Secret Copyright Treaty By Mikayla Hall | Reality Check and government systems in general.

There are many examples of this, but for

Whose administration has consistently
refused to release the text of the pro-
posed ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade
Agreement) treaty to the public, despite
sharing it with dozens of entertainment
and other industry lobbyists, in the
"interest of national security."
Leaked versions of this agreement in-
clude provisions virtually lifted from in-
dustry wish lists to ‘protect’ their intellec-
tual property by limiting your rights of
fair use and criminalizing much peer-to-
peer file sharing. Regardless of your
stance on intellectual property and in-
fringement, the fact that this treaty is
being negotiated largely in back-room
deals at major corporations is terrifying
enough.
As a political science major, I have been
now we will focus on two.
exposed to a wide array of views on gov-
ernment, ranging from peace, love and Misunderstanding #1: The Political Spec-
marijuana to bombing any country that trum
does not believe America is the greatest.
Even as far back as elementary school I
Beyond opinions, one of the most inter-
can recall teachers referring to com-
esting albeit troubling aspects of this ma-
munism as far left and fascism as far right.
jor is seeing how both instructors and
The political spectrum, despite popular
students alike have come to misunder-
belief, actually looks like this:
stand the very basics of American history
Big No
Government Centrism Government
Far Current American Constitutional Far
Left Government Government Right

Empowering Executive Order

Which president issued an executive or-

der, with no explanation of his reasoning, A more accurate rendition of the political spectrum
which removed the sensible restrictions
Thus, Democrats and Republicans who ment, regardless of the party name. The
placed on INTERPOL (International Crimi-
nowadays critique the other as fascist or American government—at least as it is
nal Police Organization) in 1983?
communist are misguided at best. Stalin, outlined in the Constitution—should fall
The organization is now exempt from Hitler, Bush and, yes, even Obama, are all center right, where there is government,
search by US Authorities, from the Free- at some point on the left side of the spec- but only enough to protect liberty.
dom of Information Act, from taxes, and trum. It is all big and intrusive govern- See Political Spectrum on page 2
its officers are no longer accountable
under US Law. Thanks to this executive
order, there is now a police organization
that can operate inside the United States By George Estes | Reality Check three years ago. As the problem threatens
without regard to the United States Con- According to the New York Times, over to spread into the United States, it is be-
stitution and the protections it provides coming clear that more effective
13,600 drug-related killings have occurred
in criminal investigations. measures must be taken. One of the more
in Mexico since Felipe Calderon, Mexico's
obvious solutions is to legalize drugs.
See Answers on page 4 current president, took office just over
See Legalization on page 2
Reality Check goes beyond the headlines
to bring you the facts that you might
have missed on TV, in the newspaper, or
during class. With a non-partisan, liberty-
minded, perspective, we’re proud to pro-
vide political common sense on a campus
that doesn’t teach it!
Interested in writing an article?
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By Thomas Cloud | Reality Check Strength” and Ludwig Von Mises called
“spiritual socialism.” So often it manifests
Creativity is the foster child of liberty. It is
itself in “public” education as a way for
something that is always there in poten-
the masters of the state’s bureaucracy to
tial like the seed of a flower but must be
both brainwash and level young minds –
planted and nurtured to grow. Rigidly
common book program anyone? In a few
enforced mediocrity is the mark of tyran-
though, reverence for God, or perhaps
ny and sweeps across all it can like a river
the simple preference for variety and
of concrete covering good soil leaving a
beauty coupled with respect for man’s
bleak standardized landscape. The desire
capabilities – both good and evil, com-
to be God and control all aspects of na-
bines to oppose tyranny. Like flowers they
ture includes human nature - what C.S.
break the pavement. Are you one of
Lewis referred to as “That Hideous
them? RC
Continues from page 1

