The below is a full history of the USS Aryan Star, a sci-fi fandom ship first commissioned by The New Federation on November 13, 2004. The ship transferred its affiliation to the International Federation of Trekkers on June 2, 2006 and formally dissolved on July 31, 2009. The USS Aryan Star had the following two Commanding Officers: Dr. Tom Stevens, who served from November 13, 2004 to May 30, 2006, and Jeff Grizlo, who served from May 30, 2006 to July 31, 2009.
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At a meeting of The New Federation, a Star Trek & Sci-Fi Fan Organization, held on Saturday, November 13, 2004, Paul DiMuzio, President of The New Federation promoted Dr. Tom Stevens to Rear Admiral and designated him Starfleet Commander. Mr. DiMuzio also elevated Jeff Grizlo to the rank of Ensign. At that meeting, Mr. DiMuzio announced that The Federation Council has commissioned a new ship with Dr. Tom Stevens as its Commanding Officer. Dr. Tom Stevens then announced that the name of the new ship would be USS Aryan Star. Dr. Stevens announced the promotion of Jeff Grizlo in rank from Ensign to full Lieutenant. He also stated that Mr. Grizlo has been appointed by him to serve as the ship's Executive Officer and that he will also serve in the position of General Assembly Representative. It was also announced that the USS Aryan Star would be a Sovereign Class ship containing a crew of genetically engineered humans who have superior power, intellect, health, virility and looks. Paul DiMuzio, President of The New Federation, announced that the USS Aryan Star has been granted the exclusive responsibility to patrol the Gamma Quadrant on behalf of The New Federation.
Later in the day on Saturday, November 13, 2004, the USS Aryan Star held its first business meeting. Dr. Tom Stevens and Jeff Grizlo were in attendance. It was determined at that meeting that the USS Aryan Star would be a time ship equipped with ablative armour, phase cloaking, and stealth technology. While patrolling the Gamma Quadrant, it was determined that the ship's goals would include establishing colonies and outposts throughout the quadrant that will better enable the crew to maximize their pleasure and fortunes. Allies will be sought out as friends and trading partners. It was also decided that all members of the ship's genetically enhanced human crew will have a life span of between 200-250 years and that in addition to crew members having enhanced strength, intelligence, health, virility and looks, that the male members of the crew will be be particularly well-endowed.
The Holiday Party & Commissioning Ceremony for the USS Aryan Star was held on Sunday, December 12, 2004 at the Milleridge Inn in Jericho, New York. Crew members in attendance were Dr. Tom Stevens, Jeff Grizlo and Helena Stone. It was announced that the ship number would be NCC-71169.
On Saturday January 15, 2005, on the recommendation of Dr. Tom Stevens, Commanding Officer of the USS Aryan Star and Starfleet Commander of The New Federation, the Federation Council appointed Jeff Grizlo, Executive Officer of the USS Aryan Star to serve as Vice-Commander of Starfleet .
On Saturday, January 15, 2005, the crew of the USS Aryan Star went to dinner at Hooters. After dinner, they saw the movie Elektra.
On Sunday, February 6, 2005, Jason Fausone of the USS Maximus was transferred to the USS Aryan Star with the permission of Paul Di Muzio, the Commanding Officer of the USS Maximus. It was agreed that Mr. Fausone would keep the position of Counsellor (which is not an officership position on the USS Aryan Star) and that his current rank and position will not be altered until after Shore Leave in July, 2005.
On Tuesday, February 8, 2005, Paul Di Muzio, President of the New Federation, appointed Jeff Grizlo to the voting position of Secretary General of the New Federation. In that capacity, he was to be responsible for taking minutes at Federation Council meetings. Mr. Grizlo replaced Jason Fausone in that capacity on the Federation Council so the position remains one held by a crew member of the USS Aryan Star. Both before and after the agreement to appoint Jeff Grizlowas made in conjunction with the terms associated with obtaining the transfer of Jason Fausone from the USS Maximus to the USS Aryan Star, Paul DiMuzio extracted additional conditions from Dr. Stevens in return for Jeff's appointment. The first was that Jeff Grizlo would have to be replaced as the USS Aryan Star's General Assembly Representative and that by August 8, 2005, Dr. Stevens would have to replace Jeff Grizlo as Vice-Commander of Starfleet.
On Tuesday, February 8, 2005, Dr. Tom Stevens, Commanding Officer of the USS Aryan Star, approved the transfer of Lieutenant Helena Stone to the USS Surv1, a newly commissioned ship in The New Federation, where she will serve in the position of Second Officer.
On Friday, February 18, 2005, Jeff Grizlo was replaced as Vice-Commander of Starfleet with Captain Orlando Medina, the Commanding Officer of the USS Surv 1.
On Sunday, February 27, 2009, Mark Matonti was appointed Second Officer of the USS Aryan Star and granted the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade.
On Sunday, March 6, 2005, the USS Aryan Star decided that the ship's slogan would be "Carpe Diem", which means Seize The Day in English.
On Wednesday, March 16, 2005, it was learned that Jason Fausone, who recently sought a transfer to the USS Aryan Star, has been in secret negotiations with the Commanding Officer of the USS Maximus to return to that ship. It is unknown whether he will be accepted. Paul DiMuzio, President of The New Federation, stated that re-acceptance would occur under two conditions. The first is that Jason Fausone be demoted to the rank of Ensign, which Dr. Stevens did. The second was that the Command Staff of the USS Maximus needed to vote as to whether to accept him back. Pending that vote, Dr. Stevens, Commanding Officer of the USS Aryan Star, ordered XO Grizlo to stuff Jason Fausone into an escape pod and to jettison him into space with 48 hours of oxygen. Grizlo informed the USS Maximus they could choose to pick him up and save him if they wish.
On Friday, July 8, 2005, The New Federation joined Starfleet, IFT, PPI, Starfleet Command, STAT, and the Baltimore Science Fiction Society in co-sponsoring a dinner held in conjunction with Shore Leave 27 at the Silver Spring Mining Company in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Deborah Sprouse, Vice-President of The New Federation and Captain of the USS Antares, was in attendance, as was Rear Admiral Dr. Tom Stevens, Starfleet Commander of The New Federation and the Commanding Officer of the USS Aryan Star.
On Friday, July 22, 2005, the USS Aryan Star and the USS Maximus co-sponsored a dinner at Harvest Buffet in Great Neck, New York celebrating Space Exploration Day (July 20th) which commemorates the day Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.
For the 2005-2006 football season, the ship's Fantasy Football Team, the Well Endowed Aryans, joined the Smash Mouth Fantasy Football League sponsored by Yahoo Sports. Unfortunately, our team ended up in 12th place with a record of 4 wins and 9 loses. Jeff Grizlo's personal fantasy football team was called Bent Wankers.
On Tuesday, August 16, 2005, the USS Aryan Star adopted "Semper Erectus" as the ship's new motto.
On Saturday, August 13, 2005, the crews of the USS Maximus, USS Aryan Star and IFT's USS Rebel Crusader went to see the movie The Great Raid.
On Saturday, October 15, 2005, the crews of the USS Maximus, USS Aryan Star and IFT's USS Rebel Crusader attended The Killing Kompany's Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre Show 'The Oktoberfest Murders! at Pier 1 at 33 Bayville Avenue in Bayville, New York.
On Tuesday, May 30, 2006, Dr. Tom Stevens resigned as Commanding Officer of the USS Aryan Star. Jeff Grizlo, who served as Executive Officer, was appointed as the new Commanding Officer.
On Thursday, June 1, 2006, Derek J. Hanson, the former Information Services Officer of the USS Rebel Crusader, joined the crew of the USS Aryan Star as Chief Science Officer with the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade 3. Mr. Hanson's IFT membership eventually expired.
On Thursday, June 1, 2006, Jeff Grizlo, Commanding Officer of the USS Aryan Star, received word that the Commanding Officers of the USS Rebel Crusader and the USS Coyote consented to the ship's admission into the International Federation of Trekkers. Mr. Grizlo informed the crew that Suffolk County was part of the territory their ships patrolled and that, pursuant to an Agreement entered into between those ships, both CO's needed to give their OK before new ships were permitted entry into the IFT. On behalf of the crew of the USS Aryan Star, Mr. Grizlo thanked Dr. Tom Stevens, Commanding Officer of the USS Rebel Crusader, and Allan Landow, Commanding Officer of the USS Coyote, for agreeing to allow the USS Aryan Star to join the International Federation of Trekkers. Mr. Grizlo stated the ship will miss its our old affiliation with The New Federation, which held great potential that was never quite realized. Mr. Grizlo had served on the USS Rebel Crusader as Helmsman & Weapons Officer.
On Friday, June 2, 2009, the following message was received by Russ Haslage, President of the International Federation of Trekkers:
The collapse of an organization calling themselves the New Federation has brought a chapter to the true Federation and I am proud to announce their commissioning. All HQ offices, please welcome the new chapter and crew and avail your services to them.
USS ARYAN STAR (NFC-71169)
JEFF GRIZLO, COMMANDING
40 DORCHESTER ROAD
SMITHTOWN, NY 11787
jeffgrizlo@yahoo.com
The USS REBEL CRUSADER and USS COYOTE have both agreed to allow the new ship to join the Federation fleet and all three will together work for the good of the Federation which is guided by the Roddenberrydream as he instilled it into IFT.
Welcome USS ARYAN STAR!
In Honor of the Fleet,
Russ Haslage,
President
International Federation of Trekkers
On Friday, June 2, 2006, Russ Haslage, President of the International Federation of Trekkers, informed the USS Aryan Star that they were commissioned as NCC-71169, which is the same number they were commissioned under by The New Federation. Jeff Grizlo was also informed that while new ship captains in IFT are usually started off with the rank of Commander 3, that IFT will respect the rank of Captain granted to him by Dr. Tom Stevens, Starfleet Commander of The New Federation, and will assign him the rank of Captain 3.
On Sunday, June 4, 2006, Dallwyn Merck joined the crew of the USS Aryan Star as Second Officer with the rank of Ensign 1. On Sunday, June 18, 2006, Dallwyn Merck was promoted in rank from Ensign 1 to Lieutenant Junior Grade 3. On Tuesday, August 1, 2006, Dallwyn Merck was promoted in rank from Lieutenant Junior Grade 3 to Lieutenant Junior Grade 2. On Sunday, August 20, 2006, Dallwyn Merck was promoted in rank from Lieutenant Junior Grade 2 to Lieutenant Junior Grade 1.
On Wednesday, June 21, 2006, Kirk Dolinski joined the crew of the USS Aryan Star as Security Chief with the rank of Ensign 1.
On Tuesday, July 18, 2006, Nathan Schell joined the crew of the USS Aryan Star as Engineering Chief with the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade 3.
For the 2006-2007 football season, the ship's Fantasy Football Team, the Aryan Augments, joined the Rock Hard & Ready Fantasy Football League sponsored by Yahoo Sports. Our team finished the season in third place with a record of 11 wins and 3 loses. In the first round of the play-offs, the second place Ten Inch Boy Wonders beat the third place Aryan Augments by a score of 88 to 87. In the second round of the play-offs, the fourth place Oklahoma Jackhammers beat the third place Aryan Augments by a score of 93 to 88 leaving the Aryan Augments in 4th place overall.
On Tuesday, August 29, 2006, the USS Aryan Star was forced to drop its motto "Semper Erectus" in order to comply with the request of Russ Haslage, IFT President, to "clean up" our Home Page for "family" consumption. On Saturday, September 9, 2006, the ship was forced to drop the reference on our Yahoo Group Home Page that "the males on our crew are particularly well-endowed". We have made this change to comply with the oppressive restrictions that have been promoted by IFT in the name of "family values". In response to these incidents, the ship adopted the following as its favorite quotation: "Better to Reign in Hell than Serve in Heaven!", which came out of Satan's mouth in John Milton's Paradise Lost.
On Sunday, January 7, 2007, Jeff Grizlo was informed by Russ Haslage, President of the International Federation of Trekkers, that the IFT Federation Council promoted him in rank from Captain 3 to Captain 2.
On Thursday, April 19, 2007, Dallwyn Merck was promoted from Second Officer to Executive Officer and promoted in rank from Junior Lieutenant 3 to Junior Lieutenant 1. Also on this date, Jesse Greene joined the crew as Second Officer with the rank of Ensign 1.
For the 2007-2008 football season, the ship's Fantasy Football Team, the Aryan Starfighters, joined the PPI Fantasy Football League sponsored by Yahoo Sports. Our team finished the season in third place with a record of 9 wins and 5 loses. In the first round of the play-offs, the third place Aryan Starfighters beat the second place Spartan Warriors by a score of 97 to 66. In the second round of the play-offs, the first place Freedom Crusaders beat the third place Aryan Starfighters by a score of 76 to 70 leaving the Aryan Augments in 2nd place overall.
On Sunday, September 28, 2008, Mark Lockwood joined the crew of the USS Aryan Star in the position of Information Services Officer with the rank of Ensign 1.
For the 2008-2009 football season, the ship's Fantasy Football Team, the Aryan Starfighters, joined the Objectivist Party Fantasy Football League sponsored by Yahoo Sports. Unfortunately, our team ended up in 11th place with a record of 3 wins and 11 loses.
On Saturday, February 14, 2009, Nathan Schell, the Engineering Chief aboard the USS Aryan Star, transferred to the USS Rebel Crusader where he will serve as their Chief Science Officer.
