HIGHLAND — It’s clear, just from the words he uses, that the line has been drawn in the sand.

This is a battle. A fight. This is the government versus the businessman. And while Claud “Rick” Koerber, 36, thinks it’s quite a compelling story, he said it would be more interesting if this conflict weren’t also his life.

Though he has been accused by the government of running a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors of $100 million, Koerber is undeterred. He’s not repentant because he says he’s not guilty. He believes in the money he made and the company he built. He intends to fight the battle and emerge victorious.

“The rules of the justice system are that you can fight,” he said. “It’s the fundamental thing that makes a free society more attractive. Just because the government accuses you, it doesn’t mean it’s true. I’m proud of my business. I’m proud of what we did. I think that what we did was amazing.”

>>>Read the Full Article at the Deseret News

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• Help us get the word out about the new radio show.  Lets get as many people listening as possible.
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• Help spread the word about the Project by inviting folks you know to take the Free Capitalist Pledge.  This is a way for them to begin the Pledge Quest which puts them in touch with the Project, gives them a Free Capitalist Primer eBook, and helps them understand the mission and vision of the Project.
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• Email me your questions – for the “Ask a Capitalist” section of the new radio show.  Any question where you’re looking for a “capitalist minded” response will due, there are no sacred cows.
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• Also, are you on Twitter?  You can follow me personally and I’m always looking for interesting, active folks to follow there.

© Copyright 2010 FreeCapitalist Project

Beginning Thursday February 5, 2009 the Project hosted its first monthly 3-day event at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in downtown Salt Lake City.  The Thursday night public portion of the event was well attended and included a dinner banquet and several guest speakers including independent activist Thomas D. Dyches and Chuck Warren, a partner in Silver Bullet Communications, LLC and President of Bully Pulpit, Inc.  Thomas spoke about his personal motivation in the cause of liberty and Chuck addressed the topic of secret ballots and the SOSBallot.org effort.

Recognition awards were given to Jason Vaughn, Matt Wren, Adam Record, Thomas Broome, Tristan Crookston.

The Friday “all day intensive seminar” portion of the event was hosted at the Salt Lake City Hilton.   The Saturdray Round Table was hosted by the Project at the Alpine Mansion.  Photos of the event have been published to the Facebook, FreeCapitalist online community pages.

On January 20, 2009 the Project formally launched the Producer Revolution™ as its official Personal Development & Leadership Initiative, complimenting the Project’s already established initiatives.

Membership in the Producer Revolution is offered to already participating members of the Project who have an above average interest in living an extraordinary and prosperous life, in transcending the Consumer Condition™ of fear and scarcity, and in more diligently helping to advance the cause of all FreeCapitalists.

While all members of the Project support the premise that ‘fostering full economic freedom lies at the base of our liberties’, and the idea that ‘only in perpetuating economic freedom can our social, political and religious liberties be preserved’ the Producer Revolution provides an opportunity for the Project’s most deeply committed members to work at becoming united in the Producer Mindset™, and dedicated to becoming key contributors and extraordinary leaders in their families, communities, and the Project.

The Producer Revolution is a mindset; it’s a revolution in your personal frame-of-mind and your personal perspective on how you see the world.  It’s a paradigm shift and a transformation where you start to view your role in the world as a contributor rather than a taker. - Les McGuire

Membership in the Producer Revolution consists of five separate components— 1) FreeCapitalist Conferences, 2) The 13 Principles of Prosperity, 3) Prosperity Quest, 4) Producer Coaching, and 5) FreeCapitalist Leadership Opportunities.  >>> Learn More About the Producer Revolution

Atheists and the FreeCapitalist Pledge

Alpine, UT — The challenge of ushering forth a moral revolution that unites a broad spectrum of individuals who love liberty and who seek to complete the political achievement of the American Founders, includes within it, the task of uniting people from different walks of life.  FreeCapitalist members come from different social, religious, political and intellectual backgrounds.  Since the FreeCapitalist Pledge is the fundamental standard of membership in the Project and the first deliberate act in uniting with the Revolution, it is a fair question that is raised from time-to-time, regarding our inclusion into the beginning of the Pledge, a portion of the well known statement by Benjamin Franklin offered at the Constitutional Convention in June of 1787 acknowledging that, “God governs in the affairs of men.”

