A Bittersweet Week for Being Libertarian – The Chief’s Thoughts

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This week started with absolutely tragic news for the team of Being Libertarian.

The newest addition to our writing team, Luke Garrison, sadly passed away on Sunday, 27 August 2017, only days before his wedding day, and only a week after he started law school in Seattle. When I first reached out to Luke in May to join Being Libertarian as a contributor, he was excited to get involved. His passing shocked all of us, as Luke was still posting – in his natural, always-happy fashion – on his Facebook wall on Sunday, and I know that it is going to take me a while to get over it. Luke was on the shortlist for our next recruitment wave for editors and I know he was the kind of person who would have been with us for the long-haul.

But Being Libertarian‘s loss will never compare with that of his fiance and young daughter, who have lost a man devoted to his family, and, as the tributes on his wall indicate, a man dedicated to bringing light and happiness into the lives of those around him. As a Christian, I am however content in the knowledge that Luke will always be with them, and will always be with us. Read Brandon Kirby’s thoughtful tribute to Luke.

Please consider making a donation to Luke’s family.

Today also happens to be my 23rd birthday, and the day Being Libertarian‘s Facebook page passed the milestone of gaining 500,000 likes on Facebook.

I joined Being Libertarian in late 2015, right before our ‘official’ launch and the start of the process to professionalize into a legitimate company dedicated to being the community hub of international libertarianism. With all the smack-talk against big-tent libertarianism, we stand unfazed as a proud big-tent outlet, providing a platform to libertarians of all stripes to express themselves and engage in the international liberty movement. Whereas other publications have honed in on their particular niches of libertarianism, and takes corporate views on specific issues, Being Libertarian has positioned itself as a platform, not a voice. Rather than using Being Libertarian as the voice, our editors, our columnists, our contributors, and crucially, our guest contributors, speak for themselves.

When I joined, if I remember correctly, Being Libertarian had just under 14,000 likes on Facebook, we had no multimedia unit, and articles were being published unedited. Today, Being Libertarian LLC is an incorporated company, our Multimedia Division has interviewed a-list libertarians from across the world, we have an up-and-coming merchandise unit, and Being Libertarian has an Editorial Board of dedicated volunteer editors. With a worldwide following, our future looks hopeful, and we look forward to experiencing it with our followers.

This has been a bittersweet week for me personally and for our entire team. In our time of celebration and optimism for the future, our thoughts and prayers are with Luke’s family and friends who celebrate the short life of a great man and mourn his passing.

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Martin van Staden is the Editor in Chief of Being Libertarian, Rational Standard, and Champion Books. He has a law degree from the University of Pretoria. His articles represent his own views and beliefs, and not that of any of the organizations he is involved with.

5 COMMENTS

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