Since joining the International Federation of Trekkers, the USS Aryan Star sponsored and attended a number of interesting events which included going to the following places, movies, restaurants and conventions:
06/10/06 - The Belmont Stakes (138th Running)
06/17/06 - Playland (Rye, New York)
06/20/06 - The New York Botanical Garden
06/25/06 - Charles Darwin Exhibit (AMNH)
06/25/06 - Cosmic Collisions (Hayden Planetarium)
06/25/06 - Amazing Caves (IMAX)
06/27/06 - Superman Returns (Movie)
07/07/06 - Shore Leave 28 (Hunt Valley, MD) (3 days)
07/07/06 - Pool Party (Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn)
07/08/06 - Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Movie)
07/22/06 - Space Exploration Day Celebration (Century Diner Buffet)
07/22/06 - My Super Ex-Girlfriend (Movie)
07/29/06 - New York Hall Of Science
08/05/06 - Mohegan Sun (Casino)
08/05/06 - Paul Anka (Concert)
08/08/06 - Jacques Brel Is Alive & Well & Living In Paris (Musical)
08/13/06 - The Fantasticks (Musical)
08/16/06 - The History Boys (Play)
08/19/06 - New York Renaissance Faire
08/26/06 - Snakes On A Plane (Movie)
08/30/06 - Avenue Q (Musical)
09/03/06 - The Lieutenant Of Inishmore (Play)
09/17/06 - Hard Rock Cafe (Times Square)
09/17/06 - Monty Python's Spamalot (Musical)
09/30/06 - Kohler-Kon II Collectibles Show
10/09/06 - American Museum Of The Moving Image
10/09/06 - Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (Movie)
10/28/06 - Forest Of Fear (Tuxedo, NY)
11/11/06 - Nassau County Firefighters Museum
11/12/06 - Altar Boyz (Musical)
11/18/06 - Naked Boys Singing! (Musical)
11/19/06 - American Airpower Museum (Republic Airport)
11/25/06 - Flight 587 Memorial (Rockaway, NY)
12/02/06 - Queens Museum of Art
12/30/06 - Christmas Decorations Holiday Hunt
02/16/07 - Farpoint 2007 (Hunt Valley, MD) (3 days)
02/22/07 - Washington's Birthday Celebration (Harvest Buffet)
03/03/07 - James Doohan's Birthday Celebration (Lenny's Pizzeria)
03/15/07 - 300 (Movie)
03/17/07 - St. Patrick's Day Celebration (Santoor Indian Restaurant)
03/22/07 - William Shatner's Birthday Celebration (Harvest Buffet)
03/31/07 - Floyd Bennett Field
03/31/07 - Aqueduct Raceway Flea Market
03/31/07 - Ewan McGregor's Birthday Celebration (Empire Buffet)
04/06/07 - Billy Dee Williams' Birthday Celebration (Jackson Hole)
04/14/07 - Fort Totten Historic Tour
04/21/07 - Astroland (Coney Island)
04/21/07 - Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park (Coney Island)
05/19/07 - Queens Botanical Garden
06/16/07 - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Movie)
06/25/07 - Shrek The Third (Movie)
06/29/07 - Live Free or Die Hard (Movie)
07/06/07 - Star Trek Meetup (Paddy McGee's)
07/21/07 - Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (Movie)
07/21/07 - Jon Lovitz' Birthday Celebration (Ayhan's Shish-Kebab)
07/26/07 - Hairspray (Movie)
07/26/07 - Stanley Kubrick's Birthday Celebration (Old Country Buffet)
08/04/07 - The Bourne Ultimatum (Movie)
09/08/07 - Fly In 2007 (Floyd Bennett Field)
09/29/07 - Kohler-Kon 3 (Bantry Bay Pub/Cork Hall)
09/29/07 - Madeline Kahn's Birthday Celebration (Sizzler)
10/14/07 - Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Movie)
11/21/07 - New York Transit Museum
01/04/08 - National Treasure: Book Of Secrets (Movie)
02/09/08 - The Fantasticks (Musical)
03/07/08 - Triumph of the Human Spirit (Sculpture)
04/12/08 - Tiny Tim's Birthday Celebration (Yan Jing Buffet)
04/26/08 - Man of La Mancha (Musical)
05/16/08 - The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Movie)
06/05/08 - Iron Man (Movie)
07/19/08 - Meet Dave (Movie)
08/09/08 - Queens Zoo (Flushing Meadows/Corona Park)
08/09/08 - Carousel (Flushing Meadows/Corona Park)
08/16/08 - Brooklyn Museum
08/16/08 - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
08/16/08 - Steve Carell's Birthday Celebration (Century Diner Buffet)
08/23/08 - Bayport Aerodrome Fly-In
08/23/08 - Bayport Aerodrome Museum
08/23/08 - Long Island Early Fliers Museum (Bayport Aerodrome)
08/23/08 - Sheep Shagger Baaa! (Bayport Aerodrome)
08/31/08 - Queens County Farm Museum
08/31/08 - The Adriance Farmhouse (Queens County Farm Museum)
08/31/08 - Hay Ride (Queens County Farm Museum)
08/31/08 - Buddy Hackett's Birthday Celebration (Subway)
09/06/08 - Bangkok Dangerous (Movie)
09/13/08 - Alley Pond Environmental Center
09/20/08 - Belmont Raceway (Belmont Park)
10/04/08 - An American Carol (Movie)
11/07/08 - Changeling (Movie)
11/22/08 - A Christmas Tale (Movie)
12/13/08 - Milk (Movie)
12/21/08 - Holiday Dinner (East Manor Buffet)
12/27/08 - Marley & Me (Movie)
01/10/09 - The Unborn (Movie)
02/08/09 - The Rockefeller Center Tour
02/08/09 - The Cathedral of Saint Patrick
02/21/09 - Tyler Perry's Madea Goes To Jail (Movie)
03/07/09 - The Cloisters Museum & Gardens
03/08/09 - General Grant National Memorial (Grant's Tomb)
04/14/09 - Dragonball: Evolution (Movie)
05/14/09 - Star Trek (Movie)
05/17/09 - X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Movie)
05/30/09 - Terminator Salvation (Movie)
06/02/09 - Up (Movie)
06/05/09 - Land Of The Lost (Movie)
06/07/09 - The Hangover (Movie)
On Wednesday, July 22, 2009, the crew of the USS Aryan Star voted unanimously to dissolve the ship effective Friday, July 31, 2009. Jeff Grizlo announced he was resigning his membership in the International Federation of Trekkers effective July 31, 2009 and that the following crew members were transferring their IFT memberships to the USS Rebel Crusader where they will retain their rank and be assigned the position of Crew Member:
Dallwyn Merck (Junior Lieutenant 1)
Jesse Greene (Ensign 1)
Kirk Dolinski (Ensign 1)
Mark Lockwood (Ensign 1)
On Friday, July 31, 2009, the USS Aryan Star formally dissolved.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Jeff Grizlo Resigns As Second Officer Of The ISS Takei & As A Member Of The Pride Power Imperium
On July 24, 2009, Jeff Grizlo resigned as Second Officer of the ISS Takei, a fandom ship in the Pride Power Imperium with a crew exclusively made up of Gay Male Star Trek Fans. He also simultaneously resigned his membership in the Pride Power Imperium. The Pride Power Imperium is a Star Trek/Sci-Fi fan association dedicated to celebrating the diversity present in the universe and to encouraging tolerance within fandom and society.
Jeff Grizlo first joined the Pride Power Imperium on February 19, 2005 and was appointed Executive Officer of the USS Surak. On February 25, 2005, he was appointed Fleet Admiral of the Pride Power Imperium and two days later arranged for Matt Gelfman, the Commanding Officer of the USS Sheridan, to take on the responsibilities of webmaster for the Pride Power Imperium.
At the time of Mr. Gelfman's appointment as webmaster, Grizlo said:
I am extremely pleased to have Matt serving as webmaster for the Pride Power Imperium at the same time I am serving as PPI's Fleet Admiral. Matt and I have a special bond and chemistry that has made us inseparable on all levels. Our relationship transcends all societal boundaries. We have shared everything with each other and have gone places where no man has gone before. I look forward to working closely with him in his new position.
On February 26, 2005, Jeff Grizlo resigned as Executive Officer of the USS Surak and on March 11, 2005, he was transferred to the USS Damar to take over that ship as Commanding Officer. On August 13, 2007, Mr. Grizlo resigned as Fleet Admiral of the Pride Power Imperium and on August 22, 2007, he was transferred to the ISS Spartan Force to take over as that ship's Security Chief.
On September 15, 2007, Jeff Grizlo requested a transfer to the ISS Takei, which has a crew made up exclusively of Gay Male Star Trek Fans. His request was granted and he was assigned the position of Second Officer aboard that ship.
At the time of his appointment as Second Officer aboard the ISS Takei, Grizlo said:
I am grateful the Pride Power Imperium has chartered a fandom ship exclusively for gay males. I definitely feel more comfortable serving aboard a ship of Star Trek fans who also have a primary interest in having sex with other men. That is a great starting point for a successful ship since the crew members have common interests. I only wish Matt Gelfman were still in PPI. If he were, he would be very excited to hear about the chartering of the ISS Takei.
Jeff Grizlo was a proud member of Pride Power Imperium. He will be missed.
In Service,
Dr. Tom Stevens
Supreme Commander
Pride Power Imperium
Jeff Grizlo first joined the Pride Power Imperium on February 19, 2005 and was appointed Executive Officer of the USS Surak. On February 25, 2005, he was appointed Fleet Admiral of the Pride Power Imperium and two days later arranged for Matt Gelfman, the Commanding Officer of the USS Sheridan, to take on the responsibilities of webmaster for the Pride Power Imperium.
At the time of Mr. Gelfman's appointment as webmaster, Grizlo said:
I am extremely pleased to have Matt serving as webmaster for the Pride Power Imperium at the same time I am serving as PPI's Fleet Admiral. Matt and I have a special bond and chemistry that has made us inseparable on all levels. Our relationship transcends all societal boundaries. We have shared everything with each other and have gone places where no man has gone before. I look forward to working closely with him in his new position.
On February 26, 2005, Jeff Grizlo resigned as Executive Officer of the USS Surak and on March 11, 2005, he was transferred to the USS Damar to take over that ship as Commanding Officer. On August 13, 2007, Mr. Grizlo resigned as Fleet Admiral of the Pride Power Imperium and on August 22, 2007, he was transferred to the ISS Spartan Force to take over as that ship's Security Chief.
On September 15, 2007, Jeff Grizlo requested a transfer to the ISS Takei, which has a crew made up exclusively of Gay Male Star Trek Fans. His request was granted and he was assigned the position of Second Officer aboard that ship.
At the time of his appointment as Second Officer aboard the ISS Takei, Grizlo said:
I am grateful the Pride Power Imperium has chartered a fandom ship exclusively for gay males. I definitely feel more comfortable serving aboard a ship of Star Trek fans who also have a primary interest in having sex with other men. That is a great starting point for a successful ship since the crew members have common interests. I only wish Matt Gelfman were still in PPI. If he were, he would be very excited to hear about the chartering of the ISS Takei.
Jeff Grizlo was a proud member of Pride Power Imperium. He will be missed.
In Service,
Dr. Tom Stevens
Supreme Commander
Pride Power Imperium
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Jeff Grizlo Resigns As Executive Vice-President Of The Objectivist Party Of New York
On July 22, 2009, Jeff Grizlo resigned as Executive Vice-President of the Objectivist Party of New York. He served in that capacity since the Objectivist Party of New York was chartered on June 7, 2008.
In commenting on his service as OPNY Executive Vice-President, Grizlo said:
As Executive Vice-President, I had the honor of serving directly under Dr. Tom Stevens, President of the Objectivist Party of New York. Besides working closely with me in a political and professional capacity, Dr. Stevens has also been a close personal friend and mentor. When I met him, I was hanging out with friends, living a purposeless life and deeply influenced by my fear of God. He provided me with direction, taught me to use reason and to free myself from superstition and mysticism. At first I resisted. The path Tom offered was a difficult one. He was prepared to devote a large amount of time to me if I would fully commit myself to the effort. I soon realized what an extraordinary opportunity he was offering to me. I had few professional, leadership or social skills but Tom saw I had potential and believed in me. I trusted him and doing so has changed my life. So although I am resigning as Executive Vice-President of the Objectivist Party of New York, I look forward to continuing to serve with Dr. Tom Stevens on the Governing Board of the Objectivist Party.
Jeff Grizlo has been a member of the Objectivist Party since its founding on February 2, 2008.
In commenting on his service as OPNY Executive Vice-President, Grizlo said:
As Executive Vice-President, I had the honor of serving directly under Dr. Tom Stevens, President of the Objectivist Party of New York. Besides working closely with me in a political and professional capacity, Dr. Stevens has also been a close personal friend and mentor. When I met him, I was hanging out with friends, living a purposeless life and deeply influenced by my fear of God. He provided me with direction, taught me to use reason and to free myself from superstition and mysticism. At first I resisted. The path Tom offered was a difficult one. He was prepared to devote a large amount of time to me if I would fully commit myself to the effort. I soon realized what an extraordinary opportunity he was offering to me. I had few professional, leadership or social skills but Tom saw I had potential and believed in me. I trusted him and doing so has changed my life. So although I am resigning as Executive Vice-President of the Objectivist Party of New York, I look forward to continuing to serve with Dr. Tom Stevens on the Governing Board of the Objectivist Party.
Jeff Grizlo has been a member of the Objectivist Party since its founding on February 2, 2008.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Stevens & Rivera Hold Objectivist Party "Strategy Session" In The National Liberty Museum In Philadelphia
Dr. Tom Stevens, Chair of the Objectivist Party, and Joe Rivera, Vice-Chair of the Objectivist Party, met on Sunday, July 19, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. in the National Liberty Museum located at 321 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a "Strategy Session" held around Dale Chihuly's "Flame of Liberty", a blown glass sculpture that is prominently displayed in the museum.
The meeting provided an opportunity for the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Objectivist Party to meet in person and to discuss strategies for increasing the influence of the Objectivist Party in the political and cultural arenas of the countries in which the party has members.
Dr. Stevens said, "The National Liberty Museum was a perfect location for holding a Strategy Session for the Objectivist Party. Its exhibits are dedicated to the promotion of liberty and to honoring heroism."
The meeting provided an opportunity for the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Objectivist Party to meet in person and to discuss strategies for increasing the influence of the Objectivist Party in the political and cultural arenas of the countries in which the party has members.
Dr. Stevens said, "The National Liberty Museum was a perfect location for holding a Strategy Session for the Objectivist Party. Its exhibits are dedicated to the promotion of liberty and to honoring heroism."
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
OPNY Affiliate Members Visit Tourist Attractions In Maryland & New Jersey
Objectivist Party of New York affiliate members attending the Objectivist Party's Multi-Affiliate Meeting and Pool Party in Maryland on July 10, 2009 decided to visit a few tourist attractions on their way to and from the event. In Maryland, they visited the Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine, The National Katyn Memorial, the Baltimore Holocaust Memorial and the Baltimore Museum of Industry. In New Jersey, they visited the Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower.
Fort McHenry is a star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812 when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in the Chesapeake Bay. Francis Scott Key, a Washington lawyer who had come to Baltimore to negotiate the release of Dr. William Beanes, a civilian prisoner of war, witnessed the bombardment from a nearby truce ship. An over-sized American flag had been sewn by Mary Pickersgill in anticipation of the British attack on the fort. When Key saw the flag emerge intact in the dawn of September 14, 1814, he was so moved that he began that morning to compose the poem "The Defence of Fort McHenry" which would later be renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner" eventually being set to the tune of The Anacreontic Song to become the national anthem of the United States. While at the Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine, we saw the film "The Defense of Fort McHenry" that was playing in the Visitor Center Auditorium.
