Mike Renzulli

I know I may be ostracized by some people here but, based on a quick review of several of the posts on this site, I'd say ARI Watch is absolutely first rate. It seems that the writers are well-versed in their Rand and ARI. They understand the issues, and they are no holds barred, letting the chips fall where they may. I endorse this website without reservation.

Someone I know who is a long time Objectivist and libertarian heard Yaron Brook deliver a talk at one of the ARI public forums in 2003 in favor of more aggressive war than had already taken place in Iraq.

He was in favor of immediately blowing away Syria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia too. The ARI crowd wants an explicit declaration of war against all those governments.

ARI's excuse is that the fascism represented there is so antithetical to the Randian view of human rights they deserve to be blown away. Moreover, they hold some silly kind of "tacit consent" theory that says the innocent people (victims) of those governments are even guilty too, and so there cannot be any innocence we need to worry about in regard to, for example, dropping nuclear bombs on Teheran or Mecca.

And then they have the gall to say, "when we have won, we can explicitly end the war" - unlike the pseudo-war on terrorism, which will never end. My friend was literally dumbfounded, as was I, to hear this kind of argument from someone in his position as "leader."

Does anyone out there know anything about this site?

It sounds like an excellent idea but no one is named as being a writer. They seem to be critizing the foreign policy ideas of ARI but I would like some names.

Well everyone, I got some bad news in my e-mail box the other day. As it turns out, Laissez Faire Books, a bookstore that has been a staple in the libertarian and (possibly) the Objectivist movements is going to close after 36 years in business.

Thanks to this bookstore, I was converted to libertarianism and when I became an Objectivist, I bought some literature and tapes from LFB for my Objectivist group.

I first learned of LFB after I ordered a book from The Cato Institute in 1994 after becoming a Republican. I saw a Cato Institute rep debate a left-wing think tank rep on C-Span and (aside from the fact that she was hot) I liked what I heard from the Cato Institute spokeperson. As it turns out, LFB had an agreement with Cato to handle orders of books as I got an LFB catalog included with my Cato Institute order.

The books I saw in the catalog were truly radical at the time for me. Yet I was interested in some of them so I started ordering books and, hence, became a bookworm almost instantly. I soon became a libertarian Republican and then switched to the Libertarian Party in 1998.

I guess, over time, LFB lost contracts with think tanks, like Cato, and now will close its doors after 36 years.

This is truly a shame since this bookstore has been a bell weather of providing invaluable books not only on philosophy but also fiction, politics, self help and even notable authors like Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, Ludwig von Mises, as well as Nathaniel and Barbara Branden.

LFB also contributed to my intellectual growth. I hope in some way it can be saved or it will be some sort of book review site as I find their insights on certain books invaluable.

They will sorely be missed.

Thanks, Chris.

I agree with keeping Gore's movie out of the government schools is a good way to start and it seems that will not be shown in them any time soon. Unfortunately, the government schools still indoctrinate kids in the mean greenie's propaganda and if the last election here is any indication, there is still much work to be done. Even though Arizona voters have an independent streak in them they have enacted a number of taxes and spending for corporate welfare projects and transit, a minimum wage law, bans on smoking and new social welfare programs.

In many of Arizona's political institutions, the essence of the state is quasi-libertarian. However, I made it a point to not just 'preach to the choir' but also to use my group as a vehicle to educate the public by covering issues like this and publicizing them via as many low to no cost methods as possible (i.e. word of mouth).

The trend can be reversed and the way to do that is to change the culture. I think Objectivist groups can play a good role in it..

Excellent idea!

I think most Objectivists understand the issue so a program like the one in Phoenix is preaching to the choir. The most important outcome is keeping Inconvient Truth out of the public schools.

Hello Everyone,

I know it has been sometime since I posted here. However for those of you who live in the Phoenix-metro area, I thought you all might be interested in attending a lecture that my Objectivist philosophy group is hosting on Thursday, November 8th in which our guest will be Dr. Robert Balling, Jr. He will give a lecture on his findings on global warming.

Dr. Balling is the former director of the Office of Climatology and is a professor of geography at Arizona State University and has been openly critical of former Vice President Al Gore and the film An Inconvenient Truth. Dr. Balling has also written books on this subject like The Satanic Gases: Clearing the air about global warming.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 and will be held at China Village Restaurant on 27th Street and Indian School Road in Phoenix.

If you can't make that meeting, my group will also host a viewing of 2 films: Mine Your Own Business and The Great Global Warming Swindle that will can be viewed at Bookmans on 19th Avenue and Northern in Phoenix also at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 29th. Both of these films show the dark side of environmentalism and the science they use to justify their positions.

If you attend the China Village meeting the only thing you will be required to do is buy something to eat as I have an agreement with the restaurant owner that anyone who attends meetings my group holds there will do so. The Bookmans event is free of charge.

Please RSVP if you are interested in coming by e-mailing phoenixobjectivists(at)gmail.com and pass this on to anyone else you think would be interested in coming.

Our group's website is: http://phoenixobjectivists.blogspot.com

For any of you out there who participate in or are heads of Objectivist groups, I would strongly encourage you to host a forum on this since your group can be an invaluable resource in putting the brakes on the mean environmentalist movement's anti-life agenda.

Hello All,

For those of you who live in the Phoenix-metro area, a new Objectivist group is forming. Our first meeting will be at Bookmans located on the northwest corner of 19th Avenue and Northern on Thursday, June 19th at 6:30 p.m in the community room located in the back of the store. Please join us and RSVP at our Meetup website: http://aynrand.meetup.com/158/ or e-mail us at: phoenixobjectivsts@gmail.com . Please come if you can. Anyone interested is invited to attend.