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The Editorial Team
While politicians typically do not care
enough about liberty to consider the prin-
ciple that governments should not protect
people from themselves, they might rec-
ognize the more practical effects of legal-
izing drugs. It would drastically reduce the
violence associated with the drug trade.
In an illegal business, no one can seek
legal recourse if he or she is robbed or
cheated. Recourse must be sought
through illegal means: violence. Legalizing
drugs would bring the business into the
open and discourage violence. Further-
more, keeping drugs illegal protects car-
tels. According to Milton Friedman, strict
drug laws raise the opportunity costs for
smaller parties to enter the business, thus
protecting the large entrenched drug car-
tels. While legalization would not immedi-
ately resolve all of Mexico's drug issues,
politicians should at least consider its ben-
efits, however unpopular it might be. RC

Editor in Chief—Mikayla Hall

Layout and Design—Andy Mack
Outreach Director—Steve Heidenreich Continues from page 1

Reality Check is a publication of the
Young Americans for Liberty—University
of Washington Chapter. If you have any
questions, comments, or concerns,
please e-mail: yalatuw@gmail.com to
share or for more information. Thank You
Pass Me On and Recycle
When you’re finished with this issue of
Reality Check, please pass it on to a
friend or recycle it. Do your part for the
environment out of the goodness of your
heart before the government forces you
to!
Misunderstanding #2: A Republic or a So why the ongoing confusion? Who
Democracy? knows. But it is important to remember
that a republic and a democracy are not
Last quarter one of my professors said in
one in the same so that Americans do not
lecture that the founding fathers institut-
have unrealistic expectations of how the
ed a form of democracy and the definition
government works. A democracy is rule
of democracy has merely changed over
by the people and a republic is rule by
time.
law. A democracy is unrestrained and the
Nice try, professor who shall re- whims of 51% can, at an extreme, destroy
main unnamed. The founding fathers the lives of the other 49%, whereas a re-
made it quite clear they did not want de- public has institutions and laws in place—
mocracy for the United States. The word like the right to a trial by jury of your
“democracy” does not even appear in the peers—that restrain the masses and pro-
Declaration of Independence, US Consti- tect liberty for everyone. RC
tution or any of the fifty states’ constitu-
tions.
By Steve Heidenreich | Reality Check
Is it possible, in the greater sense of
things, to be conservative or liberal with-
out great contradictions? Is there a way to
make sense of conservatives who preach
small government, who then just expand
it in order to fulfill our role as World Po-
lice? Does it make sense that liberals, who
criticize and despise the power of big busi-
nesses, are willing to raise inflation and
national debt by giving trillions of every
working American’s own dollars to save
the failing business giants? If anyone can
make sense of the liberal or conservative
ideologies without great contradictions
and/or hypocrisies, I’d like to hear it.
Liberals usually deny an absolute
morality, claiming morals to be relative,
and tend to deny the power of authority.
All right, but then why did liberal senators
and congressmen (like Obama) vote for
the Patriot Act? They continually deny
individual, local, and states’ rights, while
forever pushing towards national and in-
ternational Leviathans which can manage
the economy and people against their will.
The same secularists who preach reason
and tolerance manage to tolerate little
and show lacking reason in their political
beliefs, often preaching for socialized
Seattle Campaign for Liberty Meeting
January 11th, 2009 | 7:00pm
Piecora's Pizza on Capitol Hill
Meet the people behind the liberty move-
ment in Seattle help plan future events
promoting liberty around the community.
E-mail yalatuw@gmail.com if you’d like to
go with members of YAL-UW.
Rally for State Sovereignty
January 14th, 2009 | 11:30am to 2:30pm
Washington Capitol Building in Olympia
Join YAL Chapters from across the state
and other groups in a tally in Olympia to
support state sovereignty and HJM 4009.
economies despite their being no histori-
cal nor modern examples of a successful
socialized economy. Maybe one day a
bailout will work as expected, perhaps
affirmative action will help minorities in-
stead of setting low standards for them,
and maybe one day welfare really will help