The National Katyn Memorial on S. President Street in Baltimore, Maryland honors those Polish officers who died in three Soviet prisoner of war camps during World War II. In 1918, Poland regained her independence after enduring three partitions and domination for 123 years by Russia, Prussia, and Austria. Barely 21 years later, on September 1, 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, triggering the Second World War. On September 17, the Soviet Union, in cooperation with the Nazis and without a declaration of war, invaded and occupied eastern Poland. The Soviets deported some 1.5 million Polish citizens to Siberia. They seized some 250,000 Polish military personnel and sent over 20,000 army, navy, air force and frontier-guard officers to three prison camps in the Soviet Union: Kozielsk, Starobielsk, and Ostashkov. Most of these officers were reservists: doctors, professors, school teachers, lawyers, judges, civil servants, priests, ministers, and rabbis. They were Poland’s leaders and thinkers, the flower of Polish intelligentsia. Through the severe winter of 1939-40, the prisoners defied political indoctrination and endured interrogations by the Soviet secret police (NKVD) about their backgrounds and their political views. In March they were ordered to gather their belongings and were told they were being returned to Poland. For the next few weeks, day after day, 200-300 of them were taken away by train. They were then transferred to special prison buses, locked singly into cramped cubicles and taken deep into the Russian forests. There, one-by-one, each prisoner was murdered with a pistol shot to the back of the head. In June, 1941 Germany turned on its ally and invaded the Soviet Union. In April 1943 in the Katyñ Forest, near Smolensk in German-occupied Russia, a local peasant led the Germans to a site called Goat Hill. There the Germans found the bodies of nearly 5,000 Polish officer-prisoners who had been in the Kozielsk prison camp. One of the people brought to the gravesite as a witness to the proceedings was an American Prisoner-of-War, Lieutenant Colonel John Van Vliet, Jr. After his release from captivity at the end of the war, he prepared a report in which he concluded that the Soviets were responsible for the murder of the Polish officers found at Katyñ. This report, classified TOP SECRET, disappeared. In 1949, at the request of the Department of Defense, Lt. Col. Van Vliet again dictated his report and this time it was made public. In 1951, the US House of Representatives established the ‘Select Committee to Conduct an Investigation into the Katyñ Forest Massacre’. After a 13-month inquiry, the Committee concluded that, beyond any reasonable doubt, the massacre had been committed by the Soviet NKVD. It was not until the collapse of the Soviet Union that the truth was acknowledged. In 1989, the head of the Communist Party broadly admitted Soviet guilt. In 1991, other mass graves were uncovered near Kharkov and in Mednoye. These graves contained the bodies of the murdered officers from the Starobielsk and Ostashkov camps. In 1992, the Russian President released to Poland secret documents, including the death sentences signed by Stalin and by the head of the NKVD at the time of the atrocities. The world finally knew the truth after 50 years of lies and deception.The phrase Katyñ Massacre is used to signify the murders at all three of the Soviet camps.
The Baltimore Holocaust Memorial is located at the intersection of Lombard and Gay Streets, two blocks from the Inner Harbor attractions. In the front center sits the Joseph Sheppard Holocaust Sculpture. The statue depicts the horror of the Holocaust by portraying emaciated bodies of the victims’ bodies contorted in a ball of flame. The base of the sculpture bears the quote from George Santayana: "Those who do not remember the past are destined to repeat it." The center plaza of the site is a large concrete triangle. The form represents the shape of the badge that the holocaust victims were required to wear. Two yellow triangles, one lying over the other, identified an individual as a Jew. The Holocaust Sculpture stands at the apex of the triangle. A raised triangular memorial plaque stands just behind the sculpture.
The Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI) was founded in 1977 to preserve the City's rapidly disappearing industrial heritage. In May, 1981, BMI moved into the historic Platt Oyster Cannery building (c.1870) in South Baltimore. The mission of the Baltimore Museum of Industry is to collect, preserve, and interpret the industrial and technological heritage of the Baltimore region for the public by presenting educational programs and exhibits that explore the stories of Maryland's industries and the people who created and worked in them. OPNY members were treated to a 2-hour private tour of the museum and its exhibits.
The Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower is a memorial to inventor and businessman Thomas Edison, located in the Menlo Park area of Edison, New Jersey. It was built in 1938 and dedicated on February 11, 1938, on what would have been the inventor's 91st birthday. The 131-foot tall tower is at the exact spot where the Menlo Park laboratory was located. After Edison and his staff left in 1884, the original buildings deteriorated until by 1925 all the buildings had either collapsed or burned. Thomas Edison owned a house across the street from the tower which burnt down sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s. He also owned 35 acres of property in the area which is now a park. The tower's pinnacle is meant to represent an incandescent light bulb. Originally, the tower was not only a tribute to the incandescent light, but also recorded sound. It had speakers loud enough to be heard two miles away, but was discontinued to avoid noise pollution, according to a 2004 Weird NJ magazine article.
OPNY affiliate members found these tourist attractions to be an extraordinary educational experience.
In Liberty,
Dr. Tom Stevens
President
Objectivist Party of New York
Fort McHenry is a star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812 when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in the Chesapeake Bay. Francis Scott Key, a Washington lawyer who had come to Baltimore to negotiate the release of Dr. William Beanes, a civilian prisoner of war, witnessed the bombardment from a nearby truce ship. An over-sized American flag had been sewn by Mary Pickersgill in anticipation of the British attack on the fort. When Key saw the flag emerge intact in the dawn of September 14, 1814, he was so moved that he began that morning to compose the poem "The Defence of Fort McHenry" which would later be renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner" eventually being set to the tune of The Anacreontic Song to become the national anthem of the United States. While at the Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine, we saw the film "The Defense of Fort McHenry" that was playing in the Visitor Center Auditorium.
The National Katyn Memorial on S. President Street in Baltimore, Maryland honors those Polish officers who died in three Soviet prisoner of war camps during World War II. In 1918, Poland regained her independence after enduring three partitions and domination for 123 years by Russia, Prussia, and Austria. Barely 21 years later, on September 1, 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, triggering the Second World War. On September 17, the Soviet Union, in cooperation with the Nazis and without a declaration of war, invaded and occupied eastern Poland. The Soviets deported some 1.5 million Polish citizens to Siberia. They seized some 250,000 Polish military personnel and sent over 20,000 army, navy, air force and frontier-guard officers to three prison camps in the Soviet Union: Kozielsk, Starobielsk, and Ostashkov. Most of these officers were reservists: doctors, professors, school teachers, lawyers, judges, civil servants, priests, ministers, and rabbis. They were Poland’s leaders and thinkers, the flower of Polish intelligentsia. Through the severe winter of 1939-40, the prisoners defied political indoctrination and endured interrogations by the Soviet secret police (NKVD) about their backgrounds and their political views. In March they were ordered to gather their belongings and were told they were being returned to Poland. For the next few weeks, day after day, 200-300 of them were taken away by train. They were then transferred to special prison buses, locked singly into cramped cubicles and taken deep into the Russian forests. There, one-by-one, each prisoner was murdered with a pistol shot to the back of the head. In June, 1941 Germany turned on its ally and invaded the Soviet Union. In April 1943 in the Katyñ Forest, near Smolensk in German-occupied Russia, a local peasant led the Germans to a site called Goat Hill. There the Germans found the bodies of nearly 5,000 Polish officer-prisoners who had been in the Kozielsk prison camp. One of the people brought to the gravesite as a witness to the proceedings was an American Prisoner-of-War, Lieutenant Colonel John Van Vliet, Jr. After his release from captivity at the end of the war, he prepared a report in which he concluded that the Soviets were responsible for the murder of the Polish officers found at Katyñ. This report, classified TOP SECRET, disappeared. In 1949, at the request of the Department of Defense, Lt. Col. Van Vliet again dictated his report and this time it was made public. In 1951, the US House of Representatives established the ‘Select Committee to Conduct an Investigation into the Katyñ Forest Massacre’. After a 13-month inquiry, the Committee concluded that, beyond any reasonable doubt, the massacre had been committed by the Soviet NKVD. It was not until the collapse of the Soviet Union that the truth was acknowledged. In 1989, the head of the Communist Party broadly admitted Soviet guilt. In 1991, other mass graves were uncovered near Kharkov and in Mednoye. These graves contained the bodies of the murdered officers from the Starobielsk and Ostashkov camps. In 1992, the Russian President released to Poland secret documents, including the death sentences signed by Stalin and by the head of the NKVD at the time of the atrocities. The world finally knew the truth after 50 years of lies and deception.The phrase Katyñ Massacre is used to signify the murders at all three of the Soviet camps.
The Baltimore Holocaust Memorial is located at the intersection of Lombard and Gay Streets, two blocks from the Inner Harbor attractions. In the front center sits the Joseph Sheppard Holocaust Sculpture. The statue depicts the horror of the Holocaust by portraying emaciated bodies of the victims’ bodies contorted in a ball of flame. The base of the sculpture bears the quote from George Santayana: "Those who do not remember the past are destined to repeat it." The center plaza of the site is a large concrete triangle. The form represents the shape of the badge that the holocaust victims were required to wear. Two yellow triangles, one lying over the other, identified an individual as a Jew. The Holocaust Sculpture stands at the apex of the triangle. A raised triangular memorial plaque stands just behind the sculpture.
The Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI) was founded in 1977 to preserve the City's rapidly disappearing industrial heritage. In May, 1981, BMI moved into the historic Platt Oyster Cannery building (c.1870) in South Baltimore. The mission of the Baltimore Museum of Industry is to collect, preserve, and interpret the industrial and technological heritage of the Baltimore region for the public by presenting educational programs and exhibits that explore the stories of Maryland's industries and the people who created and worked in them. OPNY members were treated to a 2-hour private tour of the museum and its exhibits.
The Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower is a memorial to inventor and businessman Thomas Edison, located in the Menlo Park area of Edison, New Jersey. It was built in 1938 and dedicated on February 11, 1938, on what would have been the inventor's 91st birthday. The 131-foot tall tower is at the exact spot where the Menlo Park laboratory was located. After Edison and his staff left in 1884, the original buildings deteriorated until by 1925 all the buildings had either collapsed or burned. Thomas Edison owned a house across the street from the tower which burnt down sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s. He also owned 35 acres of property in the area which is now a park. The tower's pinnacle is meant to represent an incandescent light bulb. Originally, the tower was not only a tribute to the incandescent light, but also recorded sound. It had speakers loud enough to be heard two miles away, but was discontinued to avoid noise pollution, according to a 2004 Weird NJ magazine article.
OPNY affiliate members found these tourist attractions to be an extraordinary educational experience.
In Liberty,
Dr. Tom Stevens
President
Objectivist Party of New York
Objectivist Party Multi-Affiliate Meeting & Pool Party Held In Maryland
On Friday, July 10, 2009 at 5:30 p.m., the Objectivist Party of New York, the Objectivist Party of Pennsylvania, and the Objectivist Party of Virginia held a multi-affiliate meeting at Golden Corral located at 7908 Rossville Blvd. in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Tom Stevens, OPNY President, was able to reserve a separate meeting room at the restaurant for the exclusive use of Objectivist Party members and their friends. The meeting lasted two hours. Besides party members, interested local residents from Maryland joined us as did two people who drove from Missouri in order to make the meeting.
After dinner, Objectivist Party members and their friends headed over to the Baltimore Marriott Hunt Valley located at 245 Shawan Road in Hunt Valley, Maryland in order to take part in the scheduled Pool Party. Dr. Stevens made his room available for those who needed to change into their swim suits. For the next hour and a half, everyone took full advantage of the hot tub and large swimming pool.
The Multi-Affiliate Meeting and Pool Party wrapped up around 10:00 p.m. at which time those not staying over at the hotel took off to head home. Those staying at the hotel continued to hang out discussing Objectivist Party strategy and Objectivist philosophy.
A very enjoyable time was had by all!
In Liberty,
Dr. Tom Stevens
President
Objectivist Party of New York
After dinner, Objectivist Party members and their friends headed over to the Baltimore Marriott Hunt Valley located at 245 Shawan Road in Hunt Valley, Maryland in order to take part in the scheduled Pool Party. Dr. Stevens made his room available for those who needed to change into their swim suits. For the next hour and a half, everyone took full advantage of the hot tub and large swimming pool.
The Multi-Affiliate Meeting and Pool Party wrapped up around 10:00 p.m. at which time those not staying over at the hotel took off to head home. Those staying at the hotel continued to hang out discussing Objectivist Party strategy and Objectivist philosophy.
A very enjoyable time was had by all!
In Liberty,
Dr. Tom Stevens
President
Objectivist Party of New York
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Joe Rivera On An Objectivist's Moral Obligation To Live A Purposeful Life
Joe Rivera, Vice-Chair of the Objectivist Party, was recently asked by one of the party's members to address the issue of whether the fact that people choose different purposes in life reveals that said choices are therefore necessarily subjective in nature. Mr. Rivera responded as follows:
Objectivism holds that life is best lived with logic, reason, and purpose. A purposeful life is a life lived with the ultimate moral goal being the achievement of one's own happiness. The specific purpose is left to discretion, but just because it is variable does not mean it is subjective. To say that a life lived for the purpose of feeding starving children is necessarily a better one than a life lived for the purpose of building houses would be a subjective evaluation. However, as long as a person uses reason and rational thought to select a purpose that leads to a productive life, the selection of that purpose is left up to the individual.
That being said, there are objective ways of measuring each person's progress toward the achievement of their chosen goals. One could ask, "How far have I come toward achieving my goals?" or "Have I set short-term, medium-term and long-term goals that will allow me to steadily work toward the goals I have set for myself?" If a person has used reason to come up with a progressive plan (meaning each goal builds upon the last) toward what they would consider a better future, then they are living a purposeful life. A life that is not purposeful has no such plan, and any short term goals do not lead to long term goals.
I think this is a satisfactory objective definition as it doesn't take into account any subjective interpretations of what the purpose is in deciding whether or not the life is purposeful. However, just because a life is purposeful does not make it acceptable to an Objectivist; it still must pass the rationality test. Spending a lifetime killing clowns or learning to be the best heroin addict one can be, for example, are purposes but they wouldn't be acceptable to an Objectivist because the first goal violates the non-aggression principle, and the second leads to self-destruction. Here, by the way, is an example of how Objectivists differ from Libertarians. A Libertarian might have no problem with someone living their life with the goal of being the best heroin addict they can be since they are supposedly only harming themselves. Choosing a goal that does harm to oneself is morally unacceptable to an Objectivist.
