Our mission is to spread liberty throughout the land, one chapter at a time.
We seek to bring to life the libertarian traditions that are the foundation of the United States as expressed in its Constitution:
- Our members believe in the dignity of the individual and liberty and justice for all;
- Government plays a vital but limited role to protect the life, liberty and property of the people so that each of us may be free to pursue our happiness as we see fit;
- The spontaneous order of the marketplace made possible by the rule of law shall be the central organizing principle of economic life;
- Voluntary organizations – freely joined, freely supported, and self governing – can, over time, displace government as the bulwark by which individuals choose to protect themselves against the vicissitudes of life and to take care of the less fortunate in their community.
The activities of this Community of Liberty will be designed to show why choosing liberty is the best choice we can make for our selves, our families, and our communities. Our shorter-term objectives are appropriately modest. But, our vision is bold: to shift the drift of the great American experiment of a free people ruling themselves in the direction of increasing the liberty of the individual and reducing — over time — the power, burden, and intrusion of the State in our lives.
We, as individual human beings endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, hereby choose to declare a Community of Liberty open to all who will embrace this charter and abide by its Principles.
As an organization within a society, it is right that we declare our purpose for all to see and to invite like-minded men and women to join.
1. We acknowledge that we live in a community; that although we are autonomous beings, we also live in a web of interdependence with other human beings.
2. We hold that all humans are created equal and should be treated equally under the law and within our community.
3. We recognize that government is only one among many institutions of a community and, like all institutions, is an agent of the people. We hold that humans create governments as reflected in the Constitution of the United States of America in order to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, and to secure the blessings of life, liberty and property for those who live under its power.
4. We recognize that the judicious use of the government’s coercive power is essential to liberty. However, this power also gives government and those that control it the ability to impose their will, and thereby deny the very liberty governments were created to secure. The will of the majority does not legitimize tyranny nor can it justify the loss of liberty.
5. We embrace specifically those Amendments to the Constitution of the United States that enhance and protect our liberty, including the first Ten Amendments (the Bill of Rights), and the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th Amendments.
6. We hold that the right to own property is fundamental to liberty and that first and foremost, each human being owns himself and the product of his or her work. The institution of slavery was, is, and will always be an abomination of the most sacred property right of all.
7. We hold that the freedom to engage in economic activity through voluntary, mutually beneficial exchanges is the primary means by which we, as individuals living in a community, contribute to others even as we take care of our selves and our families. The freedom to engage in economic activity is constitutive of a civil society and fundamental to our liberty.
8. We condemn acts of greed in all of its forms including theft, fraud, embezzlement, deceit and the use of the coercive power of government to gain undue advantage.
9. We commit ourselves to tolerate the activities of others, whether they meet with our approval or disapproval, as long as these activities do not interfere with our right to life, liberty or property. We expect the same in return.
10. We commit to producing a more compassionate society — with freedom and justice for all — through the actions of individuals and voluntary organizations. Further, we commit to create new institutions and to strengthen existing institutions that expand the sphere of private activities and thereby reduce the purview and power of government in our day-to-day lives.
11. We recognize that liberty is a choice. We acknowledge that to live in liberty requires that we accept that no one, no group, and no government can guarantee our well-being. We encourage and embrace voluntary organizations that help us cope with the vicissitudes of life.
The Principles of Community of Liberty
1. We respect the dignity of the individual. We support the liberty of all human beings and their right to lead their lives as they choose, as long as they do not interfere with the liberty of others.
2. We respect the sanctity and preciousness of life.
3. We accept responsibility for the choices we make in our lives.
4. We commit to being trustworthy in all of our actions and deeds – our word is our bond.
5. We, as individuals, take responsibility for the well-being of our community through our businesses, personal service, voluntary organizations, and philanthropic activities.
6. We commit to the teaching, support, and constant reinforcement of the habits and virtues of liberty essential to its preservation.
7. We respect the creative power within every human being and the enterprise that brings forth innovations in all aspects of human activity including the arts, sciences, business, sports and philanthropy.
8. We commit to increasing our liberty and the liberty of the community in which we live.
9. We commit to conduct our lives in a manner that supports, strengthens and expands the Community of Liberty.
10. We commit to take care of:
a. Ourselves,
b. Our Families,
c. Our Customers and,
d. Our Communities.
