Liberty Snipits

April 1999

We have a new website!! Paul Bryan (pbryan@creatia.com) has kindly (and crazily?) devoted weeks of his time to producing a new interactive website for the West Coast Libertarian Foundation and it should be up by June 1st. Our new address is http://www.wclf.org/. Many of the past newsletters (1981-87) are ready (and fully indexed) and we'll be adding the rest and some of our past literature (brochures, campaign material etc.,) soon. We also wish to thank Wayne Chapeskie for hosting our previous web page (at http://www.spinnaker.com/) where you can still find the most recent newsletters. Thanks Wayne and Paul!

Past WCLF President Marco den Ouden is hosting a website at http://www.investingcananda.miningco.com/. Look for his articles and editorials on the competition bureau, the CPP and especially an April 7, 1999 article titled "Up the Auditor!" on the DeTax group (see their advertisement in our newsletter on page 9).

Local libertarian Paul Miniato was recently chosen to edit the http://www.free-market.net/ Policy Spotlight on the topic of "War in the Balkans". Please check this site out. He has collected and organized much material from sources which don't get presented in the usual media. If you are concerned about war adding to the health of the state you'll definitely want to examine this site which is very critical of our government's bombing of Serbia.

WCLF Director Byron Fraser has produced a powerful eight page "precis" of David Cohen's A Critique of the Use of Neuroleptic Drugs in Psychiatry which appeared in the Winter 98-99 issue of In A Nutshell, the newsletter of the Mental Patients' Association of BC. Cohen argues that science has not found "brain abnormalities ... responsible for even one emotional disorder." He also argues that the powerful drugs we currently administer for psychiatric problems are doing little good (not even as effective as placebos) and causing much harm (dangerous side effects to the health of the patients). Interspersed with research Byron has collected from Thomas Szasz and Peter Breggin, this is a very convincing presentation of the need to change the coercive manner we currently try to sweep odd behaviour under the carpet. In A Nutshell is published four times a year (subscription $20) from the MPA, #202-1675 W. 4th Ave., Vancouver, BC V6J 1L8.

WCL Editor Paul Geddes's article "Who paid health tab to put Big Country back on court?" appeared on the Financial Post's comment page on Tuesday, April 20, 1999.

Peter Weissbach (who called himself a libertarian on air) was replaced in his weekend talk show slot at CKNW by a certain "bonehead". Peter is still on air in Seattle but unfortunately his show is available in Canada only via the net (http://www.570kvi.com/). Peter can be reached at http://www.weissbach.com/. Judging by recent performance, bonehead shouldn't last too much longer, and Peter will be welcomed back. Your calls to CKNW management could help speed this progress.

Leland Yeagar attacked Walter Block's Defending the Undefendable in the May issue of Liberty calling it "notorious" and "outlandish on (its) face". Does Yeagar think that liberty is only for behaviour he approves of?

Does anyone have a copy of the transcript of Walter Block's talk to us in which he responded to Peter Schwartz's attack on libertarianism? Please call Paul - 944-2845.

For mental stimulation, two websites are heartily recommended: a). David Friedman's at http://www.best.com/~ddfr/. You'll especially like the draft of his new book Why Is Law? b). Bryan Caplan's at http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/. Check out Anarchist Theory FAQ and Why I Am Not an Austrian Economist. Both are great for launching many an interesting discussion.