“For Liberty” Premier Recap
PICS WILL SOON BE POSTED
LAWRENCE, KS – On Sunday evening I joined 150 others in a lower Manhattan theater and watched For Liberty: How the Ron Paul Revolution Watered the Withered Tree of Liberty. Though it had been screened at the Campaign for Liberty’s conference a couple of days prior, this event was billed as the movie premier so also in attendance were the documentarians Chris Rye and Corey Kealiher.
Based on the reactions I heard from friends who saw For Liberty at the C4L event – one of whom told me that it left him “reinvigorated” him – I expected a lot.
While many active in the movement today – including MHD’s own Adam Mueller – credit the Ron Paul campaign (specifically the spontaneous grassroots activity around it) as THE catalyst that caused them to get active, I had a little different perspective than many of those viewing the screening. During the campaign I had been working in the libertarian think tank world in DC and I was explicitly anti-voting (check these resources for more). However, I recognized just how great an opportunity the campaign presented as a medium to introduce people to the ideas of liberty. So, while I would not and did not vote for Ron Paul I got involved in my local meetup group and helped make signs and hand out literature.
When I had the chance to interview Ron Paul in his home district back in May I told him that he’s done more than anyone around today to advance the liberty movement and it’s a statement I still stand by. Though I did not and still don’t agree with him 100% I recognize the reach he has in presenting clear, logical and moral arguments for lessening the scope of government. And this was captured in For Liberty, as is clear by the description on the film’s website:
As the 2007-08 presidential campaign cycle offered up the usual slate of Washington insiders, Ron Paul, an obscure Congressman from Texas brought an alternative voice that challenged the political establishment.
For me, the most powerful moment of the documentary was a shot when the Mike Maresco and the others participating in the Great American Walk for Liberty spoke with a woman outside of her Wisconsin home. After she learned what drove them to walk almost 300 miles (to draw attention to the ideas of liberty) she got teary-eyed. So did I when I saw this; proof to me at least, that there are good folks out there ready to escape from the shackles of the State. Another thing that was clear was the anti-war message of Ron Paul during his campaign, which set him apart from the tools running for the Republican nomination nod (and from those on the Dem. ticket as well, including Obama who has only expanded the U.S. government’s aggression abroad).
During the Q&A session following the screening Chris and Corey were asked their thoughts on people sharing the documentary with others via bit torrent and other mediums. Their response – that people are free to do what they choose with their copy. So, while Chris and Corey spent 17 months making For Liberty and would obviously love it if people bought the DVD from them, they recognize that they can have a bigger impact by allowing these ideas to proliferate. I also had the chance to pose a question – why they advocate for limited government rather than a voluntary society as the former grants a group of people a “legitimate” use of force and the latter does not.
Props go to Nick Spanos and the NYC crew – Isaiah Matos, Corey Maness, Jobeyer Ahmed assisted by Mike Maresco and others for making this a reality. They are undoubtedly one of the coolest groups MHD has had the opportunity to connect with since being on the road.
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