors of newspapers at both the national and local levels so that they are directly notified of this action and take an interest in covering it. As  Atlas Shrugged book sales climb, there should be more and more coverage of that event in the press. But what I really hope to accomplish is to get the press to start asking all the politicians about the books they are receiving. I want them to ask how many copies arrived; what impact it is having upon them; whether they have read the book and learned anything in the process; what, if any, influence it is having on their approach towards current issues. Politicians hate to be scrutinized at this level. If we can entice the press to probe them a bit, I hope it will make them uncomfortable and get them to start considering what they will have to do to "spin" the issue. Regardless or their responses, this should result in more media coverage which will bring the issues to the attention of a wider audience. That's all I can expect from a single action like this, but it is a start.  I have many more ideas to follow.  This campaign was quickly put together to take advantage of the upcoming Tea Party protests. The effectiveness of all this rests upon getting enough people to participate to make the campaign meaningful. If you want to help, then make your own purchases and send them in, but even more importantly, do what you can to drive a wider audience to the go-galt.org web site so that we increase the pool of potential participants.  It's easy to sit back and be cynical, but nothing gets accomplished through inaction.  I hope this better explains my intentions, and I will be gratefully for any help you can contribute to the cause. Regards, -- C. Jeffery Small    Report

04-02-2009, 2:14 AM galtsgulcher Joined on 03-15-2009 Posts 47 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign Hi Jeffery, Thinly veiled self promoting cut and paste does nothing to enhance your credibility. You'd do much more good by selling Atlas Shrugged to people who know you, rather than giving it to the leftist socialist government parasites. Consider this... would Hank Rearden waste his time trying to justify himself to the looters? That would only give his sanction to their rotten code. You can't change from the outside in. The only way is from the inside out. If you really want to influence others you need to become someone who uncompromisingly does what is morally right in your own life... ...now, THAT'S real influence. Take Care, Greg    Report

04-02-2009, 2:59 PM Jeffery Small Joined on 12-12-2005 Posts 19 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign It is now April, so I will make one final request that you all participate in the book campaign and record your books on the go-galt.org web site.  I understand that some of you may think that this action is not the most effective type of protest, but even if you send only a single book, adding your entry to the site will help swell the ranks of those registering their protest against the current government policies and will provide a further benefit by helping to persuade others to also get involved.  There are many people who will be convinced to contribute to the campaign once they see that it is gaining traction.  If there are a couple hundred people participating, or a few hundred books committed to go to the politicians, then the action will have more credibility.  These are the types of numbers I would like to achieve prior to the announcements at the April 15th Tea Parties, which I believe will result in a huge flood of participants. So I am asking for you to help in the most effective way, by being one of the early backers.  Your involvement now can have a huge multiplying effect in the days to come. I appreciate your future participation, and a big thank you to those who have already signed up! -- C. Jeffery Small P.S.: Regarding the issue of credibility and self-promotion raised above, that is something I leave to each of you to determine for yourself.  I have been involved in the Objectivist cause for over 40 years, and like Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner, "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe".  I have been involved in many Objectivist forums and activities over the years, but not this particular forum.  If that is going to stop you from getting involved in an activity that just might help put a whench in the machinery of the current political and cultural trends and contribute to making your life a bit better in the future, well, that's your choice.  I'm asking you to make an investment of a few dollars and a few minutes of your time.  Even if the campaign turns out to be a failure, what have you lost?  For those of us willing to take action, at least we have the satisfaction of knowing that we tried.  I think that's something worth contemplating. Greg writes:  "You'd do much more good by selling Atlas Shrugged to people who know you, rather than giving it to the leftist socialist government parasites." While I think you misunderstand the intention of this campaign, I can appreciate where you are coming from.  There is nothing stopping you from getting a few copies of Atlas Shrugged, giving them to friends that you think you can influence, and then report them on the in the web site under the "Other" category.  You can follow your conscience and still contribute to the cause.  It's time for everyone to man-up (and that applies to women as well) and put their words into action.  If there is anything you should have learned from Atlas Shrugged, it is that Objectivism is not an arm-chair philosophy.  -- Jeff    Report

04-03-2009, 11:18 AM James Joined on 04-03-2009 Posts 2 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign I think the negative comments about the OPs credibility are illogical. It's fallacious logic to assume that just because he is a new member that his message is necessarily invalid. Do you assume that everything a long-term member posts has more value? One should judge the contents of the post on its own merit and not the history of the person posting it. I mean, think about it. This forum is about Objectivism. How objective is it to dismiss or diminish a post because of something as subjective as the yet-to-be-credibility of the person making the post. Of course this is MY first post here so perhaps I should be ignored until I've been here longer.    Report

04-03-2009, 12:22 PM galtsgulcher Joined on 03-15-2009 Posts 47 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign Hi James, Hey, I'm just trying to stir up a little controversy to see if anyone will actually start posting here. ; ) It's illogical to try to appeal to the leftist socialist government looters by giving them books they're never going to read. I'm all for buying Rand's Shrugged, and obviously lots of other people are too judging by the truly amazing Amazon ratings for a half century old novel... ...but giving it to government leeches is a waste. Giving it to your friends is much more productive because there is where you actually have some meaningful personal influence by the observable example of how you live. Take Care, Greg    Report

