Wow! That’s the only word I can say after several days of reading The Freeman December 2012 issue. I find all the articles in it truly educational that is not readily accessible in mainstream education. In sharing my reading on the December issue, I just selected one from each major section except the Book Reviews.
The Free State Project
Among ten Features’ articles, Bill Walker’s “From the Trenches – The Free State Project” impressed me. I am tempted to copy its entire content and post it on this site. Of course, I am thinking of doing that after asking the permission of Walker himself.
And then I think of another way to directly refer my readers to the source. But as I checked The Freeman, the article is not available. The only way to read it is by downloading the entire December issue. So I have to be satisfied with simply restating here the content of that short article.
The center of the action is New Hampshire. The goal is to gather 20,000 people to move to New Hampshire with the aim of creating a model libertarian community. As of the writing of the article, 1,100 people have moved so far.
Solar System as Part of Humanity’s Economic Activity
Proceeding to the next section, the Interview, I could not believe what I am reading. It is about space transportation becoming part of global economy.
At first reading, the ideas of Dr. Lee Valentine appear strange to me. They include ideas like the government’s primary defensive task, the existence of space hotels, orbital tourism market, and asteroid mining. It seems that I am reading a review of a science fiction movie.
But I think Dr. Lee is serious in claiming that the most important defensive job of the government related to space exploration is protection from asteroid impact. He expects that the number of private astronauts would increase in the coming years. He mentioned the rocket plane, “Lynx was designed to serve three markets: private astronaut flights, scientific missions, and small satellite launch…”
Global Positioning System Device
Among the Columns, I like Jeffrey A. Tucker’s “How We Found Ourselves”. He mentioned another example of the wonders created by the free enterprise – the Global Positioning System (GPS) device. This device is very beneficial for those who suffer “spatial disorientation” when in unfamiliar location.
The technology behind GPS was a product of the creativity of several scientists serving educational institutions. But when the US “Government saw its usefulness for espionage”, she kept it “under extreme secrecy for decades…” GPS only reached the market when the US government set it free for commercial purpose. It was only then that humanity’s problem of spatial disorientation was solved. This is a typical example of the continuing struggle between the expanding power of the government and the free enterprise.
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