I Won’t Say Goodbye

Special to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

On Saturday, July 2, 2022, several dear friends joined us in Spring Park in Fort Collins, Colorado to reminisce about the life and legacy of L. Neil Smith.

It was a small and quiet gathering with laughter and affection for one another and for the man who, although no longer in our presence, nevertheless remains in our thoughts, our hearts, and our minds. Thanks to the people who made it to the picnic: Charles, Ken, Neil, Ray, Joe, Cynthia, Linda & Ray, Milt & Suzie, Valorie & Joe, Janet & Mike, Nolan, Sonia, and Shane. It was wonderful to see you and talk with you. We will try to make more opportunities for future get-togethers.

Neil spent his life tirelessly educating those could and would listen about the dangers of collectivism in all its ugly and destructive forms, from conscription (robbing human beings of control of their very existence), to gun control (robbing human beings of their inherent right as human beings to defend their lives, liberty, and property), to public education (robbing human beings of their right to engage with those whose values they share to guide and teach their children), to taxation (robbing human beings of their wealth in the name of anyone and everyone who is not them), and many other transgressions. He did so, primarily, through his fiction—science fiction—and his love of freedom and the free and courageous characters he brought to life.

Delightfully, he often did so in the presence of those who couldn’t and wouldn’t listen, much to their distress and others’ amusement. And I believe he was correct to do so. He understood that there may be a time for conciliation and reconciliation, but right now he believed, and I believe, we find ourselves in a time of need for the most brutally honest conversations we can foment.

So, in Neil’s memory, I challenge the readers of this publication to help us expand our reach. To engage with those who, while they might have thought us too radical a mere year or two ago, have watched their country, its history, and its language being dismantled, dissolved, and debased around us. The moral, ethical, and factual inversions we are witnessing must be called out and challenged, publicly and vehemently.

Until recently there was always some publicly acceptable, helpless, desperate beneficiary, but by now it must have become apparent to all but the most unobservant among us that the real beneficiaries of these policies and plunders are the self-anointed rulers, those always just beyond the reach of our voices and our votes. I challenge you to help us “reach” them.

How?

• Write for this publication and share what you write.
• Run for local office and write for us.
• Volunteer to monitor elections and write for this publication. (And if you’re disallowed, document, document, document, and write for us.)
• Help us land some interviews with the awakening.
• Review your favorite media (TV, radio, movie) for this publication.
• Read and write book reviews for publication (and we’ll bring those reviews to the attention of the authors).
• Neil was the optimist, and I miss that. I’m dedicated to my role of cheerful warrior. Whatever role you see for yourself, embrace it and let’s move forward together, here and globally (because it’s apparent we’re not the only culture under attack).

Here are some suggestions for pro-freedom interviews (If you can arrange an interview with someone on this list let me know before you proceed):

• Douglas Murray
• Carl Benjamin (aka Sargon of Akkad)
• JP Sears (Awaken with JP)
• Russell Brand
• Naomi Wolf
• Glenn Greenwald
• Andy Ngo
• Tucker Carlson
• Zuby
• Greg Gutfeld
• Scott Pressler
• Brandon Straka
• Candace Owen
• Sydney Watson
• Avi Yemini
• Really Graceful
• Jeffrey Tucker
• Stefan Molyneux
• Terrance Williams
• On the other hand, what about interviewing some oil executives (or some oil rig workers)?
• How about interviewing some unemployed health care workers?

Think about topics and potential speakers for an Activate Liberty conference and share them.

Most importantly, don’t stop advocating for freedom, here, there, and everywhere. Now and always.

If you’re interested in helping to organize an annual or biannual conference in Neil’s memory, please contact me.