Before addressing the issue specifically, it is worth noting that the challenge of uniting liberty loving men and women under a common banner has been an extremely difficult matter for generations.  While this matter alone is worthy of a much more thorough and lengthy disquisition on its own, for our present purposes it should be noted that the American Founders also faced this very real challenge.  Those who have ignored the fundamental truths at the heart of this issue, do so to the detriment of liberty, both generally and individually.

Question:   Does the FreeCapitalist Project welcome and encourage participation in the Project, by extending the full privileges of membership to all men and women regardless of their religious views, beliefs or affiliations?

Answer:      Yes.  The Project is not a religious organization and never does ask any member to declare their religious views or the lack thereof.

Question:      Doesn’t the inclusion of Franklin’s statement make the Pledge essentially a test or dividing mechanism that filters out atheists from membership in the Project?

Answer:      No.  But, it is a fair question.

The Pledge’s acknowledgment (similar to the first principle of the Thirteen Principles of Prosperity^TM in the Prosperity Prime^TM model-which declares that “God is the author of Prosperity”) is not intended to be a religious declaration.  It is instead the honest observation of rational men that the universe is not a happenstance existence, randomly held in its place, with chaos and mystical forces that explain men, their nature and their circumstance.

The position of the Project is that truth, which is the knowable, rational standard for all free men, is the great uniting force.  When I first wrote the Pledge, as a God-fearing Christian, I clearly explained that the inclusion of this portion of Franklin’s famous statement was meant to “appeal to the faithful men and women who love freedom, scattered across the Earth” and that it was not meant to exclude any group-religious or irreligious.

Recognizing the benefit of having the Project’s membership being composed of a wide variety of men and opinions, the Pledge was modified early on to put Franklin’s statement in quotes-enabling two different, but mutually harmonious methods for interpreting the Pledge based upon the perspective of the person accepting and reciting it.

The first, and most obvious, interpretation of the Pledge is for the person accepting or making the Pledge to see themselves as joining with Franklin in making the very same statement themselves and thereby honoring God by free “acknowledging his hand in all things.”

However, there is a second, less obvious, but intentionally accommodated interpretation for those making the Pledge to see themselves as acknowledging the essential “truth” contained in Franklin’s utterance, namely that the universe and events that transpire in it, are not random acts subject to mystical forces, but instead are the results of rule, order, and intention and MAN through his own effort and the free application of his own mind can learn these laws, resist mysticism, reject force, and eschew the notion that life’s blessings come by chance.   In this manner, it is possible for anyone to make the Pledge and simply be acknowledging and/or agreeing to conform his own actions to the rule of reason and truth.  To deny this, Franklin warned, would be to ensure that,

“…our projects will be confounded and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages.  And, what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing government by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war, or conquest.”

Certainly those who join the Project, who also maintain a firm belief and trust in God, might wonder at making accommodations to those who do not share this same view.  At the same time, those who join the Project, who do not believe or trust in God, might wonder at making any such acknowledgment at all.  But the Pledge, as with the pattern set by the Founders in their day, is a strong foundation for precisely the reason that both perspectives are provided for and protected.

Consider the Declaration of Independence, which in plain language affirms that the Founders were right to assume the “separate and equal station” to which “the Law of Nature and Nature’s God entitle them” and further on declares that men are “endowed” with “unalienable rights” by their Creator.

Just as men and women of all different religious persuasions and convictions intentionally find ways to unite with those who have no belief in God in supporting the principles contained in the Declaration, without choosing to finding cause for division and disunity because of language or expression-so too does the Project invite men and women of differing views to accept and make the Pledge (from either of the two interpretive vantage points described above) and unite with us on the common ground of ushering forth the moral revolution to complete the work of the Founders.

Question:      Doesn’t the very act of mentioning God in the Pledge create a needless controversy and impediment to the growth and success of the Project and its mission?  Why not just leave out the acknowledgment altogether?

Answer:      No.  America, and the cause of liberty more generally, is suffering from the lack of moral courage resulting from the collectivist, tribal premise, that men should sacrifice their values “for the sake” of the tribe.  This kind of sacrifice, of course, is absurd.

