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Well, Joey has offered his final thoughts in our conversation, at least for now. I for one feel some sense of relief, because the thing had started to sprawl across several blogs as well as subjects, and it was getting too large for me to keep track of it all! A few pointers to some of the participants (links are to their latest contributions to the discussion, as of this writing): FSK’s Guide to Reality; David Gross at The Picket Line; and Kent McManigal. While I have much to say on each of the topics we’ve tossed around, I have neither the time nor the inclination to try to do them all justice in this sitting. Instead, I will mention that a primary raison d’être for my part of this blog is to explore these issues; and I encourage any interested invididuals to explore the archives here and elsewhere for previous ramblings on the subjects. All I’ll offer today are some general observations in response to what I perceive to be Joey’s central themes.

I have long been squirming in my seat, waiting for this day ... and in fact, I thought I’d be on the other side of this post, so to speak—in the reading audience instead of writing it. But this is good news I’ve already been waiting too long to share; and now that I’ve obtained permission to share it, I shall delightedly do so.

Over the years, several friends and Family members have encouraged me to read The Economist, ostensibly for the clear-headed and somewhat pro-market views. Yet every time I’ve browsed their site, I’ve come away disappointed. Not today.

I continue to seek answers to questions that are mostly unanswerable in my current context ... yet my wanderings on the web—sometimes directed by others, mostly haphazard jumpings of my own—occasionally offer droplets of insight.

I didn’t know Vince Miller very well on a personal level, despite working fairly closely with him at Free-Market.Net. But that experience—along with others, of course—truly revealed the measure of the man. It’s still very difficult to try to put all my rambling thoughts together, particularly since front and center is my keen pain at not having let Vince know what I think of him ... but it’s important to me to try.

I’ve been thinking about Joey’s response in our ongoing conversation about getting free and personal freedom, but have been too busy and/or distracted to write a proper response. As a placeholder—and foreshadowing—I will quote from The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. The context is Prof. Bernardo de la Paz speaking to Wyoming Knott [emphasis in original]:

“... I will accept any rules that you feel necessary to your freedom. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.”

Any товарищи got a problem with that? ;-)

From “cls” via email:

Vince Miller died this morning at approximately 8:15. Per his instructions he will be cremated. Vince asked that no formal funeral be held. A celebration of his life will be held at a future date. In lieu of cards or flowers those wishing to honor him are asked to contribute to Vince's life cause, the International Society for Individual Liberty. The most appropriate way to show appreciation for Vince is to do something for liberty. It was his passion and his great love.

I expected this very sad news, but even so, can’t collect my thoughts to say something more personal now. Cls has a fitting but brief tribute up.

I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve barely had time to collect my thoughts, much less rub two of ’em together to see if they spark. This morning, however, vivid images past and present swirled in my mind; aided by a thread elsewhere, I resisted the urge to squash a poetic moment. And upon contemplating the result, I decided I liked it enough to put it here.

Now that I have your attention, may I –ahem– titillate you a bit more, by saying that to find out what I mean, you’ll have to follow me to the second part of this tease ... where the photographic evidence can be found.

The doctors have finally determined the cause of Vince’s problems: valley fever. It’s a fungal infection that can range from benign in some individuals to lethal in others. Sadly, it appears that Vince may be nearer the “lethal” end of the spectrum; despite switching antibiotics to target the fungus once the diagnosis was made, his condition has not improved. Vince’s condition has actually worsened, and the next couple of days will be critical in making some very difficult decisions regarding his care.

Contributions to help cover the costs of Vince’s care are still being accepted; the best means of contributing, if one desires, is to call Jim Elwood at 800-326-0996.

Right now, I am more concerned about Vince’s health, and the very difficult situation his friends are in. Vince has not regained consciousness since being placed on a ventilator, and I know firsthand how stressful it is to make decisions on behalf of someone who cannot communicate with you. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers, if you’re the praying sort.

A while back, I posted a semi-rant on folks in The Family who seem to have their lives on hold until after “the revolution”. Joey at The Freedom Symposium followed up with some observations of his own, and we started a conversation which was interrupted by his taking some time off. Now that he’s back, I’ll revisit the subject and perhaps even include what I’d thought was the main point of my first post, but which got left out entirely!

Summer is in full bloom here on the prairie and with it, as every year, come back memories of my childhood almost always spent with either set of grandparents. They are my fondest memories from my childhood and interestingly they have something in common- a kind of freedom provided by the old and the wise in my family.

We finally had a deviation from the unusually damp and cool spring here, and I made good use of it. I’ve been dodging the showers as best I can, getting the garden plot ready for planting. Yesterday morning, I finished that task; and in the afternoon, the snolfs and I finally got the garden planted!

Yes, I continue to dwell on the “Is all fun profitable?” idea. It occurs to me that part of the reason I have difficulty with responses like Brad Spangler’s is that it’s based on something that may be ineffable for as long as humans exist: a way to objectively define, quantify, and calculate relationships among concepts including “profit”, “fun”, “cost”, “risk”, and “happiness”. I could go off on many tangents from that observation—and I may still, in future ramblings—but for today, I will simply say that I am unconvinced that an economics-based analysis is always the best course.

My silence has been due to FAPpage again, rather than anything else. But enough about my silly problems—I’m here on behalf of a dear friend, longtime family member, and activist extroardinaire.

Vince Miller is one of the founders of the International Society for Individual Liberty, a great organization which has advanced the freedom philosophy worldwide in numerous ways over the past few decades. Some of you may recall that when Free-Market.Net was in danger of disappearing, ISIL stepped in and kept the organization going. ISIL has also been a big supporter of another project near and dear to me, the Liberty English Camps. They recently bought Laissez Faire Books as well, and have been offering terrific, really pro-freedom books primarily online while they get all the details of reopening the shop ironed out. This is a small sampling of the work Vince has been involved in, so that you grok what I meant when I called him “tireless” and an activist extroardinaire. He has done all this and more, with a cheerful mien and a can-do attitude, no matter what challenges he faced. Despite the various stresses upon Lobo and myself during the FMN/ISIL transition, working with Vince was always a bright spot throughout that time.

As “cls” recounts in his entry titled A chance to do something good, Vince recently contracted pneumonia, which was serious enough to require hospitalization. He is recovering, but remains in the hospital, with no clear timeline on when he’s likely to be released. Like me, Vince does not have health insurance. He intends to pay the bill himself, of course, but he has poured much of his life’s energy into the freedom movement instead of more monetarily profitable ventures; it will be a hard go of it for him.

Lobo and I have already pledged to help with Vince’s medical expenses. I hope that all of you reading will consider doing likewise if you’re able. Contributions can be made via ISIL’s online donation form—be sure to select “general donation”, otherwise the funds won’t be put to this purpose. If you prefer, you can call Jim Elwood at 800-326-0996 to discuss other contribution options.

Vince is not asking for charity, and he certainly isn’t going to allow himself to be bailed out by the state. But this is a perfect opportunity for us in the family to put our voluntaryist principles into action, and show that we aren’t hard-hearted bastards as we’re too frequently depicted by the mainstream media and politicians.

Thank you for whatever you contribute to help my friend and an inspiring family member. If you’re interested in following Vince’s recovery, I recommend you check out Classically Liberal blog, as that’s where news will probably be posted first.