News from the Network, Vol. 4, No. 17

This has, as usual, been a busy week, what with meetings, discussions, conversations, conferences, and not-so-idle chatter. Obviously, we do a lot of talking. Unlike most movements, however, in which it seems as if you schedule meetings to determine what the next meeting should be about, we actually get things accomplished (such as figuring out ways to get door openers to open doors) — or there would be no sense in having the meeting. Occasionally, of course, we get other things done, as well:

• As a result of the previous week's meeting with Mr. Reese Neader, Policy Director with the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network, the RICN has asked to be added as an organizational sponsor for the Coalition for Capital Homesteading, for which it has already indicated "strong support."

• As you know from reading the daily postings, we had a lively discussion this past week on money. We finally realized something that we've known for some time: that the Just Third Way uses a fundamentally different definition of money than most people: anything that can be used to settle a debt. This makes communication difficult at times as we are really speaking two different "languages."

• Pollant Mpofu in the U.K. has been reaching out not only locally (meaning London), but also to South Africa and Nigeria. He sponsored a gathering in London at which around 150 people showed up, a number being from the London School of Economics, which those who adhere to Banking School principles (i.e., money is anything that can be used to settle a debt, Say's Law of Markets, and the real bills doctrine) might be tempted to view as "the belly of the Beast." It might not be so beastly, after all, if so many showed up to hear a talk on the Just Third Way and afterwards enquired where they might be able to obtain copies of Capital Homesteading for Every Citizen (answer: it's on Amazon, U.K.), things can't be that bad.

• Not that we can match Pollant's energy, but we have been making outreach efforts to a number of domestic U.S. politicians. The recess around Easter, however, seems to have slowed responses. We're hoping things pick up next week.

• Today CESJ had a strategic planning meeting to follow up on the rally at the Federal Reserve and CESJ's own celebration. Effective door opening was the focus, with a great deal of lively discussion.

• Michael D. Greaney has submitted his qualifications to become a "credentialed expert" on the Helium Writers' Cooperative, opening up another venue for presenting information about the Just Third Way.

• Plans are afoot to revise Capital Homesteading for Every Citizen, as some of the facts and figures have become a little dated.

• As of this morning, we have had visitors from 48 different countries and 48 states and provinces in the United States and Canada to this blog over the past two months. Most visitors are from the United States, Canada, the UK, India, and Australia. People in Kenya, Belgium, Ireland, Nepal, and Germany spent the most average time on the blog. The most popular posting this past week was once again "Thomas Hobbes on Private Property," followed by "Aristotle on Private Property," "Was the Federal Reserve a Conspiracy?" "Why Own the Fed Not End the Fed?" and Part I of "The Slavery of Past Savings."

Those are the happenings for this week, at least that we know about. If you have an accomplishment that you think should be listed, send us a note about it at mgreaney [at] cesj [dot] org, and we'll see that it gets into the next "issue." If you have a short (250-400 word) comment on a specific posting, please enter your comments in the blog — do not send them to us to post for you. All comments are moderated anyway, so we'll see it before it goes up.

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