In the end, all Objectivists share the same meta-purpose: to strive for the achievement of their own happiness by utilizing reason to select goals and purposes that will lead to a heroic, productive, happy life of their own choosing.
I appreciate Joe Rivera taking the time to speak out on this topic and I know he welcomes your feedback.
In Liberty,
Dr. Tom Stevens
Chair
Objectivist Party
Objectivism holds that life is best lived with logic, reason, and purpose. A purposeful life is a life lived with the ultimate moral goal being the achievement of one's own happiness. The specific purpose is left to discretion, but just because it is variable does not mean it is subjective. To say that a life lived for the purpose of feeding starving children is necessarily a better one than a life lived for the purpose of building houses would be a subjective evaluation. However, as long as a person uses reason and rational thought to select a purpose that leads to a productive life, the selection of that purpose is left up to the individual.
That being said, there are objective ways of measuring each person's progress toward the achievement of their chosen goals. One could ask, "How far have I come toward achieving my goals?" or "Have I set short-term, medium-term and long-term goals that will allow me to steadily work toward the goals I have set for myself?" If a person has used reason to come up with a progressive plan (meaning each goal builds upon the last) toward what they would consider a better future, then they are living a purposeful life. A life that is not purposeful has no such plan, and any short term goals do not lead to long term goals.
I think this is a satisfactory objective definition as it doesn't take into account any subjective interpretations of what the purpose is in deciding whether or not the life is purposeful. However, just because a life is purposeful does not make it acceptable to an Objectivist; it still must pass the rationality test. Spending a lifetime killing clowns or learning to be the best heroin addict one can be, for example, are purposes but they wouldn't be acceptable to an Objectivist because the first goal violates the non-aggression principle, and the second leads to self-destruction. Here, by the way, is an example of how Objectivists differ from Libertarians. A Libertarian might have no problem with someone living their life with the goal of being the best heroin addict they can be since they are supposedly only harming themselves. Choosing a goal that does harm to oneself is morally unacceptable to an Objectivist.
In the end, all Objectivists share the same meta-purpose: to strive for the achievement of their own happiness by utilizing reason to select goals and purposes that will lead to a heroic, productive, happy life of their own choosing.
I appreciate Joe Rivera taking the time to speak out on this topic and I know he welcomes your feedback.
In Liberty,
Dr. Tom Stevens
Chair
Objectivist Party
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Dr. Tom Stevens, OPNY President, Addresses Independence Day Tea Party In Queens, NY
In his capacity as President of the Objectivist Party of New York, Dr. Tom Stevens addressed an Independence Day Tea Party held on July 4, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. in Bowne Park located on the corner of 32nd Avenue and 159th Street in Flushing, New York. This Tea Party, which was advertised on four major Tea Party internet listing sites, was organized by John Procida, who currently serves as Chair of the Libertarian Party of Queens County.
Dr. Tom Stevens kicked off his speech by pulling out a Harry Potter-style wand from his pants, which he explained was a magic wand he intended to use to bring about smaller government. He waved the wand demanding smaller government. The crowd cheered but he noted that nothing happened. In turn, he waived the wand for lower taxes, more individual freedoms and for a government that doesn't devalue our currency by printing it and giving it away as if it were going out of style. Each time the patriots cheered but Dr. Stevens noted that nothing happened.
Dr. Stevens went on to explain that nothing happened because magic and mysticism do not work. He explained that the Objectivist Party does not believe in magic and mysticism and that if they wish to see results, they must use their reason and logic to take action and personal responsibility for what is going on in this country. Dr. Stevens stated that attending the Independence Day Tea Party was a good first step but they must do more. He suggested writing letters to the editor, writing to their elected officials, getting involved in liberty-oriented organizations, hosting a local cable television show or working on a particular issue that interests them such as ending the abuses of eminent domain. At that point, the crowd was so aroused they began shouting out eminent domain abuses they knew about.
Dr. Tom Stevens finished his speech by telling the patriots assembled, "This is your country! Take it back!"
After he finished speaking, many in attendance came up to Dr. Stevens offering him resources such as printers and meeting space while others told him they were so motivated that as soon as they got home, they were going to look for ways to remain active in the struggle to restore our liberties.
Other officers of the Objectivist Party of New York also participated at this Independence Day Tea Party. Ronald S. Ramo, Treasurer of the Objectivist Party of New York, was the kick-off speaker. He gave a high energy speech that inspired the patriots in attendance to thunderous applause. Dallwyn Merck, Secretary of the Objectivist Party of New York, was also in attendance. "Who Is John Galt?" tee shirts and "Atlas Will Shrug" posters were clearly visible in the crowd as there was a large Objectivist Party presence at this rally.
Over 90 people were in attendance at this Independence Day Tea Party. The event was covered by the Queens Chronicle and the Fresh Meadows Times, two local papers. The reporters for both papers took photos of Dr. Stevens and asked him for the correct spelling of his name and official title in the Objectivist Party of New York.
Dr. Tom Stevens kicked off his speech by pulling out a Harry Potter-style wand from his pants, which he explained was a magic wand he intended to use to bring about smaller government. He waved the wand demanding smaller government. The crowd cheered but he noted that nothing happened. In turn, he waived the wand for lower taxes, more individual freedoms and for a government that doesn't devalue our currency by printing it and giving it away as if it were going out of style. Each time the patriots cheered but Dr. Stevens noted that nothing happened.
Dr. Stevens went on to explain that nothing happened because magic and mysticism do not work. He explained that the Objectivist Party does not believe in magic and mysticism and that if they wish to see results, they must use their reason and logic to take action and personal responsibility for what is going on in this country. Dr. Stevens stated that attending the Independence Day Tea Party was a good first step but they must do more. He suggested writing letters to the editor, writing to their elected officials, getting involved in liberty-oriented organizations, hosting a local cable television show or working on a particular issue that interests them such as ending the abuses of eminent domain. At that point, the crowd was so aroused they began shouting out eminent domain abuses they knew about.
Dr. Tom Stevens finished his speech by telling the patriots assembled, "This is your country! Take it back!"
After he finished speaking, many in attendance came up to Dr. Stevens offering him resources such as printers and meeting space while others told him they were so motivated that as soon as they got home, they were going to look for ways to remain active in the struggle to restore our liberties.
Other officers of the Objectivist Party of New York also participated at this Independence Day Tea Party. Ronald S. Ramo, Treasurer of the Objectivist Party of New York, was the kick-off speaker. He gave a high energy speech that inspired the patriots in attendance to thunderous applause. Dallwyn Merck, Secretary of the Objectivist Party of New York, was also in attendance. "Who Is John Galt?" tee shirts and "Atlas Will Shrug" posters were clearly visible in the crowd as there was a large Objectivist Party presence at this rally.
Over 90 people were in attendance at this Independence Day Tea Party. The event was covered by the Queens Chronicle and the Fresh Meadows Times, two local papers. The reporters for both papers took photos of Dr. Stevens and asked him for the correct spelling of his name and official title in the Objectivist Party of New York.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Alden Link, LP Presidential Candidate, Compliments Michael W. Reid, Jr., His Campaign's Treasurer
Michael W. Reid, Jr. was appointed Treasurer of the Committee To Elect Alden Link President on January 23, 2007 when the Statement of Organization was filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Regarding Mike Reid's service as Treasurer, Alden Link said:
I would like to take this opportunity to compliment Mike Reid on the outstanding job he did for me as my Treasurer when I was a candidate for President in the 2008 election. His reports were always timely and surprisingly detailed and thorough. I was always impressed by his knowledge of the election laws and the reporting requirements. Should I ever decide to seek elected office again, I would be honored to have Mike assist me. His devotion to the cause was outstanding and his efforts were above and beyond anything that would be expected of a volunteer, especially when there was no realistic hope of any patronage rewards. Thanks again Mike.
Dr. Tom Stevens, Campaign Manager for Alden Link, stated:
Mike Reid can be proud of the job he did as Treasurer of the Committee To Elect Alden Link President. He did a lot of research and made many calls to the Federal Election Commission to make sure all the expenditures made and reports filed were in accordance with federal election law. Whenever Mike failed in other areas, he always pointed with pride to the job he did as Treasurer for the Alden Link campaign. No one can take that accomplishment away from him.
Mike Reid served as Treasurer of the Committee to Elect Alden Link President until July 17, 2008 when the Termination Report was approved by the Federal Election Commission.
Regarding Mike Reid's service as Treasurer, Alden Link said:
I would like to take this opportunity to compliment Mike Reid on the outstanding job he did for me as my Treasurer when I was a candidate for President in the 2008 election. His reports were always timely and surprisingly detailed and thorough. I was always impressed by his knowledge of the election laws and the reporting requirements. Should I ever decide to seek elected office again, I would be honored to have Mike assist me. His devotion to the cause was outstanding and his efforts were above and beyond anything that would be expected of a volunteer, especially when there was no realistic hope of any patronage rewards. Thanks again Mike.
Dr. Tom Stevens, Campaign Manager for Alden Link, stated:
Mike Reid can be proud of the job he did as Treasurer of the Committee To Elect Alden Link President. He did a lot of research and made many calls to the Federal Election Commission to make sure all the expenditures made and reports filed were in accordance with federal election law. Whenever Mike failed in other areas, he always pointed with pride to the job he did as Treasurer for the Alden Link campaign. No one can take that accomplishment away from him.
Mike Reid served as Treasurer of the Committee to Elect Alden Link President until July 17, 2008 when the Termination Report was approved by the Federal Election Commission.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Objectivist Party Of New York Starts A "Have You Read Atlas Shrugged?" Sign Campaign
On July 1, 2009, Dr. Tom Stevens, President of the Objectivist Party of New York, announced the start of a "Have You Read Atlas Shrugged?" sign campaign.
The goal of the campaign is to have individual members of the Objectivist Party of New York purchase or make signs that say "Have You Read Atlas Shrugged?" and to strategically place those signs so they can be seen by the most people possible.
The first such sign in New York State was placed on a fence on a road crossing the Long Island Expressway in Nassau County, New York so it could be seen by all traffic heading westbound.
Dr. Stevens suggested that individuals making those signs do not place the party's name, website or phone number on it. He recommends that only the words "Have You Read Atlas Shrugged?" be placed on the signs to avoid possible legal liability for having placed them.
Stevens said, "This is a great way to get people curious about what Atlas Shrugged is. I expect that many who see the sign will look up Atlas Shrugged on the internet when they get home and may be inclined to purchase and read the book. I am confident this campaign will do its part to promote Objectivism, and indirectly the Objectivist Party, for once people read Atlas Shrugged, they may get angry enough at the current state of affairs to want to take an active role speaking out for liberty and individual rights."
Dr. Tom Stevens stated he hopes other affiliates in the Objectivist Party start a "Have You Read Atlas Shrugged?" sign campaign of their own.
The goal of the campaign is to have individual members of the Objectivist Party of New York purchase or make signs that say "Have You Read Atlas Shrugged?" and to strategically place those signs so they can be seen by the most people possible.
The first such sign in New York State was placed on a fence on a road crossing the Long Island Expressway in Nassau County, New York so it could be seen by all traffic heading westbound.
Dr. Stevens suggested that individuals making those signs do not place the party's name, website or phone number on it. He recommends that only the words "Have You Read Atlas Shrugged?" be placed on the signs to avoid possible legal liability for having placed them.
Stevens said, "This is a great way to get people curious about what Atlas Shrugged is. I expect that many who see the sign will look up Atlas Shrugged on the internet when they get home and may be inclined to purchase and read the book. I am confident this campaign will do its part to promote Objectivism, and indirectly the Objectivist Party, for once people read Atlas Shrugged, they may get angry enough at the current state of affairs to want to take an active role speaking out for liberty and individual rights."
Dr. Tom Stevens stated he hopes other affiliates in the Objectivist Party start a "Have You Read Atlas Shrugged?" sign campaign of their own.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Dodge Landesman, Democratic Candidate For City Council, Endorses Republican Alex Zablocki For Public Advocate
Dodge Landesman, a registered Democrat, who is currently seeking the Democratic nomination to run for City Council from the 2nd Councilmanic District in New York City, announced on his Facebook Page on June 27, 2009 that he supports Republican Alex Zablocki for Public Advocate. Just before the endorsement, Alex Zablocki told Dodge Landesman that if elected, he is considering the formation of a Bi-Partisan Youth Commission to which he intends to appoint Dodge as head.
In his capacity as the elected State Representative of the Manhattan Libertarian Party to the State Committee of the Libertarian Party of New York, Mr. Landesman had suggested the Libertarians consider endorsing Democrat Norman Siegel for Public Advocate. Mr. Siegel did not seek the endorsement of the Libertarian Party at the New York City Libertarian Party Nominating Convention held on May 11, 2009 but Republican Alex Zablocki did seek the LP nomination, eventually losing out to Jim Lesczynski.
In his capacity as the elected State Representative of the Manhattan Libertarian Party to the State Committee of the Libertarian Party of New York, Mr. Landesman had suggested the Libertarians consider endorsing Democrat Norman Siegel for Public Advocate. Mr. Siegel did not seek the endorsement of the Libertarian Party at the New York City Libertarian Party Nominating Convention held on May 11, 2009 but Republican Alex Zablocki did seek the LP nomination, eventually losing out to Jim Lesczynski.
Dodge Landesman, MLP State Representative, Endorses Republican Alex Zablocki For Public Advocate
Dodge Landesman, who serves as State Representative of the Manhattan Libertarian Party on the State Committee of the Libertarian Party of New York, announced on his Facebook Page on June 27, 2009 that he supports Republican Alex Zablocki for Public Advocate instead of Jim Lesczynski, who was nominated as the Libertarian Party's candidate for Public Advocate at the New York City Libertarian Party Nominating Convention held on May 11, 2009. Just before the endorsement, Alex Zablocki told Dodge Landesman that if elected, he is considering the formation of a Bi-Partisan Youth Commission to which he intends to appoint Dodge as head.