While men can rightly be called upon by any group our cause they espouse to support-to “sacrifice” their whims, fancies, and irrational or subjective priorities (and this is not to make light of the contribution made by such actual “sacrifices”) any movement or cause that suggests that the “moral” or “just” contribution of members should come at the expense of one’s own personal, rational and deliberately held values-will sooner or later enslave its members, devour all semblances of liberty and life, and ultimately, unquestionably, perish along with its victims under the weight of this soul destroying, diabolical premise of self-loathing antagonism.

It is only moral cowardice or depravity for anyone in the Project to ask a self proclaimed agnostic or atheist to “value” something of importance to the “tribe” though it requires a sacrifice of his or her own intentionally held values.  An atheist, agnostic, or deist may, for some reason, have discovered no reason for acknowledging the existence or involvement of God in the Project.

Similarly, it is only this same moral cowardice or depravity that motivates anyone in the Project, claiming to share the values of freedom, liberty, prosperity and peace, to ask a God-fearing man or women in the Project to “sacrifice” his values (in this case the acknowledgment of Divine Providence) for the sake of avoiding controversy and therefore the “benefit of the whole community” of FreeCapitalists.

Therefore, legitimizing an interpretation of the Pledge that allows for honest and candid differences to be set-aside, while at the same time providing a common context or framework for citizens with differing judgments regarding God’s existence and/or his involvement in the Project, enables the Project to create the conditions for unity without the revolution, without requiring a sacrifice of values on the part of any member of the Project.

This pattern is the very method established by the Founders, in their generation, for sewing the seeds of certain triumph on the part of a broad, politically, socially and religiously diverse coalition of free citizens united in revolution for the universal cause of liberty.

Ideas have consequences, and our lives are a constant reflection of the ideas we choose to embrace and those we choose to ignore or dismiss.

Sincerely,

C. Rick Koerber
President & Executive Director
The FreeCapitalist Project^TM
CEO, Producer Revolution™
1220 L Street NW Suite 100-207
Washington, DC 20005
Email: rkoerber@freecapitalist.com

<<<Join the FreeCapitalist Project “Group” page on Facebook>>>
<<<Join the FreeCapitalist Project “Cause” on Facebook>>>

On Facebook anyone can register for free, build their own profile and share information selectively with groups of friends, private networks and social groups.  Facebook also allows its 100M+ users to create special interest groups, fan pages, online cause recruiting pages and to search out like minded individuals.  On the Facebook platform, individuals from all across the globe are free to befriend each other and interact in ways that range from purely social to business and politics.

A snapshot of the FreeCapitalist "Group" page on Facebook.

All members of the FreeCapitalist Council now have their own Facebook profiles, and the Project has its own Group Page and Cause Page.  These pages are also now integrated into the Project’s Pledge Quest™ and Prosperity Quest™ programs.

“We’ve had so much interaction over Facebook with like-minded individuals who might otherwise never have found out about the Project or been enabled to associate with us, that we are extremely excited about the potential for using Facebook as our community building tool on the Internet.  We have big plans for our involvement with the Facebook Community, but right now we are taking it a step at a time.  We hope that all FreeCapitalist minded individuals will join us on Facebook, send each member of the FreeCapitalist Council a friend request, join the FreeCapitalist Group and join the FreeCapitalist Cause.”  – C.  Rick Koerber

A snapshot of the FCP "Cause" page when it only had 500+ members

The Project encourages former users of the FreeCapitalist Community site to participate on Facebook, especially on the FCP Group discussion boards.

The Project is now coordinating its event schedules, its courses offered through AFU, RSVP invitations, and member communication through Facebook.  Local FreeCapitalist Forums are also maintaining private groups on Facebook so if you’d like to be invited to your local Forum’s page on Facebook – you can drop the appropriate FCC member a message from the FCP Group page.

<<<Join the FreeCapitalist Project “Group” page on Facebook>>>
<<<Join the FreeCapitalist Project “Cause” on Facebook>>>

As many who regularly follow the Project are aware, FreeCapitalist Radio host C. Rick Koerber has been battling health issues over the last several months.  Following a short hospital visit during the week of August 31, Rick anticipates a return to regular live broadcasts of FreeCapitalist Radio.  The show will follow a new format, will have a new slate of guests and will also begin two new regular features.

