Pantheon

PANTHEON:aLibertarianHallofFame

Editor's Note: This page is dedicated to a celebration and (when applicable) memoriam of heroes of Liberty, dead or alive (as our current President would say) whether or not they were or would have called themselves Libertarians or libertarians.

Preface: Some of you may disagree with the first entry, and while this person would have probably not appreciated being associated with the party or the movement, the principles he stood for and exemplified in his life were consistent with Libertarian values: Honesty, truth, fairness, equality, the accountability of government to the people. The accomplishments of his career certainly did much to advance the cause of accountability.

So for all of these reasons and also, in the spirit of one who once invited Joe Garragiola to appear on his program "just because I'm a big fan of Joe Garragiola," I pay tribute to one of whom I have been a huge fan over the years, Tim Russert (below). I welcome any submissions from readers re your own heroes. If you can make a case for their libertarian cred, and can write well enough so as not to embarrass yourself or the website, you can get your piece published here.

In addition to these heroes there are many celebrities and well-known Americans who have identified themselves as Libertarians including:

Clint Eastwood   Dave Barry   John Stossel   John Larroquette   Dixie Carter   Kurt Russell

Tom Selleck   Howard Stern   P.J. O'Rourke   Jimmy Vaughn   Mark Cuban   Matt Drudge

Ayn Rand   Charlie Trotter

For hundreds more see Libertarian Celebrities at Advocates for Self-Government

TIMOTHY J. RUSSERT
1950-2008

Life Lived for the Cause of Truth and Liberty

The following is a letter I sent to the Russert Family via the Meet the Press website. I share it with all of you because there is a lot there for all of us to take with us. (MTP = "Meet the Press.")

I read the news of Tim's passing on my Treo as a breaking news release from the Wall Street Journal. I was sitting in a salon, waiting to get my haircut. I blurted out "Oh No!" I was devastated.

My wife knew right away that I'd be having trouble. She called me and asked if I was okay. My eleven year old daughter gave me a hug when I came home. It's Okay, Daddy, she said. I told my friends who didn't quite get it, that this felt to me the way they felt when Elvis died-- Tim was my Elvis. He was my Buddy Holly/Big Bopper. John McClean's song came to mind with different lyrics. Not the music this time. This time it was the day the press died. Complete Article

DAVID NOLAN
Party Co-Founder

Creator of the "World's Smallest Political Quiz"

For an excellent mini-bio of Mr.Nolan,follow this link to Libertarian Celebrities at the Advocates for Self Government site.

We invite our readers to submit their own articles honoring David.

THE HON. DR. RON PAUL
U.S. Congressman from Texas
Republican Presidential Candidate '08
Libertarian Presidential Nominee '88

Editor's Note: I may be the last Libertarian to get on this bandwagon, but he's made a believer out of me, if you're talking libertarian with a lower case L. (See my other comments about his relationship to the Party).

How could this man not be included on the Libertarian Mt. Rushmore? Everything he has done for the cause of liberty in the campaign year 2008 qualifies him, despite the fact that to my aggravation he ran as a Republicrat. His campaign this year has energized the Libertarian "base." It has captured the imagination and inspired the passions of an entirely new generation of voters and activists.

Please add your tributes. We'll post them.

Ron's Website

HARRY BROWNE

June 17, 1933 - March 1, 2006

Presidential Nominee 1996, 2000

Harry Browne is the reason I joined the Libertarian Party. I heard his 1996 stump speech on NPR and realized I am libertarian and therefore should belong to the Libertarian Party. --jwh--

We solicit remembrances of Harry Browne from any reader who wishes to contribute. Click here

For more information about Harry Browne, visit his website, still alive and well.

DR. MARY RUWART

Libertarian Advocate, Apologist & Candidate

I credit my awakening as a Libertarian to Harry Browne (above) but I credit my formation as a Libertarian to Mary Ruwart. When I had my aha moment after listening to Harry's Presidential stump speech I Googled Libertarian and the first site I found was Sharon Harris's Advocates for Self Government. Mary was prominently featured at the site, including her "Ask Mary Ruwart" column.

That introduction to Mary led me to her books and pamphlets explaining and advocating all the classic Libertarian positions which helped me understand and articulate what until then were vague concepts about the way a free society should look and function.

Mary graciously agreed to serve as consultant regarding Libertarian issues for my novel St. Jude's Gospel, and was given a cameo appearance in the book as one of the characters. But that only explains why she is in my personal pantheon. She is equally deserving of a place in the Party's pantheon, however, because she has done for the Party what she has done for me, and so much more.

Her book Healing Our World: The Other Piece of the Puzzle has been hailed by Visions magazine as "what may be the most important book of the decade." This book followed her first volume, Healing our World in an Age of Aggression.

As a devout Catholic who is also a passionate libertarian, Mary Ruwart has perfected the art of bridging the gap between Christians and secularists, conservatives and liberals, and various other normally competitng constituencies and ideologies.

Mary remained in a virtual tie with eventual Presidential nominee Bob Barr through six ballots at the Libetarian National Convention in Denver in May of '08, before Barr won by a narrow margin on the seventh. She was also a contender for Vice President in 1988.

Her greatest gift to the libertarian movement and the Libertarian Party may be her ability to articulate what may seem to be extreme positions of classic libertarianism in ways that explain their meaning in plain down to earth language and in ways that emphasize to the average citizen why these positions are good for them and for the country.

This is why we celebrate Mary Ruwart as a Future President of the United States. -jwh-

Mary's books are featured in the Book Department of our storefront.

Mary's Campaign Website

Mary's General Website

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THE NEXT LIBERTARIAN HERO

You Decide. Nominations Accepted.

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