Mr. Landesman, who is a registered Democrat, is currently seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party to run for City Council from the 2nd Councilmanic District in Manhattan. He did not comment on why he was not going to back the Democratic Party's candidate for Public Advocate although he did suggest to the Libertarians before their Nominating Convention that they consider endorsing Democrat Norman Siegel for Public Advocate. Mr. Siegel did not seek the endorsement of the Libertarian Party for Public Advocate but Republican Alex Zablocki did seek the LP nomination but lost it to Jim Lesczynski.
Mr. Landesman, who is a registered Democrat, is currently seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party to run for City Council from the 2nd Councilmanic District in Manhattan. He did not comment on why he was not going to back the Democratic Party's candidate for Public Advocate although he did suggest to the Libertarians before their Nominating Convention that they consider endorsing Democrat Norman Siegel for Public Advocate. Mr. Siegel did not seek the endorsement of the Libertarian Party for Public Advocate but Republican Alex Zablocki did seek the LP nomination but lost it to Jim Lesczynski.
Quotations From "Anthem" By Ayn Rand
Anthem
by Ayn Rand
ISBN 0-451-19113-7
Dr. Tom Stevens has taken selected quotations from this book for reference here. To enable you to research the context of each quotation, page numbers have been provided. These quotations do not necessarily reflect the ideas of Dr. Tom Stevens or the Objectivist Party.
We have come to see how great is the unexplored, and many lifetimes will not bring us to the end of our quest. But we wish no end to our quest. We wish nothing, save to be alone and to learn, and to feel as if with each day our sight were growing sharper than the hawk's and clearer than rock crystal. (pg. 36)
We are glad to be living. If this is a vice, then we wish no virtue. (pg. 47)
The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who will seek them. (pg. 52)
So much is still to be learned! So long a road lies before us, and what care we if we must travel it alone! (pg. 54)
We knelt by the stream and we bent down to drink. And then we stopped. For, upon the blue of the sky below us, we saw our own face for the first time. We sat still and we held our breath. For our face and our body were beautiful. Our face was not like the faces of our brothers, for we felt no pity when looking upon it. Our body was not like the bodies of our brothers, for our limbs were straight and thin and hard and strong. And we thought that we could trust this being who looked upon us from the stream, and that we had nothing to fear with this being. (pg. 80)
Your eyes are as a flame, but our brothers have neither hope nor fire. Your mouth is cut of granite, but our brothers are soft and humble. Your head is high, but our brothers cringe. You walk, but our brothers crawl. We wish to be damned with you, rather than blessed with all our brothers. (pg. 83)
I am. I think. I will. (pg. 94)
My hands. My spirit. My sky. My forest. This earth of mine. What must I say besides? These are the words. This is the answer. I stand here on the summit of the mountain. I lift my head and I spread my arms. This, my body and spirit, this is the end of my quest. I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. I wished to find a warrant for being. I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction. (pg. 94)
It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty to the earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my ears give song to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and the judgment of my mind is the only searchlight that can find the truth. It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is the only edict I must respect. (pg. 94)
Many words have been granted me, and some are wise, and some are false, but only three are holy: "I will it!" (pgs. 94-95)
Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding star and the lodestone which point the way. They point in but one direction. They point to me. (pg. 95)
I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the universe or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know not and I care not. For I know what happiness is possible to me on earth. And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose. Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. (pg. 95)
I am a man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before! (pg. 95)
I do not surrender my treasures, nor do I share them. The fortune of my spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flung to the winds as alms for the poor of the spirit. I guard my treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest of these is freedom. (pgs. 95-96)
I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man's soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet. (pg. 96)
I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, but such as each of them shall deserve of me. And to earn my love, my brothers must do more than to have been born. I do not grant my love without reason, nor to any chance passer-by who may wish to claim it. I honor men with my love. But honor is a thing to be earned. (pg. 96)
I shall choose my friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters. And I shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love and respect, but neither command nor obey. And we shall join our hands when we wish, or walk alone when we so desire. For in the temple of his spirit, each man is alone. Let each man keep his temple untouched and undefiled. Then let him join hands with others if he wishes, but only beyond his holy threshold. (pg. 96)
For the word "We" must never be spoken, save by one's choice and as a second thought. This word must never be placed first within man's soul, else it becomes a monster, the root of all the evils on earth, the root of man's torture by men, and of an unspeakable lie. The word "We" is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages. What is my joy if all hands, even the unclean, can reach into it? What is my wisdom, if even fools can dictate to me? What is my freedom, if all creatures, even the botched and the impotent, are my masters? What is my life, if I am but to bow, to agree and to obey? But I am done with this creed of corruption. I am done with the monster of "We," the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame. (pgs. 96-97)
And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride. This god, this one word: "I." (pg. 97)
Our son will be raised as a man. He will be taught to say "I" and to bear the pride of it. He will be taught to walk straight and on his own feet. He will be taught reverence for his own spirit. (pg. 100)
I shall call to me all the men and the women whose spirit has not been killed within them and who suffer under the yoke of their brothers. They will follow me and I shall lead them to my fortress. And here, in this unchartered wilderness, I and they, my chosen friends, my fellow-builders, shall write the first chapter in the new history of man. (pg. 101)
At first, man was enslaved by the gods. But he broke their chains. Then he was enslaved by the kings. But he broke their chains. He was enslaved by his birth, by his kin, by his race. But he broke their chains. He declared to all his brothers that a man has rights which neither god nor king nor other men can take away from him, no matter what their number, for his is the right of man, and there is no right on earth above this right. And he stood on the threshold of the freedom for which the blood of the centuries behind him had been spilled. (pgs. 101-102)
Through all the darkness, through all the shame of which men are capable, the spirit of man will remain alive on this earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. It may wear chains, but it will break through. And man will go on. Man, not men. (pg. 104)
Here, on this mountain, I and my sons and my chosen friends shall build our new land and our fort. And it will become as the heart of the earth, lost and hidden at first, but beating , beating louder every day. And word of it will reach every corner of the earth. And the roads of the world will become as veins which will carry the best of the world's blood to my threshold. And all my brothers, and the Councils of my brothers, will hear of it, but they will be impotent against me. And the day will come when I shall break all the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of the enslaved, and my home will become the capital of a world where each man will be free to exist for his own sake. For the coming of that day shall I fight, I and my sons and my chosen friends. For the freedom of Man. For his rights. For his life. For his honor. And here, over the portals of my fort, I shall cut in the stone the word which is to be my beacon and my banner. The word which will not die, should we all perish in battle. The word which can never die on this earth, for it is the heart of it and the meaning and the glory. The sacred word: EGO. (pgs. 104-105)
NOTE ON THE WORD "EGO" IN THE INTRODUCTION BY LEONARD PEIKOFF: Ayn Rand's working title for this short novel was Ego. "I used the word in its exact, literal meaning," she wrote to one correspondent. "I did not mean a symbol of the self – but specifically and actually Man's Self." Man's self, Ayn Rand held, is his mind or conceptual faculty, the faculty of reason. All man's spiritually distinctive attributes derive from this faculty. For instance, it is reason (man's value judgments) that leads to man's emotions. And it is reason which possesses volition, the ability to make choices. But reason is a property of the individual. There is no such thing as a collective brain. The term ego combines the above points into a single concept: it designates the mind (and its attributes) considered as an individual possession. The ego, therefore, is that which constitutes the essential identity of a human being. As one dictionary puts it, the ego is "the I" or self of any person; (it is) a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from the objects of its thought. It is obvious why Ayn Rand exalts man's ego. In doing so, she is (implicitly) upholding the central principles of her philosophy and of her heroes: reason, values, volition, individualism. Her villains, by contrast, do not think, judge, and will; they are second-handers, who allow themselves to be run by others. Having renounced their minds, they are, in a literal sense, self-less.
by Ayn Rand
ISBN 0-451-19113-7
Dr. Tom Stevens has taken selected quotations from this book for reference here. To enable you to research the context of each quotation, page numbers have been provided. These quotations do not necessarily reflect the ideas of Dr. Tom Stevens or the Objectivist Party.
We have come to see how great is the unexplored, and many lifetimes will not bring us to the end of our quest. But we wish no end to our quest. We wish nothing, save to be alone and to learn, and to feel as if with each day our sight were growing sharper than the hawk's and clearer than rock crystal. (pg. 36)
We are glad to be living. If this is a vice, then we wish no virtue. (pg. 47)
The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who will seek them. (pg. 52)
So much is still to be learned! So long a road lies before us, and what care we if we must travel it alone! (pg. 54)
We knelt by the stream and we bent down to drink. And then we stopped. For, upon the blue of the sky below us, we saw our own face for the first time. We sat still and we held our breath. For our face and our body were beautiful. Our face was not like the faces of our brothers, for we felt no pity when looking upon it. Our body was not like the bodies of our brothers, for our limbs were straight and thin and hard and strong. And we thought that we could trust this being who looked upon us from the stream, and that we had nothing to fear with this being. (pg. 80)
Your eyes are as a flame, but our brothers have neither hope nor fire. Your mouth is cut of granite, but our brothers are soft and humble. Your head is high, but our brothers cringe. You walk, but our brothers crawl. We wish to be damned with you, rather than blessed with all our brothers. (pg. 83)
I am. I think. I will. (pg. 94)
My hands. My spirit. My sky. My forest. This earth of mine. What must I say besides? These are the words. This is the answer. I stand here on the summit of the mountain. I lift my head and I spread my arms. This, my body and spirit, this is the end of my quest. I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. I wished to find a warrant for being. I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction. (pg. 94)
It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty to the earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my ears give song to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and the judgment of my mind is the only searchlight that can find the truth. It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is the only edict I must respect. (pg. 94)
Many words have been granted me, and some are wise, and some are false, but only three are holy: "I will it!" (pgs. 94-95)
Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding star and the lodestone which point the way. They point in but one direction. They point to me. (pg. 95)
I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the universe or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know not and I care not. For I know what happiness is possible to me on earth. And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose. Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. (pg. 95)
I am a man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before! (pg. 95)
I do not surrender my treasures, nor do I share them. The fortune of my spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flung to the winds as alms for the poor of the spirit. I guard my treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest of these is freedom. (pgs. 95-96)
I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man's soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet. (pg. 96)
I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, but such as each of them shall deserve of me. And to earn my love, my brothers must do more than to have been born. I do not grant my love without reason, nor to any chance passer-by who may wish to claim it. I honor men with my love. But honor is a thing to be earned. (pg. 96)
I shall choose my friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters. And I shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love and respect, but neither command nor obey. And we shall join our hands when we wish, or walk alone when we so desire. For in the temple of his spirit, each man is alone. Let each man keep his temple untouched and undefiled. Then let him join hands with others if he wishes, but only beyond his holy threshold. (pg. 96)
For the word "We" must never be spoken, save by one's choice and as a second thought. This word must never be placed first within man's soul, else it becomes a monster, the root of all the evils on earth, the root of man's torture by men, and of an unspeakable lie. The word "We" is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages. What is my joy if all hands, even the unclean, can reach into it? What is my wisdom, if even fools can dictate to me? What is my freedom, if all creatures, even the botched and the impotent, are my masters? What is my life, if I am but to bow, to agree and to obey? But I am done with this creed of corruption. I am done with the monster of "We," the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame. (pgs. 96-97)
And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride. This god, this one word: "I." (pg. 97)
Our son will be raised as a man. He will be taught to say "I" and to bear the pride of it. He will be taught to walk straight and on his own feet. He will be taught reverence for his own spirit. (pg. 100)
I shall call to me all the men and the women whose spirit has not been killed within them and who suffer under the yoke of their brothers. They will follow me and I shall lead them to my fortress. And here, in this unchartered wilderness, I and they, my chosen friends, my fellow-builders, shall write the first chapter in the new history of man. (pg. 101)
At first, man was enslaved by the gods. But he broke their chains. Then he was enslaved by the kings. But he broke their chains. He was enslaved by his birth, by his kin, by his race. But he broke their chains. He declared to all his brothers that a man has rights which neither god nor king nor other men can take away from him, no matter what their number, for his is the right of man, and there is no right on earth above this right. And he stood on the threshold of the freedom for which the blood of the centuries behind him had been spilled. (pgs. 101-102)
Through all the darkness, through all the shame of which men are capable, the spirit of man will remain alive on this earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. It may wear chains, but it will break through. And man will go on. Man, not men. (pg. 104)
Here, on this mountain, I and my sons and my chosen friends shall build our new land and our fort. And it will become as the heart of the earth, lost and hidden at first, but beating , beating louder every day. And word of it will reach every corner of the earth. And the roads of the world will become as veins which will carry the best of the world's blood to my threshold. And all my brothers, and the Councils of my brothers, will hear of it, but they will be impotent against me. And the day will come when I shall break all the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of the enslaved, and my home will become the capital of a world where each man will be free to exist for his own sake. For the coming of that day shall I fight, I and my sons and my chosen friends. For the freedom of Man. For his rights. For his life. For his honor. And here, over the portals of my fort, I shall cut in the stone the word which is to be my beacon and my banner. The word which will not die, should we all perish in battle. The word which can never die on this earth, for it is the heart of it and the meaning and the glory. The sacred word: EGO. (pgs. 104-105)
NOTE ON THE WORD "EGO" IN THE INTRODUCTION BY LEONARD PEIKOFF: Ayn Rand's working title for this short novel was Ego. "I used the word in its exact, literal meaning," she wrote to one correspondent. "I did not mean a symbol of the self – but specifically and actually Man's Self." Man's self, Ayn Rand held, is his mind or conceptual faculty, the faculty of reason. All man's spiritually distinctive attributes derive from this faculty. For instance, it is reason (man's value judgments) that leads to man's emotions. And it is reason which possesses volition, the ability to make choices. But reason is a property of the individual. There is no such thing as a collective brain. The term ego combines the above points into a single concept: it designates the mind (and its attributes) considered as an individual possession. The ego, therefore, is that which constitutes the essential identity of a human being. As one dictionary puts it, the ego is "the I" or self of any person; (it is) a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from the objects of its thought. It is obvious why Ayn Rand exalts man's ego. In doing so, she is (implicitly) upholding the central principles of her philosophy and of her heroes: reason, values, volition, individualism. Her villains, by contrast, do not think, judge, and will; they are second-handers, who allow themselves to be run by others. Having renounced their minds, they are, in a literal sense, self-less.
Quotations From "Ayn Rand Answers"
Ayn Rand Answers
The Best of Her Q & A
ISBN 0-451-21665-2
The quotations by Ayn Rand noted below were first edited by Robert Mayhew. Dr. Tom Stevens has taken selected quotations from this book for reference here. To enable you to research the context of each quotation, page numbers have been provided. These quotations do not necessarily reflect the ideas of Dr. Tom Stevens or the ObjectivistParty.
