I was surprised and saddened to learn yesterday that Harry Browne passed away on March 1st at the age of 72.
Mr. Browne was the only presidential candidate I've actually met and spoken with in person, and the only one I ever felt really good about voting for -- twice!
I remember that first vote well: The 1996 presidential election was approaching fast. I couldn't vote for Clinton (made that mistake once already)... or Dole... or even Perot. Yet, as always, I was determined to exercise my right to vote (there's nothing that makes me crazier than the fact that 50% of eligible U.S. voters don't even bother.)
It was perhaps a week before Election Day, and I was idly flipping through the cable channels on TV. On C-SPAN, a distinguished looking grey-haired gentleman in a three piece business suit was giving a speech. Ho-hum. I was about to change the channel when I heard him proclaim that "we must end this insane War on Drugs!" Huh? Next thing I knew, he was calmly and confidently calling for the income tax to be abolished. The text at the bottom of the screen identified the speaker as Harry Browne, 1996 Libertarian Party candidate for president. As I continued to listen to his speech, I agreed with about 80% of what he said, and at least respected the other 20% on principle. Here was somebody I actually wanted to vote for. Pulling the lever for Harry Browne felt great.
The next day, I had no regrets, and suffered no "wasted vote syndrome" (even though I had to look way in the back of the newspaper to find my candidate's vote total.) I also decided to seek out more information about the Libertarian Party and Mr. Browne. I read somewhere that he had written a book in the 1970s called How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World. Amazingly, they had a copy of it at the Anchorage Public Library, but I was skeptical because it was shelved in the same section as all of those unbearable "self help" books.
Article comments
1 - RJ Elliott
Good post. RIP, Harry...
2 - Rob Batten
What an excellent remembrance of a fine man and one of the people I admired most in the world.
May Harry Browne rest in peace, and may his example of a life lived well continue to guide those who seek freedom.
3 - Bruce Joyner
Goodbye Harry Browne...I never met you but feel like i did...No politician has ever made me feel like the good guys i thought they should be...But you did that easily..you were a gentle caring,understanding politician,who was for doing the right thing and for the people first.In this
time we are in we need you Harry..more than ever..
sleep well...sir.
4 - Stephen V Funk
I'm flattered and humbled that this post has been chosen as a Blogcritic's Editors' Pick of the Week for March 1-7, and that a link to this article is included among several tributes to Mr. Browne posted on http://www.harrybrowne.org/.
I'm honored to be in such illustrious company and to have helped memorialize a great man.
5 - Mike Quick
I was wondering if anyone knows where you can watch archives of the "this week in liberty" show, since the harrybrowne.org site is no longer functioning. I hope theyre out there, good stuff