CONTRIBUTOR BONUSES!

Donors who contribute at certain levels are eligible for two bonuses:

1) The book "Official Lies: How Washington Misleads Us" is available to those who contribute at the Sponsor level ($50) plus $5 for shipping and handling.

We think "Official Lies: How Washington Misleads Us" is a great book. But our opinion is no surprise - we're the ones that published this book in 1992.

Some more objective observers include John Fund of the "Wall Street Journal", syndicated columnist Walter Williams, and William E. Simon, former US Treasury Secretary. See their comments below.

"Official Lies: How Washington Misleads Us" is written by two academics, Jim Bennett and Tom Dilorenzo. But the book is anything but academic in tone, thanks to the editorial and writing talents of Bill Kauffman.

Although "Official Lies" was published in 1992, not much has changed since then. In fact, the ability of politicians and bureaucrats of both parties to tell bald-faced lies and get away with it remains one of the most enduring, if not endearing, aspects of official Washington.

Politicians in Washington, and the world over, don't just lie about a few things; they tell Outrageous lies about almost everything. Their political agenda is simple: by making it seem as if the world is falling apart politicians hope that they will gain more power to "solve" "problems". (Often the same problems they helped create in the first place.)

Government propaganda affects almost every aspect of life. Welfare policy, the environment, AIDs, alcohol and tobacco, farming, and natural resources are just a few of the topics on which the federal government spews forth an almost endless amount of misinformation.

Perhaps one of the more amusing ways in which politicians try to provide support for their power-grabs is by having celebrities front for their policy agendas. Stars of stage and screen may not really have any grasp of the complexities of public policy, but their appearance is sure to generate exposure. That explains why:

- Members of the folk-rock group The Grateful Dead appeared before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus to provide information about rain forests in Malaysia.

- Movie star and heart-throb Richard Gere discussed Tibet before a congressional panel.

- TV star Mary Tyler Moore read a poem about animal trapping to a subcommittee of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee.

- The late singer John Denver regaled the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs with the song "Ode to Alaskan Forests".

Not only does the federal government use movies stars to formulate policy, the government actually produces its own films. Some gripping titles include "Fuel Pump Disassembly", "Hacksaws, Part Three", "Hospital Housekeeping: Mopping, Two Bucket Method", "Handling and Storing Apples in Pallet Boxes", and many more thrillers that will leave you screaming for an encore.

Here are some more tidbits from "Official Lies":

- In order to encourage welfare spending, the government inflates the numbers of those officially counted as "poor". For instance, more than 22,000 "poor" Americans have a heated swimming pool or Jacuzzi.

- The Prince of Liechtenstein and his Texas business partners were paid more than $2 million in a program ostensibly designed to help "distressed farmers."

- Senator Larry Pressler declared that the annual $100 million honey subsidy to beekeepers must be maintained because "without the honey bees to pollinate crops, the diet of American consumers would be limited to nuts, cereal grains, and meat." With drones like Pressler buzzing around Congress, several queen beekeepers received over $1 million a year in subsidies.

- Government at all levels spends enough on poverty programs alone - excluding social security - to give $5,790 to each man, woman and child below the poverty threshold. That adds up to $23,160 for every family of four.

When this beautifully produced 320 page hardcover book was first published it sold thousands of copies. We have the only 22 copies still available. We're keeping a few for our own use, so less than 20 copies will be available to Sponsor level donors, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Here's what some notable quotables had to say about this book:

"A compelling indictment of how Washington bureaucrats take money from taxpayers and use it to buy their votes. Thoroughly researched, the book is no dry political science text. It is compellingly written and a fascinating read."
John Fund, "Wall Street Journal"

"If you thought massive government propaganda was the special preserve of communist countries, think again. Official Lies is compelling and frightening reading."
William Simon, former Secretary of the Treasury

"For those who cherish liberty, Official Lies is on the must read list."
Walter Williams, syndicated columnist.

"Mendacious officeholders obscure and distort inconvenient facts, contrive bogus crises, incessantly propagandize the citizenry and, if need be, simply lie to achieve their own ends. Official Lies reveals how our rulers routinely twist and trample on the truth."
Robert Higgs, author of "Crisis in Leviathan"

Make your donation to get your copy of Official Lies

2) The Tiananmen Square Poster
In June of 1989, thousands of students were massacred by Chinese soldiers as they demonstrated for democracy in Tiananmen Square. Like most great tragedies, the Tiananmen Square massacre brought out both the best and the worst of humanity. The worst was demonstrated by the "People's Army" and its Communist Party bosses as they slaughtered innocent and peaceful protesters.

A famous AP photo captures a moment of supreme courage, as one of the students stood, unarmed and alone, in front of a column of tanks headed to the square. There are probably few photos ever taken which better demonstrate the idea of heroic resistance to evil than this photo of a lone student forcing a column of tanks to come to a halt.

We have a number of copies of a poster, suitable for framing, made out of this famous photo. The poster, measuring about 39 by 23 inches, includes this caption:

"One man, standing against madness, kindles anew the sparks of Freedom, and elevates the spirit of Man. How can we not stand with Him?"

This poster is available to those who contribute at the Member level ($25) plus $5 for shipping and handling.

Make your donation to get your copy of this poster

If you are contributing in order to receive the book or poster, make sure you fill out the address information on the contribution form.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.