(The Founding Father I most admire is) Thomas Jefferson – for the Declaration of Independence, which is probably the greatest document in human history. There is, however, one minor fault on the level of fundamentals: the idea that men are endowed with rights by their Creator rather than by Nature. (pg. 1)
The political system of free enterprise and capitalist economics were one historical development. Both were the result of a philosophy of reason, freedom, and individual rights – the basis on which this country was founded. (pg. 3)
Your freedom of judgment, your freedom of production, your freedom to control your life. Those rights are morally inalienable, and must never be surrendered. (pgs. 4-5)
To the question, "Should the government have the power to tax?," I'd answer, "No, all taxation should be voluntary." (pg. 7)
The government's only proper role is protecting individual rights. That means: the military, the police, the law courts. (pg. 8)
No government planner has the right to forbid products for the consumer's own good. Let the consumer decide. (pg. 9)
I don't think the government should run schools. Education should be private, and children should go wherever their parents decide to send them. (pg. 24)
My defense of capitalism is based on individual rights, as was the American Founding Fathers', who were not altruists. They did not say man should exist for others; they said he should pursue his own happiness. Finally, it is not in a man's rational self-interest to cheat his customers. The abler the man, the better he is able to plan long range. (pg. 27)
"Altruism" is a term originated by the philosopher Auguste Comte, and has been used ever since to mean exactly what Comte intended. "Altruism" comes from the Latin alter, meaning "other." It means placing the interests of others above your own – existing for the sake of others. Altruism holds that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that service to others is the only moral justification of his existence, and that self-sacrifice is his highest virtue. (pg.27)
Man's first moral virtue is to think and to be productive. (pg. 29)
In order actually to be alive properly, a man must use his mind constantly and productively. That's why rationality is the basic virtue according to my morality. (pg. 30)
The first thing Objectivism would advocate in regard to undeveloped nations is not to send them material help but to teach them political freedom. For any nation, no matter how undeveloped, if it establishes a political system that protects individual rights, its progress and development will be phenomenal. (pg. 36)
When currency is not backed by gold, then we are under the power of a government that arbitrarily sets the value of money, devalues the currency, inflates credit, and taxes us indirectly through the manipulation of money (which is more disastrous than direct taxation). The government's power to destroy the objective value and security of currency is precisely what ultimately destroys the economy. (pg. 40)
The notion that antitrust laws protects free competition is a wide-spread economic fallacy. (pg. 41)
If men want to organize into a union and bargain collectively with their employer, that is their right, provided they don't force anyone to join, or force their employer to negotiate with them. (pg. 41)
If a man permits himself to be a criminal, we treat him in the same manner that he demands. He wants to deal in force; we answer him by force, and put him in jail to protect the rest of us from the next time he feels like "expressing himself." (pg. 45)
It's better to condemn murderers to jail for life than risk taking the life of an innocent man through possible miscarriage of justice. (pg. 46)
Politics must begin with an idea. You cannot win elections with isolated slogans used once in four years. If anything practical can be done, it is this: Work out a consistent set of principles, and teach it to the people in your party: precinct workers, local candidates, and perhaps national candidates. (pg. 46)
Formulate a policy of what controls should be repealed first, and what steps could achieve a fully decontrolled economy. (pg. 46)
Begin in the high schools and colleges, because that is the source of future politicians and men of action. You can achieve nothing in a political election if you neglect the institutions where ideas are formed. (pg. 46)
The best the government can do is stop moving toward dictatorship and collectivism, and start moving toward freedom. (pg. 50)
Anyone serious about saving the world today must first discard the dominant philosophy of the culture. Stand on your own as much as if you moved to a separate valley, like in Atlas Shrugged. Check your premises; define your convictions rationally. Do not take anything on faith; do not believe that your elders know what they're doing; because they don't. (pg. 55)
Don't force your views on unwilling listeners – don't be evangelists out to save souls. But people are so confused today that if you clarify even one point for them, in your own circle – in a letter to an editor, a school paper, and so forth – you help make public opinion. (pg. 61)
The difference between religion and philosophy is that religion is a matter of faith. You either have faith or you don't. You cannot argue about it. But when you deal with philosophy, you deal with reason and logic. That is an objective element of language common to all men. You can try to persuade others that you are right, or you are free to disagree with them. In a free country, you need not deal with them. But religion is an issue of faith. By definition, if one doesn't accept faith, or if different people believe different faiths, no common action, agreement, or persuasion is possible among them if religion is made a condition of political agreement. (pg. 62)
Persuasion, reason, argument are not the province of religion. Religion rests on faith – on an acceptance of certain beliefs apart from reason. (pg. 63)
In America, religion is relatively non-mystical. Religious teachers here are predominantly good, healthy materialists. They follow common sense. They would not stand in our way. The majority of religious people in this country do not accept on faith the idea of jumping into a cannibal's pot and giving away their last shirt to the backward people of the world. Many religious leaders preach this today, because of their own leftist politics; it's not inherent in being religious. There are many historical and philosophical connections between altruism and religion, but the function of religion in this country is not altruism. You would not find too much opposition to Objectivism among religious Americans. There are rational religious people. In fact, I was pleased and astonished to discover that some religious people support Objectivism. If you want to be a full Objectivist, you cannot reconcile that with religion; but that doesn't mean religious people cannot be individualists and fight for freedom. They can, and this country is the best proof of it. (pg. 63)
You should vote only so long as you think a candidate has more virtues than flaws. But if you regard both candidates as evil, do not choose a lesser evil. Simply don't vote. (pg. 69)
Anarchists are the scum of the intellectual world of the Left, which has given them up. So the Right picks up another leftist discard. That's the libertarian movement. (pg. 72)
I'd rather vote for Bob Hope, the Marx Brothers, or Jerry Lewis – they're not as funny as John Hospers and the Libertarian Party. They're not defenders of capitalism. Further, their leadership consists of men of every persuasion, from religious conservatives to anarchists. Most of them are my enemies: they spend their time denouncing me, while plagiarizing my ideas. Now it's a bad sign for an allegedly pro-capitalist party to start by stealing ideas. This party plagiarizes some of my ideas, mixes them with the exact opposite – with religionists, anarchists, and every intellectual misfit and scum they can find – and they call themselves Libertarians and run for office. They are perhaps the worst political group today, because they can do the most harm to capitalism, by making it disreputable. I'll take Jane Fonda over them. (pg. 72-74)
Libertarians are a monstrous, disgusting bunch of people: they plagiarize my ideas when that fits their purpose, and denounce me in a more vicious manner than any communist publication when that fits their purpose. They're lower than any pragmatists, and what they hold against Objectivism is morality. They want an amoral political program. (pg. 74)
Without government, every criminally inclined individual resorts to force, and every morally inclined individual is helpless. Government is an absolute necessity if individual rights are to be protected, because you don't leave force at the arbitrary whim of other individuals. (pg. 75)
Russian pushed this country into World War Two. What would have been a better policy? Let Hitler march into Russia, as he had started to. Let the two dictatorships fight each other; then the West – England, France, and the United States – could finish off the winner. Then maybe, today, the world would be safe. (pg. 83)
When a country doesn't recognize the individual rights of its own citizens, it cannot claim any national or international rights. Therefore, anyone who wants to invade a dictatorship or semi-dictatorship is morally justified in doing so, because he is doing no worse than what that country has accepted as its social system. It is improper to attack a free country, because it recognizes the individual rights of its citizens. (pg. 92)
The Arabs are one of the least developed cultures. They are still practically nomads. Their culture is primitive, and they resent Israel because it's the sole beachhead of modern science and civilization on their continent. When you have civilized men fighting savages, you support the civilized men, no matter who they are. (pg.96)
Nationalism properly understood – as a man's devotion to his country because of an approval of its basic premises, principles, and social system, as well as its culture – is the common bond among men of that nation. It is a commonly understood culture, and an affection for it, that permits a society of men to live together peacefully. But a country and its system must earn this approval. It must be worthy of that kind of devotion. (pg. 102)
I don't care to discuss the alleged complaints American Indians have against this country. I believe, with good reason, the most unsympathetic Hollywood portrayal of Indians and what they did to the white man. They had no right to a country merely because they were born here and then acted like savages. The white man did not conquer this country. And you are a racist if you object, because it means you believe that certain men are entitled to something because of their race. You believe that if someone is born in a magnificent country and doesn't know what to do with it, he still has a property right to it. He does not. Since the Indians did not have the concept of property or property rights - they didn't have a settled society, they had predominantly nomadic tribal 'cultures' - they didn't have rights to the land, and there was no reason for anyone to grant them rights that they had not conceived of and were not using. It's wrong to attack a country that respects (or even tries to respect) individual rights. If you do, you're an aggressor and are morally wrong. But if a 'country' does not protect rights - if a group of tribesmen are the slaves of their tribal chief - why should you respect the 'rights' that they don't have or respect? The same is true for a dictatorship. The citizens in it have individual rights, but the country has no rights and so anyone has the right to invade it, because rights are not recognized in that country; and no individual or country can have its cake and eat it too - that is, you can't claim one should respect the 'rights' of Indians, when they had no concept of rights and no respect for rights. But let's suppose they were all beautifully innocent savages - which they certainly were not. What were they fighting for, in opposing the white man on this continent? For their wish to continue a primitive existence; for their 'right' to keep a part of the earth untouched - to keep everybody out so they could live like animals or cavemen. Any European who brought with him an element of civilization had the right to take over this continent, and it's great that some of them did. (pgs. 103-104)
As a principle, one should respect the sanctity of a contract among individuals. But I oppose applying contract law to American Indians. When a group of people or a nation does not respect individual rights, it cannot claim any rights whatsoever. The Indians were savages, with ghastly tribal rules and rituals, including the famous "Indian Torture." Such tribes have no rights. Anyone had the right to come here and take whatever they could, because they would be dealing with savages as Indians dealt with each other – that is, by force. We owe nothing to Indians, except the memory of monstrous evils done by them. (pg. 104)
Racial quotas are vicious in any form, at any time, in any place, for any purpose whatsoever. Affirmative action is vicious; it isn't profiting anybody; it isn't improving the lot of the minorities. It's giving jobs and patronage and pull to the leaders of minority groups, and observe that only the races that got themselves organized get anything out of it (if you could call it an advantage). It's as un-American and unjust as any current movement. We are supposed to be color-blind, and that's what we should be. (pg. 105)
I am profoundly anti-feminist. If women want to be equal – and of course, potentially, they are – then they should achieve it on their own, and not as a vicious parasitical pressure group. (pg. 106)
Man cannot properly live with indecision. He must decide what his values are and why, and then what purpose he wants to pursue. When he has chosen a central purpose, that will give him the lead by which he can organize his whole hierarchy of values. Without that central purpose integrating his values, he can neither be happy nor know what will make him happy. (pg. 109)
The central purpose of one's life is to achieve one's own happiness, not to sacrifice oneself to others or others to oneself. "Selfishness" means to live by the judgment of one's own mind and to live by one's own productive effort, without forcing anything on others. (pg. 109)
You are not your brother's keeper. You cannot and do not have unchosen obligations; you're responsible for your own actions. You would be responsible for any harm you do to other people. You would be held responsible for any relationship that you enter into voluntarily, for any contract that you break unilaterally. You would have to stand by your word. You would have no right to pass on to others the burden or consequences of your mistakes or failures or whims. In other words, you cannot make other men your victims, and you need not be their victim. (pg. 110)
Any help you might want to give others would be your private privilege, but not your moral – and certainly not your legal – duty. If you want to help others, fine, so long as you can afford it, so long as it's your voluntary choice, and so long as you do not claim it as a major virtue or duty. It is good to help others only when you help them on the grounds of the value you see in them. If you see a talented man struggling, and you want to help him financially (and you can afford it), that's not a sacrifice, and would be a good gesture, under my morality. But it's not good to help someone who is suffering as a result of his own evil. If you help him, you are sanctioning his immorality, which is evil. (pgs. 110-111)
Reason involves knowing the nature and the consequences of your actions, and of knowing where your rational self-interest lies. Reason does not mean you can arbitrarily decide that whatever you want is in your self-interest. To go by reason is not to be guided by emotions or whims. (pg. 115)
Anything man wants or needs must be produced; man must possess knowledge in order to produce it; reason provides that knowledge. (pg. 115)
A man of self-esteem does not want the unearned: he doesn't want anything from others that he must obtain by coercion – by crime or by government force and regulation. Such a man deals with other men as an equal, by trade. Further, a man of reason plans his life long range. The psychological distinction between a rational man and an evader is that a rational man thinks, plans, and acts long range,while the more neurotic and evasive a person is, the shorter the range of his interests. (pg. 115)
The Declaration of Independence, which contains the Objectivist morality by implication, says man has a right to his own life, his own liberty, and the pursuit of his own happiness; it doesn't mention service to others. (pg. 116)
If I want a society in which my rights are respected and I am free to pursue my happiness, I cannot push onto others the job of establishing such a society. If I can contribute to its establishment, I should do so. (pg. 120)
In any proper deal, you act on the trader principle: you give a value and receive a value. (pg. 124)
I have a profoundly selfish interest in the freedom of my mind, knowing what to do with it, and therefore fighting to preserve that freedom in this country for as long as I am alive – and even beyond my life. I don't care about posterity; I care about any free mind or independent person born in future centuries. (pg. 124)
I have been saying for years that before we help the helpless – who can only be lifted a little – we should see to it that we help the talented children, the child prodigies, who need support desperately. They don't need financial help; what they need is freedom and private schools in which they'd be free to rise as fast as possible, without being held down to the community standards of the average child. The people who prefer to help the mentally weak, and neglect or actually hinder the talented, are the most unjust, evil people on earth. (pg.125)
A human being is a living entity; life starts at birth. An embryo is a potential human being. You might argue that medically an embryo is alive at six to eight months. I don't know. But no woman in her right mind would have an abortion that late; it's very dangerous for her. So nature is consistent with the interests of both. I'm in favor of abortion, of birth control, of sex as such, as an absolute right of the parties involved. The right of a living human being comes above any potential human being. I never equate the potential with the actual. (pg. 125)