The first new feature will be a daily segment called “Free Citizens” vs. ” The Commissars.” This segment will be dedicated to highlighting abusive behavior by government officials and calling on listeners to take action to improve their communities by holding these commissars to account.  You can be sure there will be plenty of talk about the State of Utah, queen commissar Francine Giani and freedom henchman Michael Hines in the days ahead.

The second new feature will be a daily segment called “Ask Rick” or “Ask the FreeCapitalist.” This segment will be open to questions of all varieties.  If you have a question related to politics, public policy, economics, personal finance, real estate, investing, business or even a personal question for Rick regarding his principles or the Project itself – you can send your question to radio@freecapitalist.com if you want it considered for each days show.

You won’t want to miss it.  If you are interested in hearing the show via AM radio check the ARN website to identify a station nearest you.  If you do not find a station in your community, contact your local talk station—it takes them less than $300 to begin airing FreeCapitalist Radio.

Also, the new live broadcasts will also be streamed over the web at freecapitalist.com and via iTunes.  The podcasts will also be updated.

Regular listerns might also be interested in learning that a new iPhone application called “Tuner” is now available for $5.99 which includes FreeCapitalist Radio in its top 500 and in its #11 listed show in the talk radio genre.  Download it now and get FreeCapitalist Radio 24×7 on your iPhone anywhere in the world.

On August 21-23, 2008 at the FCP Alpine Mansion the FreeCapitalist Project, in conjunction with American Founders University, held the first ever Prosperity Prime™ event.  The three day event was a first in many ways.

First, the tuition for the event was not set in advance.  Instead, interested participants bid during the previous week, any amount starting at $1, to attend.  The top 12 bidders were invited with a guest to attend the training.

“I didn’t really know how it would turn out.  I was optimistic, and I thought it would create some excitement to open the doors up this way.  I was surprised at both the high and low bid amounts.  The event was fantastic, we’ll definitely do it again.” – C. Rick Koerber, FCC Chairman

The high bid turned out to in the “tens of thousands” of dollars range, while the #12 bid was less than $1,000.  This enabled a unique group of participants to attend.

Another first was the curriculum.  Beginning Thursday night and continuing all day Friday (8am to 10pm) and all day Saturday (8am to 8pm – it went a few hours beyond the allotted schedule) the material covered was the entire Prosperity Prime™ model from the 13 Principles all the way up.

In addition to the new format, the new bidding, and the new group of “12 most interested” individuals a few other firsts were happening at the event as well.  The event included a social event on Friday night where participants played the very fun, but also challenging US IQ game developed by the late Dr. W. Cleon Skousen.  Jewel Skousen with the assistance of several other FCC members hosted the social event, and it was a very fun evening.

Feedback on the event has been exceptional.  One new student commented—

These last few days have challenged [my] belief and have allowed me the opportunity to hope for a happier and more prosperous life.

One student who has been attending my events for the last five years remarked—

I’ve been completely overwhelmed tonight by the weekend. I can’t imagine how you feel. Wow! This is incredible stuff. I am completely exhausted but totally exhilarated about the future. Wow!

Another participant who attended the entire event remarked—

For both my wife and I the event was fantastic.  I can’t explain how I felt before coming, but I had my reservations.  I had been dealing with criticism of my own, and was curious what you might be teaching that was worth three days.  I bid, not thinking that I would be in the top 12.  When my wife and I received the invitation that meant we were in the top 12 and that we would be attending I was excited by still reserved.  I have two college degrees and have considered myself a good student since high school.  But, I was not prepared for the substance and depth of all you taught.  It is obvious to me that there is much more to the Prosperity Prime model, but I took pages and pages of notes.  I also liked the interaction with the group.  The round-table atmosphere made it a more intimate experience, and I enjoyed the time you took for questions and the acknowledgments others received for their comments.  I would have paid double for the event if I would have had any idea before hand what we would experience.  The association with the people there was worth all we paid.  Thanks and we are on board, we are 100% with you and the FreeCapitalists.

The Project is currently in the processing of scheduling the next Prosperity Prime™ event.  The schedule will be announced on freecapitalist.com and on Facebook.