by Stacy Litz

"I freed a thousand slaves . . . I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves."
Harriet Tubman

Black History Month, for me, is usually spent reflecting on the legacies of many influential people in the civil rights movement for their bravery when combating such horrible injustice. However, it is interesting to see the many methods that were taken to reach a level of equality, and it hurts to see many fall into a trap of a collectivist mindset while fighting for freedom.

Just recently, I saw the first chairwoman of the Black Panther Party, Elaine Brown, speak at my university. After reading her book, Taste of Power, I knew what to expect -- a socialist mindset with hatred towards free markets, laws for affirmative action, "free" housing, health care, and food. All of this came out in her speech, which ended with a Che Guevara quote and a thunderous applause from the audience. I felt incredibly out of place and the anger that had built up throughout the speech put me at a tipping point.

After cooling off, I realized that instead of being angry towards this woman, I should feel sympathy, if anything. She spent her entire life fighting and fighting and fighting -- and her method of choice? Politics. She had run for office several times, even running for president in 2008 with the Green Party. While she tirelessly battled for equality using the same very governmental system that enforced inequality and that continues doing so to this very day, she has not had any of her goals reached.

I feel sympathy towards Elaine Brown for another reason, too, and this is the fact that she had become a complete martyr for the black man, and in her book, she mentions how many times she neglected fighting for women's rights and simply sacrificed herself for men, with no value for herself as an individual. The Black Panther Party represents the anti-thesis of LOLA, that's for sure.

Sadly, this is not the first time that I have heard minorities beg for a socialist government to force equality, and I have heard it many times in other regards. The problem with this argument is that it fails to strike the root of the issue of inequality. Many fail to note that it is only government that forces inequality to exist -- and while we are all different, in freedom, we would not be judged by the color of our skin, but by the content of their character (thanks, MLK).

While I am not a huge fan of Glenn Beck, I heard that he had a special called the "Revolutionary Holocaust" on why minorities, the poor, and the oppressed should not believe that socialism and communism will solve all their problems.  I have yet to see the special, but I hope it does the topic justice!  I feel as if many fall into the trap of  socialism because offers a sense of equality through a system of each receiving a measured collective share, but it has been tried and tested to have failed in several countries. Freedom, however, is restrained as much as possible, and has never gotten a chance to show off its possibilities for equality.

As I've said, striking the root of the inequality problems is the best method to finding the solution. And the root is big government. The war on drugs, prohibition, lack of self ownership, not teaching personal responsibility in public schools, victimless crimes, subsidizing poverty . . . all of these things hurt minorities in their current state and all are based on government. Instead of lobbying for more laws and more regulations for equality, let us try a new approach -- removing these laws and regulations that only make sure inequality exists!

We can all be equally free, but not equally enslaved.

An example of when individuals make decisions in the name of "government," rather than thinking with their own rationality.

This weekend, all across the country, marks an important time in history. It’s a time when the “End the Fed” rallies will take place. Don’t be fooled, these are not your silly backyard protests (for some of that nature, see here); rather, they will serve as both reaction against and reminder of an important concept and very real problem persisting today: the inherent errors in centralized banking.

But why is central banking a problem, you might ask?

As Dr. Ron Paul states in his recent ground-breaking work , released Sept. 16^th of this year, “Most Americans haven’t thought about the strange entity that controls the nation’s money. They simply accept it as though it has always been there…(Ch. 2, p. 12)”

Sadly, it is a truth that most people blindly accept as commonplace what is really a large cartel vehicle for exacerbating socialized debt.

“Socialized debt,” exists when economic boom turns to bust and huge losses must suddenly be compensated for. Under the current regime, these losses are absorbed by third parties, including the government, instead of what should rightly be the Fed’s bottom line.

Dazzled by the complex business reports presented before Congress and the endless public relations play on a commitment to “reducing inflation,” it’s no wonder most people have no idea what’s going on.

People need to understand how the system actually works. They need to know the problematic nature of fractional-reserve banking, deposit insurance patching schemes, and the government’s overwhelming dependency on the Fed’s unrestrained “elasticity.”

With fractional-reserve banking, deposits made by consumers are loaned for investment, with the “guarantee” that the funds will be re-deposited. Deposit insurance serves as this “guarantee” which is actually hard to sustain, especially if everyone decides to withdraw all their money at once. Here is where the “elasticity” of the Fed and the government’s dependency come into play. If more money is needed to cover losses or to bail out what is actually a free-market correction, the Fed, under the government’s blessing, can simply provide more money at whim. Consequently, inflation skyrockets – the very result the Fed states it stands to protect against.