04-03-2009, 12:58 PM James Joined on 04-03-2009 Posts 2 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign Futile perhaps but not illogical. It's never illogical to try to enducate or enlighten someone. Spending the money on a book to give to an elected offical is not a waste. The value of the action is not for you to decide but the person making the purchase. Will a borderline socialist politician ever read Atlas Shrugged? Probably not but most of them are too far gone anyway. One can only hope that the book gets picked up by a junior staffer or aide and that a few of the ideas are planted into a mind not yet closed to change.    Report

04-05-2009, 1:08 AM galtsgulcher Joined on 03-15-2009 Posts 47 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign (James wrote...) "Spending the money on a book to give to an elected offical is not a waste." Hi James, The value of the action is not for you to decide either, but the person making the purchase and giving it someone ~other~ than an elected official. (J) "Will a borderline socialist politician ever read Atlas Shrugged? Probably not but most of them are too far gone anyway. One can only hope that the book gets picked up by a junior staffer or aide and that a few of the ideas are planted into a mind not yet closed to change." Then by all means you should buy Rand's books and give them to the government. The leftist parasites are accustomed to feeling entitled to being given what they did not earn or deserve. Take Care, Greg    Report

04-05-2009, 1:01 PM slacker00 Joined on 03-08-2009 Posts 22 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign Maybe I'm being too sensitive, but when someone accuses me of being illogical, I'm going to take that as an insult. It only makes logical sense to me that when someone's first words to me are "buy this", they are a salesman selling me something.  Granted, the seller in this case is trying to sell a greater cause or a greater good.  I can either buy into it or reject it.  But there's no denying the fact that this person has only one relationship with me to this point, as a salesman pushing an agenda.  There is no evidence to the contrary and only evidence to support my claim. Is that logical enough?    Report

04-05-2009, 10:07 PM Jeffery Small Joined on 12-12-2005 Posts 19 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign If you think that giving these books to the politicians is a waste, consider this remark from someone who wrote on my web site: "One other lovely dilemma this could put them in, especially if there is publicity about this. They won't be keeping all the books, but what will they do? Destroy them? Oh dear - sounds like book burning. Donate them to a school? Oh dear -- they're endorsing Atlas?" That brought a smile to my face.  Also, I had a fellow from Lithuania contact me asking for copies of Atlas Shrugged to distribute to his friends.  I told him to contact the politicians and see if they would send their books to him.  He then wrote to President Obama asking for some of his spare copies.  (Obama has a few since I sent him 25 copies myself.)  It will be interesting to see if the President sends him a reply or any books.  Maybe he will even get an iPod.  These books will very likely have additional lives beyond sitting in a box under the politicians' desks. My point is that there are many opportunities to be realized from this campaign beyond the obvious.  Get involved now and then use your imagination towards the end of the month.   Commenting on the results of this campaign can be a reason for contacting your local paper or TV news channel and get your message of liberty out to a wider audience.  Writing on this forum can be fun, but there is no one here you need to convince of the values of freedom, productiveness and self-responsibility.  Get active and try to convince others that these are things worth supporting, and that the opposite, currently being promoted by our so called "representatives" in Washington, need to be vocally opposed. Regards, -- Jeffery Small    Report

04-07-2009, 12:30 AM mike Joined on 02-06-2009 Posts 13 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign Jeffery, I just want to congratulate you on this campaign. As an Australian and an Ayn Rand devotee, I am constantly discussing the issues with anyone who will listen. In my country, however, our notions of liberty are not as clearly defined as yours since we tended to evolve away from colonial status (and relatively more recently) unlike your own country which broke away and in the process had to define this historically new concept of individualism which, although it had been around for centuries in various embryonic forms, was not applied to a society to such an extent until the American revolution. If you and many of your countrymen are appalled at the collectivist version of the causes of our current financial crisis and the international lurch to the left, imagine how much more dismal it appears in western countries like Australia or Europe which are, I think, more vulnerable to collectivist propaganda. Anyway, good luck with it and best wishes. cheers, Mike    Report

04-08-2009, 8:43 PM Jeffery Small Joined on 12-12-2005 Posts 19 Re: Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign Mike: Thank you for your gracious words of encouragement.  I truly appreciate them. You raise a very interesting point.  Regardless of what has been happening recently on the political front in various countries, the United States has always stood as a symbol for the defense of the virtues of independence, self-reliance, individual rights and freedom.  The devastating impact of our slide towards statism has ramifications that reach across the globe as the beacon of hope for freedom-lovers everywhere is being extinguished.  This is why it is so critical to fight back now, with every tool available.  If America looses this battle and relinquishes liberty and limited constitutional government in the name of security, I fear that everywhere, those interested in ruling us will be so embolden that many unthinkable things will result.  No matter where you reside, people who cherish liberty have a very real stake in the outcome here, and should also think about what they can do to organize and protest against the current state of affairs. Remember, every action each of us takes now is an investment in our future.  And even if you spend some time attending a protest rally or spend a few dollars sending a book to a politician, and it turns out to be a futile effort, what have you lost but a few dollars or a few hours.  But if you sit back and fail to engage the enemy now, while you still have the opportunity, you risk losing control over the course of your life.  Don't be one to look back in 10 years with regret that you did not do more. Regards, -- Jeffery Small    Report

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