the poor, but it’s more than reasonably
obvious that government handouts have
never helped anyone. But as long as sexu-
al rights are preserved and gays can mar-
ry, the government can do whatever it
likes?
Conservatives don’t make any
more sense than liberals do. The con-
servative ideology is supposed to be about
local, individual independence and self-
determination. Smaller government, and
so lower taxes as well. It makes sense to
me, but then conservatives in office gener-
ally don’t follow these principles. Instead
they increase funding for the particular
programs they like (farm subsidies) and
give a tiny tax refund to keep the voters
happy, all the while doing their very best
to expand the government and military’s
presence overseas. Christianity is defined
by Jesus’ principles of making peace, mov-
ing past materialism, and loving your ene-
mies. Yet Christians on the Right are often
E-mail yalatuw@gmail.com for infor-
mation and transportation details.
Facebook: http://tr.im/washrally
Obama Revisited
January 20th, 2009
Did Obama really bring the ‘change’ he
constantly promised during his campaign?
Can you tell the difference between Bush
policies and Obama policies? Stop by YAL-
UW’s table in front of the HUB and pre-
pare to be shocked, surprised, and
amazed! Take our quiz to see how what
you can recognize and have a chance to
win prizes.
the ones pushing for America to break
peace and persecute countries that aren’t
friendly to us. It seems self-determination
and individual freedom is only important
when it comes to money and guns rights.
As long as farmers get their welfare and
gays can’t marry, everything is just dandy,
right?
There are only two consistent
macro ideologies: Statism and Libertarian-
ism. Either you think a great collective
government should control the individual
in general, or you think individual freedom
trumps state tyranny and government
should be as local and minimal as possible.
To fight for only certain rights, while op-
pressing the others, as both conservatives
and liberals tend to do, is as contradicting
as it is unreasonable. Either you think that
someone can do whatever they like, as
long as they’re not hurting someone else,
or you think that everyone should be con-
trolled by someone that knows better
(Bush or Obama?). Rather than promote
only the rights you care about, and op-
pressing those you don’t exercise, support
the human rights given to us by the Con-
stitution and defend freedom everywhere.
RC
Thomas Payne’s Birthday
January 29th, 2009
Join YAL-UW in celebrating the 274th
birthday of Thomas Paine—one of Ameri-
ca’s Founding Fathers and a man whose
Common Sense most modern govern-
ments could learn a thing or two from.
If you’d like more information, are inter-
ested in helping, or know of other great
events going on around Seattle, please e-
mail us at yalatuw@gmail.com and share
it with us!
 F M L T F I H D A T L R V R I
I A O N J R R T A Z J O C M N
Y K R E M E E R U U B N V B D
S V N M A V C E S R R P W R E
B Y N N S O K T D Q T A G D P
T I R R M H I B Q O J U H B E
S E F E M C Y K I A M L X Y N
I C D V E V S T H G I R N A D
L A C O N S T I T U T I O N E
A E T G N A C I L B U P E R N
T P A L J R S U N A K P N B T
I H J L J O I E O G M A Y J N
P Z G A L I B E R T Y H Q J D
A L S M N P Q V M G J R C I Q
C O K S N W Q E K B D T S H C
CAPITALIST JUSTICE RONPAUL
CONSTITUTION LIBERTY SMALLGOVERNMENT
DEMOCRAT PEACE TRUTH
FREEDOM REPUBLICAN YAL
INDEPENDENT RIGHTS
See answers in our next issue

tions occurring within the United States. Freedom of Information Act.

their Constitutional rights are being violated, even in investiga- sentative failed to release drafts of the agreement under the
such immunity, there is little recourse for US Citizens who feel (executive branch) Office of the United States Trade Repre-
essentially granting diplomatic immunity to a police force. With refusing to order drafts of ACTA to be made public when the
Obama signed Executive Order 13524 on December 16th, 2009, Both Bush and Obama have taken a similar stance on the issue,

Empowering Executive Order Secret Copyright Treaty

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THAT government is the negation of liberty;
THAT voluntary action is the only ethical behavior;
THAT respect for the individual's property is fundamental to a peaceful society;
THAT violent action is only warranted in defense of one's property;
THAT the individual owns his/her body and is therefore responsible for his/her actions;
THAT society is a responsibility of the people, not the government.

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