The idea that the Fed actually serves to reduce inflation is ludicrous. Through incessant money printing for bailout after bailout, it is, as Dr. Paul states, akin to the tobacco industry trying to help people stop smoking, or the automobile industry trying to reduce traffic congestion.

What we really need, is a system of sound money, where the government could not just arbitrarily create money whenever it wanted. A system under sound money would hold the government accountable much more than it is now. Simply put, the costs of spending funded through taxation are much more difficult to hide than by inflation.

It’s our responsibility to bring these issues into the forefront, expose them for what they are, and take a stand for what needs to happen to solve them. This weekend, the “End the Fed” rallies are taking place for that very purpose.

Many members of LOLA will be participating; if you get a chance, come out and help support this cause, too. And if you see a girl with a LOLA shirt, don’t forget to ask her why she thinks we should end the Fed.

Whether you are a recent graduate, like myself, or someone sleeping on a mattress uncomfortably for all you have stuffed underneath, many people are wondering where to invest.

I am no professional however there are several articles and websites we can be looking to for advice.  Peter Schiff's EuroPacific website explains the steps to take to invest your money in a sound commodity.  Also, Doug Casey, chairman of Casey Research has written a great article on some if his suggestions. (Thanks LewRockwell.com) Also, start picking up literature that can educate you more on the current financial "crisis": Meltdown by Tom Woods, End the Fed by Dr. Ron Paul.

Smart investing does not have to begin once you have a "big girl job", a message to the young people, begin now so you will not be working hours for free as the value of your stacks of paper decrease.  Do your research and begin investing in what has been consistently holding its value as well as increasing in value.

Liberty is to the collective body, what health is to every individual body. Without health no pleasure can be tasted by man; without liberty, no happiness can be enjoyed by society.

--Thomas Jefferson

Hi there, my name is Stephanie. I am a Midwest native and currently a travel junkie. I enjoy spending my time backpacking, skiing, scuba diving-anything that gets me outdoors and my heart beating a little faster.

My primary passion is health and nutrition because if you don’t have your health you don’t have much. I work to empower others to become financially independent by teaching them how to promote cutting edge wellness technologies that few have ever heard about. I enjoy helping people help themselves.

I am a solution-oriented person. In the LOLA calendar you will find me advocating the limited power that the Federal government was delegated by the States under our Constitution. I believe that the 10th Amendment is vital. The Federal Empire has grown way beyond the bounds set forth in our founding documents. The founders would be ashamed. Remember these words they wrote in the Declaration, "Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government." Hopefully we can peacefully bring about positive change and "secure a redress of grievances" guaranteed in the last 10 words of the 1st Amendment.

I am looking forward to the time when "free energy" technologies are embraced here. Cars that run on compressed air and water have already been created! Lets bring them here! Overunity is not a myth. I've seen the magnetic motors and generators with my own eyes.

I am also against the prohibition of hemp. This resilient plant has the potential to change the world. From food to fuel and clothing to medicine, hemp is the answer. Why do you think some of the most powerful interests on earth (big pharma, lumber, big oil, big chemical, cotton, the military industrial complex and the prison industry) want to keep it illegal?

My favorite quote is another from Jefferson: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free it expects what never was and never will be." I believe we can wake the masses before its too late.

My name is Megan Duffield. I’m a Midwest native, but currently reside in Rhode Island. When I'm not out protesting on the streets or on the college campus quad you'll find me at the beach with a book and a beer. I love supporting local music, and I'm a huge fan of hip-hop, especially underground. Right now I'm working within the movement, with my main focus on college students. I believe this is where our efforts are best placed, since they are our future.

As a former neo-con – yes I was a neo-con – I began reading into the ideas of libertarianism at the age of 20 and became a fan of its consistency and logic. Like for many young people, Ron Paul was a strong influence on this evolution of beliefs. I now believe it is up to the people to solve the problems we face, and we the people should stand up to our oppressors. Within the LOLA calendar you will find me encouraging transparency and abolition for the Federal Reserve. This issue reaches across every political ideology and I hope, if anything, it exposes the lies and misguidance we have received from our leaders in Washington.

Ten more days until LOLA's Activism Calendar will be unveiled, get yours today! These ladies are already working hard to make a difference and, more importantly, to bring more women into the fold.