No state, community, or individual has any right to tell a woman what to do with her life. An embryo is not a human life, and one of the most disgusting frauds today is the enemies of abortion calling themselves "pro-life" when they advocate the rights of the embryo –an unborn entity – but refuse to recognize the rights of the living person: the woman (and, for that matter, the father). (pg. 126)
The fact of birth is an absolute – that is, up to that moment, the child is not an independent, living organism. It's part of the body of its mother. But at birth, a child is an individual, and has the rights inherent in the nature of a human individual. Until the moment of birth, a child is physically the property of the mother. (pg. 126)
A piece of tissue – an embryo – cannot have rights. (pg. 127)
Anyone who speaks of the mentally retarded knows that a retarded child is not capable of taking care of itself. He knows that the child's parents (particularly the mother) will be tied to that child for life. The sacrifice of the mentally healthy to the mentally deformed is unspeakable – it is a sacrifice without recipients. In that way it is a more evil, more meta-physical view of life than altruism. Its purpose is not to have some man sacrifice himself to others, but to have man sacrifice himself. The more useless the sacrifice, the better. (pgs. 127-128)
A mental (as opposed to a physical) cripple is a horror to deal with, and to a mother it is the constant horror that it is her child, only it is not human. To be made to live for a subnormal, mindless child whom one cannot face is sacrifice and drudgery without a goal. It is the person's own values and chance for happiness that are being destroyed. (pg. 129)
Objectivism is an atheistic philosophy. (pg. 131)
To call my philosophy, which demands the absolutism of reason, dogmatic – which means "arbitrarily taken on faith" – is the most profound smear. (pg. 133)
First produce something; then evaluate it according to objective standards. If somebody is better than you according to these standards, you learn from him. It's an inspiration. But if many people are worse, don't take pride in that. (pg. 135)
I think it would be improper for a woman to be president. The kind of woman who would agree to be is in some respect neurotic. (pg. 139)
I am opposed to women's lib. I believe in masculine superiority passionately, enthusiastically, delightfully – not intellectual or moral superiority, but sexual and romantic superiority. If you don't understand this, then I'll reluctantly say: I'm sorry. (pg. 139)
The difference between men and women is sexual. In the sexual roles, it is proper for a man, who is the stronger sexually, to be worshipped, and the woman who would even conceive of such a thing is not a woman. (pg. 139)
Philosophy deals with broad abstractions – with principles – which underlie other conclusions, other knowledge. It's a philosopher's job to provide you with these principles; it's your job to apply those principles to your own life. Philosophy will foreshorten the difficult problem of knowing what to do in complex situations. Philosophy is the guide; you are the traveler. (pgs. 144-145)
John Locke did some valuable thinking. He was the teacher of the Founding Fathers. But this is only politics; in metaphysics and epistemology, Locke was disastrous. He departed from Aristotle and denied that we can perceive reality. (pg. 149)
My philosophy includes only what men can perceive, identify, and demonstrate by means of reason. It doesn't permit the invention of "facts," or the acceptance of anything on faith – that is, without rational demonstration. (pg. 149)
There is no evidence for any kind of God, afterlife, or mystical dimension. (pg. 149)
The consistency of nature, the fact that nature follows certain laws, is not a product of design, but of the Law of Identity – the fact that things are what they are. (pg. 150)
In material nature, nothing happens by chance or design – that's a false alternative. They happen according to the Law of Identity: things interact according to their natures. This is not chance. Chance is a concept pertaining only to human ignorance. When we don't know the causes of some event, we say it happened "by chance." (pg.150)
Existence exists and consciousness exists. (pg. 152)
Once you arrive at the conclusion that someone is a mystic (that some part of his philosophy, by his own statement, is not subject to reason or is beyond reason), then he has saved you the trouble of considering anything else that he says. (pg. 153)
Outside of your reason, you have no means of knowing anything. If you concluded that man can know nothing, one look around would refute you instantly, because you could see how far man has come, and that he needed knowledge to get where he is. (pg. 161)
I am primarily a defender of reason, not of individualism or capitalism. I defend capitalism because I'm a defender of individualism; I defend individualism because I'm a defender of reason. That's my epistemological base. (pg. 162)
Every rational endeavor expands knowledge. (pg. 164)
Irrationalism - Men no longer respect reason or believe it's valid. This is the result of the philosophy they have been taught for at least the past two hundred years. Altruism - This moral theory holds that the only justification for a man's existence is service to others. Collectivism - The view that the individual has no rights, that a collective (society or some other group) holds all rights and may dispose of any individual as it pleases, and that its power over the individual is unlimited. Irrationalism, altruism, and collectivism are the three fundamental evils of today's dominant philosophy. (pg. 165)
"Rational" refers to a policy or principle arrived at in the full context of everything relevant to a given action. The first rule of rationality is that if you value your life and believe you own it, you must recognize the same right in others. (pg. 168)
Playing devil's advocate means assuming a role opposite to your own conviction; advocating ideas the "devil" would throw at you. This technique trains you to answer every objection to your position. It's a good way to test your ideas, because if you encounter an objection you can't answer, you better find the answer or correct your thinking. (pgs. 178-179)
The exceptional person acts on the premise: "I must find things out for myself; I must go beyond what is now known." The well-trained, but unexceptional, person acts on the premise of taking things as given: "This is an established profession. It has demanding standards, and it takes a lot of work to comply with these standards. I'll fulfill all of the requirements set by my profession. I'll learn everything required. I'll read the appropriate journals and be as good a practitioner as any." That is the premise of stagnation. That type of person can achieve his goals and be competent; but in five to ten years his profession will have left him behind. (pg. 179)
You have no choice about whether to have a philosophy. The choice is whether you know your philosophy and have chosen it consciously – or whether you are at the mercy of your subconscious, of chance generalizations and undigested abstractions accepted on faith from others without any clear understanding and decision on your part. (pg. 183)
My school of writing is romantic realism: "romantic" in that I present man as he ought to be; "realistic" in that I place men here and now on this earth, in terms applicable to every rational reader who shares these values and wants to apply them to himself. It's realistic in that it's possible to man and applies to this earth; it's romantic in that it projects man and values as they ought to be, not as statistical averages. (pg. 188)
The (implicit) premise of free will and the purposeful progression of events (a plot) are the distinguishing characteristics of romantic literature, whereas a plotless story that concentrates on characterization and the statistical is deterministic and therefore naturalistic. Those are the extremes. Every story has some elements of both – in the details. (pg. 200)
The truth, of course, is that genealogy, race or tribe do not make or break your character. You do – and the credit or blame is exclusively yours. (pg. 210)
If you want to be a writer, ask yourself first of all what you want to say. That will determine in what form you will say it – whether it's properly fiction or nonfiction. The next question to ask yourself is: Why do I think that people will be interested in hearing this? Do I have something new to say? Is what I want to say important and, if so, why? Or am I just planning a rehash of what everybody has heard millions of times before? If you can answer these questions properly, you're on your way toward becoming a writer. These are the first steps. (pg. 221)
My purpose is to enjoy life in a rational way: to use my mind to the greatest extent possible; to pursue, admire, and support human greatness; to make all my choices rationally; to expand my knowledge constantly. (pg. 231)
I'm concerned only with the time when I am here. Mortality, by definition, finishes me. So why worry about it? (pg. 232)
We know that we have a mind and a body, and that neither can exist without the other. Therefore, when I die, that will be the end of me. I don't think it will be the end of my philosophy. (pg. 232)
The Best of Her Q & A
ISBN 0-451-21665-2
The quotations by Ayn Rand noted below were first edited by Robert Mayhew. Dr. Tom Stevens has taken selected quotations from this book for reference here. To enable you to research the context of each quotation, page numbers have been provided. These quotations do not necessarily reflect the ideas of Dr. Tom Stevens or the ObjectivistParty.
(The Founding Father I most admire is) Thomas Jefferson – for the Declaration of Independence, which is probably the greatest document in human history. There is, however, one minor fault on the level of fundamentals: the idea that men are endowed with rights by their Creator rather than by Nature. (pg. 1)
The political system of free enterprise and capitalist economics were one historical development. Both were the result of a philosophy of reason, freedom, and individual rights – the basis on which this country was founded. (pg. 3)
Your freedom of judgment, your freedom of production, your freedom to control your life. Those rights are morally inalienable, and must never be surrendered. (pgs. 4-5)
To the question, "Should the government have the power to tax?," I'd answer, "No, all taxation should be voluntary." (pg. 7)
The government's only proper role is protecting individual rights. That means: the military, the police, the law courts. (pg. 8)
No government planner has the right to forbid products for the consumer's own good. Let the consumer decide. (pg. 9)
I don't think the government should run schools. Education should be private, and children should go wherever their parents decide to send them. (pg. 24)
My defense of capitalism is based on individual rights, as was the American Founding Fathers', who were not altruists. They did not say man should exist for others; they said he should pursue his own happiness. Finally, it is not in a man's rational self-interest to cheat his customers. The abler the man, the better he is able to plan long range. (pg. 27)
"Altruism" is a term originated by the philosopher Auguste Comte, and has been used ever since to mean exactly what Comte intended. "Altruism" comes from the Latin alter, meaning "other." It means placing the interests of others above your own – existing for the sake of others. Altruism holds that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that service to others is the only moral justification of his existence, and that self-sacrifice is his highest virtue. (pg.27)
Man's first moral virtue is to think and to be productive. (pg. 29)
In order actually to be alive properly, a man must use his mind constantly and productively. That's why rationality is the basic virtue according to my morality. (pg. 30)
The first thing Objectivism would advocate in regard to undeveloped nations is not to send them material help but to teach them political freedom. For any nation, no matter how undeveloped, if it establishes a political system that protects individual rights, its progress and development will be phenomenal. (pg. 36)
When currency is not backed by gold, then we are under the power of a government that arbitrarily sets the value of money, devalues the currency, inflates credit, and taxes us indirectly through the manipulation of money (which is more disastrous than direct taxation). The government's power to destroy the objective value and security of currency is precisely what ultimately destroys the economy. (pg. 40)
The notion that antitrust laws protects free competition is a wide-spread economic fallacy. (pg. 41)
If men want to organize into a union and bargain collectively with their employer, that is their right, provided they don't force anyone to join, or force their employer to negotiate with them. (pg. 41)
If a man permits himself to be a criminal, we treat him in the same manner that he demands. He wants to deal in force; we answer him by force, and put him in jail to protect the rest of us from the next time he feels like "expressing himself." (pg. 45)
It's better to condemn murderers to jail for life than risk taking the life of an innocent man through possible miscarriage of justice. (pg. 46)
Politics must begin with an idea. You cannot win elections with isolated slogans used once in four years. If anything practical can be done, it is this: Work out a consistent set of principles, and teach it to the people in your party: precinct workers, local candidates, and perhaps national candidates. (pg. 46)
Formulate a policy of what controls should be repealed first, and what steps could achieve a fully decontrolled economy. (pg. 46)
Begin in the high schools and colleges, because that is the source of future politicians and men of action. You can achieve nothing in a political election if you neglect the institutions where ideas are formed. (pg. 46)
The best the government can do is stop moving toward dictatorship and collectivism, and start moving toward freedom. (pg. 50)
Anyone serious about saving the world today must first discard the dominant philosophy of the culture. Stand on your own as much as if you moved to a separate valley, like in Atlas Shrugged. Check your premises; define your convictions rationally. Do not take anything on faith; do not believe that your elders know what they're doing; because they don't. (pg. 55)
Don't force your views on unwilling listeners – don't be evangelists out to save souls. But people are so confused today that if you clarify even one point for them, in your own circle – in a letter to an editor, a school paper, and so forth – you help make public opinion. (pg. 61)
The difference between religion and philosophy is that religion is a matter of faith. You either have faith or you don't. You cannot argue about it. But when you deal with philosophy, you deal with reason and logic. That is an objective element of language common to all men. You can try to persuade others that you are right, or you are free to disagree with them. In a free country, you need not deal with them. But religion is an issue of faith. By definition, if one doesn't accept faith, or if different people believe different faiths, no common action, agreement, or persuasion is possible among them if religion is made a condition of political agreement. (pg. 62)
Persuasion, reason, argument are not the province of religion. Religion rests on faith – on an acceptance of certain beliefs apart from reason. (pg. 63)
In America, religion is relatively non-mystical. Religious teachers here are predominantly good, healthy materialists. They follow common sense. They would not stand in our way. The majority of religious people in this country do not accept on faith the idea of jumping into a cannibal's pot and giving away their last shirt to the backward people of the world. Many religious leaders preach this today, because of their own leftist politics; it's not inherent in being religious. There are many historical and philosophical connections between altruism and religion, but the function of religion in this country is not altruism. You would not find too much opposition to Objectivism among religious Americans. There are rational religious people. In fact, I was pleased and astonished to discover that some religious people support Objectivism. If you want to be a full Objectivist, you cannot reconcile that with religion; but that doesn't mean religious people cannot be individualists and fight for freedom. They can, and this country is the best proof of it. (pg. 63)
You should vote only so long as you think a candidate has more virtues than flaws. But if you regard both candidates as evil, do not choose a lesser evil. Simply don't vote. (pg. 69)
Anarchists are the scum of the intellectual world of the Left, which has given them up. So the Right picks up another leftist discard. That's the libertarian movement. (pg. 72)
I'd rather vote for Bob Hope, the Marx Brothers, or Jerry Lewis – they're not as funny as John Hospers and the Libertarian Party. They're not defenders of capitalism. Further, their leadership consists of men of every persuasion, from religious conservatives to anarchists. Most of them are my enemies: they spend their time denouncing me, while plagiarizing my ideas. Now it's a bad sign for an allegedly pro-capitalist party to start by stealing ideas. This party plagiarizes some of my ideas, mixes them with the exact opposite – with religionists, anarchists, and every intellectual misfit and scum they can find – and they call themselves Libertarians and run for office. They are perhaps the worst political group today, because they can do the most harm to capitalism, by making it disreputable. I'll take Jane Fonda over them. (pg. 72-74)
Libertarians are a monstrous, disgusting bunch of people: they plagiarize my ideas when that fits their purpose, and denounce me in a more vicious manner than any communist publication when that fits their purpose. They're lower than any pragmatists, and what they hold against Objectivism is morality. They want an amoral political program. (pg. 74)
Without government, every criminally inclined individual resorts to force, and every morally inclined individual is helpless. Government is an absolute necessity if individual rights are to be protected, because you don't leave force at the arbitrary whim of other individuals. (pg. 75)
Russian pushed this country into World War Two. What would have been a better policy? Let Hitler march into Russia, as he had started to. Let the two dictatorships fight each other; then the West – England, France, and the United States – could finish off the winner. Then maybe, today, the world would be safe. (pg. 83)
