The world libertarian movement for freedom has lost a great champion with the death earlier this week of Vincent Miller. In 1989 he co-founded the International Society for Individual Liberty www.isil.org which was the product of the merger of the Libertarian International and the Society for Individual Liberty. I was a member of both organizations and still believe that the merger was a mistake. The name Libertarian International was both a recognition of the importance historically of the Socialist and Communist Internationals as well as a challenge to them.
However, Miller and Jim Elwood who survives him performed a great service with ISIL and the Freedom’s Forum Bookstore in San Francisco which they kept there until seized by eminent domain in 1997. If I recall correctly, they were displaced to make way for a politically-connected leftwing gay organization. This is ironic as Miller, Elwood and Jim Peron, who managed the store, were all gay themselves.
I met Vince at least once when I attended the ISIL Conference in San Francisco which was addressed by Milton Friedman and libertarians from around the world. He was a gentleman who was hardworking and easy to get along with.
In recent months, Vince and ISIL took on a great task by acquiring Laissez Faire Books www.lfb.org. Vince Miller and Jim Elwood were planning to move ISIL and Laissez Faire Books to Phoenix where the many foreclosures have depressed rental and property prices.
Vince Miller’s devotion to the libertarian ideals of individual liberty, rationality, peace, justice, free trade, free minds, and free markets was a blessing to our world mired in oppression, injustice and war. I will miss him. -30-
Richard Cooper is a LIfe Member of the International Society for Individual www.isil.org. He is on the New York slate of electors for Bob Barr www.bobbarr2008.com, the Libertarian Party www.lp.org presidential candidate.