When a country doesn't recognize the individual rights of its own citizens, it cannot claim any national or international rights. Therefore, anyone who wants to invade a dictatorship or semi-dictatorship is morally justified in doing so, because he is doing no worse than what that country has accepted as its social system. It is improper to attack a free country, because it recognizes the individual rights of its citizens. (pg. 92)
The Arabs are one of the least developed cultures. They are still practically nomads. Their culture is primitive, and they resent Israel because it's the sole beachhead of modern science and civilization on their continent. When you have civilized men fighting savages, you support the civilized men, no matter who they are. (pg.96)
Nationalism properly understood – as a man's devotion to his country because of an approval of its basic premises, principles, and social system, as well as its culture – is the common bond among men of that nation. It is a commonly understood culture, and an affection for it, that permits a society of men to live together peacefully. But a country and its system must earn this approval. It must be worthy of that kind of devotion. (pg. 102)
I don't care to discuss the alleged complaints American Indians have against this country. I believe, with good reason, the most unsympathetic Hollywood portrayal of Indians and what they did to the white man. They had no right to a country merely because they were born here and then acted like savages. The white man did not conquer this country. And you are a racist if you object, because it means you believe that certain men are entitled to something because of their race. You believe that if someone is born in a magnificent country and doesn't know what to do with it, he still has a property right to it. He does not. Since the Indians did not have the concept of property or property rights - they didn't have a settled society, they had predominantly nomadic tribal 'cultures' - they didn't have rights to the land, and there was no reason for anyone to grant them rights that they had not conceived of and were not using. It's wrong to attack a country that respects (or even tries to respect) individual rights. If you do, you're an aggressor and are morally wrong. But if a 'country' does not protect rights - if a group of tribesmen are the slaves of their tribal chief - why should you respect the 'rights' that they don't have or respect? The same is true for a dictatorship. The citizens in it have individual rights, but the country has no rights and so anyone has the right to invade it, because rights are not recognized in that country; and no individual or country can have its cake and eat it too - that is, you can't claim one should respect the 'rights' of Indians, when they had no concept of rights and no respect for rights. But let's suppose they were all beautifully innocent savages - which they certainly were not. What were they fighting for, in opposing the white man on this continent? For their wish to continue a primitive existence; for their 'right' to keep a part of the earth untouched - to keep everybody out so they could live like animals or cavemen. Any European who brought with him an element of civilization had the right to take over this continent, and it's great that some of them did. (pgs. 103-104)
As a principle, one should respect the sanctity of a contract among individuals. But I oppose applying contract law to American Indians. When a group of people or a nation does not respect individual rights, it cannot claim any rights whatsoever. The Indians were savages, with ghastly tribal rules and rituals, including the famous "Indian Torture." Such tribes have no rights. Anyone had the right to come here and take whatever they could, because they would be dealing with savages as Indians dealt with each other – that is, by force. We owe nothing to Indians, except the memory of monstrous evils done by them. (pg. 104)
Racial quotas are vicious in any form, at any time, in any place, for any purpose whatsoever. Affirmative action is vicious; it isn't profiting anybody; it isn't improving the lot of the minorities. It's giving jobs and patronage and pull to the leaders of minority groups, and observe that only the races that got themselves organized get anything out of it (if you could call it an advantage). It's as un-American and unjust as any current movement. We are supposed to be color-blind, and that's what we should be. (pg. 105)
I am profoundly anti-feminist. If women want to be equal – and of course, potentially, they are – then they should achieve it on their own, and not as a vicious parasitical pressure group. (pg. 106)
Man cannot properly live with indecision. He must decide what his values are and why, and then what purpose he wants to pursue. When he has chosen a central purpose, that will give him the lead by which he can organize his whole hierarchy of values. Without that central purpose integrating his values, he can neither be happy nor know what will make him happy. (pg. 109)
The central purpose of one's life is to achieve one's own happiness, not to sacrifice oneself to others or others to oneself. "Selfishness" means to live by the judgment of one's own mind and to live by one's own productive effort, without forcing anything on others. (pg. 109)
You are not your brother's keeper. You cannot and do not have unchosen obligations; you're responsible for your own actions. You would be responsible for any harm you do to other people. You would be held responsible for any relationship that you enter into voluntarily, for any contract that you break unilaterally. You would have to stand by your word. You would have no right to pass on to others the burden or consequences of your mistakes or failures or whims. In other words, you cannot make other men your victims, and you need not be their victim. (pg. 110)
Any help you might want to give others would be your private privilege, but not your moral – and certainly not your legal – duty. If you want to help others, fine, so long as you can afford it, so long as it's your voluntary choice, and so long as you do not claim it as a major virtue or duty. It is good to help others only when you help them on the grounds of the value you see in them. If you see a talented man struggling, and you want to help him financially (and you can afford it), that's not a sacrifice, and would be a good gesture, under my morality. But it's not good to help someone who is suffering as a result of his own evil. If you help him, you are sanctioning his immorality, which is evil. (pgs. 110-111)
Reason involves knowing the nature and the consequences of your actions, and of knowing where your rational self-interest lies. Reason does not mean you can arbitrarily decide that whatever you want is in your self-interest. To go by reason is not to be guided by emotions or whims. (pg. 115)
Anything man wants or needs must be produced; man must possess knowledge in order to produce it; reason provides that knowledge. (pg. 115)
A man of self-esteem does not want the unearned: he doesn't want anything from others that he must obtain by coercion – by crime or by government force and regulation. Such a man deals with other men as an equal, by trade. Further, a man of reason plans his life long range. The psychological distinction between a rational man and an evader is that a rational man thinks, plans, and acts long range,while the more neurotic and evasive a person is, the shorter the range of his interests. (pg. 115)
The Declaration of Independence, which contains the Objectivist morality by implication, says man has a right to his own life, his own liberty, and the pursuit of his own happiness; it doesn't mention service to others. (pg. 116)
If I want a society in which my rights are respected and I am free to pursue my happiness, I cannot push onto others the job of establishing such a society. If I can contribute to its establishment, I should do so. (pg. 120)
In any proper deal, you act on the trader principle: you give a value and receive a value. (pg. 124)
I have a profoundly selfish interest in the freedom of my mind, knowing what to do with it, and therefore fighting to preserve that freedom in this country for as long as I am alive – and even beyond my life. I don't care about posterity; I care about any free mind or independent person born in future centuries. (pg. 124)
I have been saying for years that before we help the helpless – who can only be lifted a little – we should see to it that we help the talented children, the child prodigies, who need support desperately. They don't need financial help; what they need is freedom and private schools in which they'd be free to rise as fast as possible, without being held down to the community standards of the average child. The people who prefer to help the mentally weak, and neglect or actually hinder the talented, are the most unjust, evil people on earth. (pg.125)
A human being is a living entity; life starts at birth. An embryo is a potential human being. You might argue that medically an embryo is alive at six to eight months. I don't know. But no woman in her right mind would have an abortion that late; it's very dangerous for her. So nature is consistent with the interests of both. I'm in favor of abortion, of birth control, of sex as such, as an absolute right of the parties involved. The right of a living human being comes above any potential human being. I never equate the potential with the actual. (pg. 125)
No state, community, or individual has any right to tell a woman what to do with her life. An embryo is not a human life, and one of the most disgusting frauds today is the enemies of abortion calling themselves "pro-life" when they advocate the rights of the embryo –an unborn entity – but refuse to recognize the rights of the living person: the woman (and, for that matter, the father). (pg. 126)
The fact of birth is an absolute – that is, up to that moment, the child is not an independent, living organism. It's part of the body of its mother. But at birth, a child is an individual, and has the rights inherent in the nature of a human individual. Until the moment of birth, a child is physically the property of the mother. (pg. 126)
A piece of tissue – an embryo – cannot have rights. (pg. 127)
Anyone who speaks of the mentally retarded knows that a retarded child is not capable of taking care of itself. He knows that the child's parents (particularly the mother) will be tied to that child for life. The sacrifice of the mentally healthy to the mentally deformed is unspeakable – it is a sacrifice without recipients. In that way it is a more evil, more meta-physical view of life than altruism. Its purpose is not to have some man sacrifice himself to others, but to have man sacrifice himself. The more useless the sacrifice, the better. (pgs. 127-128)
A mental (as opposed to a physical) cripple is a horror to deal with, and to a mother it is the constant horror that it is her child, only it is not human. To be made to live for a subnormal, mindless child whom one cannot face is sacrifice and drudgery without a goal. It is the person's own values and chance for happiness that are being destroyed. (pg. 129)
Objectivism is an atheistic philosophy. (pg. 131)
To call my philosophy, which demands the absolutism of reason, dogmatic – which means "arbitrarily taken on faith" – is the most profound smear. (pg. 133)
First produce something; then evaluate it according to objective standards. If somebody is better than you according to these standards, you learn from him. It's an inspiration. But if many people are worse, don't take pride in that. (pg. 135)
I think it would be improper for a woman to be president. The kind of woman who would agree to be is in some respect neurotic. (pg. 139)
I am opposed to women's lib. I believe in masculine superiority passionately, enthusiastically, delightfully – not intellectual or moral superiority, but sexual and romantic superiority. If you don't understand this, then I'll reluctantly say: I'm sorry. (pg. 139)
The difference between men and women is sexual. In the sexual roles, it is proper for a man, who is the stronger sexually, to be worshipped, and the woman who would even conceive of such a thing is not a woman. (pg. 139)
Philosophy deals with broad abstractions – with principles – which underlie other conclusions, other knowledge. It's a philosopher's job to provide you with these principles; it's your job to apply those principles to your own life. Philosophy will foreshorten the difficult problem of knowing what to do in complex situations. Philosophy is the guide; you are the traveler. (pgs. 144-145)
John Locke did some valuable thinking. He was the teacher of the Founding Fathers. But this is only politics; in metaphysics and epistemology, Locke was disastrous. He departed from Aristotle and denied that we can perceive reality. (pg. 149)
My philosophy includes only what men can perceive, identify, and demonstrate by means of reason. It doesn't permit the invention of "facts," or the acceptance of anything on faith – that is, without rational demonstration. (pg. 149)
There is no evidence for any kind of God, afterlife, or mystical dimension. (pg. 149)
The consistency of nature, the fact that nature follows certain laws, is not a product of design, but of the Law of Identity – the fact that things are what they are. (pg. 150)
In material nature, nothing happens by chance or design – that's a false alternative. They happen according to the Law of Identity: things interact according to their natures. This is not chance. Chance is a concept pertaining only to human ignorance. When we don't know the causes of some event, we say it happened "by chance." (pg.150)
Existence exists and consciousness exists. (pg. 152)
Once you arrive at the conclusion that someone is a mystic (that some part of his philosophy, by his own statement, is not subject to reason or is beyond reason), then he has saved you the trouble of considering anything else that he says. (pg. 153)
Outside of your reason, you have no means of knowing anything. If you concluded that man can know nothing, one look around would refute you instantly, because you could see how far man has come, and that he needed knowledge to get where he is. (pg. 161)
I am primarily a defender of reason, not of individualism or capitalism. I defend capitalism because I'm a defender of individualism; I defend individualism because I'm a defender of reason. That's my epistemological base. (pg. 162)
Every rational endeavor expands knowledge. (pg. 164)
Irrationalism - Men no longer respect reason or believe it's valid. This is the result of the philosophy they have been taught for at least the past two hundred years. Altruism - This moral theory holds that the only justification for a man's existence is service to others. Collectivism - The view that the individual has no rights, that a collective (society or some other group) holds all rights and may dispose of any individual as it pleases, and that its power over the individual is unlimited. Irrationalism, altruism, and collectivism are the three fundamental evils of today's dominant philosophy. (pg. 165)
"Rational" refers to a policy or principle arrived at in the full context of everything relevant to a given action. The first rule of rationality is that if you value your life and believe you own it, you must recognize the same right in others. (pg. 168)
Playing devil's advocate means assuming a role opposite to your own conviction; advocating ideas the "devil" would throw at you. This technique trains you to answer every objection to your position. It's a good way to test your ideas, because if you encounter an objection you can't answer, you better find the answer or correct your thinking. (pgs. 178-179)
The exceptional person acts on the premise: "I must find things out for myself; I must go beyond what is now known." The well-trained, but unexceptional, person acts on the premise of taking things as given: "This is an established profession. It has demanding standards, and it takes a lot of work to comply with these standards. I'll fulfill all of the requirements set by my profession. I'll learn everything required. I'll read the appropriate journals and be as good a practitioner as any." That is the premise of stagnation. That type of person can achieve his goals and be competent; but in five to ten years his profession will have left him behind. (pg. 179)
You have no choice about whether to have a philosophy. The choice is whether you know your philosophy and have chosen it consciously – or whether you are at the mercy of your subconscious, of chance generalizations and undigested abstractions accepted on faith from others without any clear understanding and decision on your part. (pg. 183)
My school of writing is romantic realism: "romantic" in that I present man as he ought to be; "realistic" in that I place men here and now on this earth, in terms applicable to every rational reader who shares these values and wants to apply them to himself. It's realistic in that it's possible to man and applies to this earth; it's romantic in that it projects man and values as they ought to be, not as statistical averages. (pg. 188)
The (implicit) premise of free will and the purposeful progression of events (a plot) are the distinguishing characteristics of romantic literature, whereas a plotless story that concentrates on characterization and the statistical is deterministic and therefore naturalistic. Those are the extremes. Every story has some elements of both – in the details. (pg. 200)
The truth, of course, is that genealogy, race or tribe do not make or break your character. You do – and the credit or blame is exclusively yours. (pg. 210)
If you want to be a writer, ask yourself first of all what you want to say. That will determine in what form you will say it – whether it's properly fiction or nonfiction. The next question to ask yourself is: Why do I think that people will be interested in hearing this? Do I have something new to say? Is what I want to say important and, if so, why? Or am I just planning a rehash of what everybody has heard millions of times before? If you can answer these questions properly, you're on your way toward becoming a writer. These are the first steps. (pg. 221)
My purpose is to enjoy life in a rational way: to use my mind to the greatest extent possible; to pursue, admire, and support human greatness; to make all my choices rationally; to expand my knowledge constantly. (pg. 231)
I'm concerned only with the time when I am here. Mortality, by definition, finishes me. So why worry about it? (pg. 232)
We know that we have a mind and a body, and that neither can exist without the other. Therefore, when I die, that will be the end of me. I don't think it will be the end of my philosophy. (pg. 232)
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