1233034316:::Tom Rowland:::trowland08@gmail.com::::::Gina -- I sat here for a good five minutes trying to find the words that would let you know what this meant to me this morning.  Liberty is so simple really that it can be held in a glass of Madeira and the word "salut" said of an evening when you know you are free to do so. Or held high in rebellion against those who would force you to fight for the right to sit in that tavern again.  Here are the words: Thank you. Salut.
1233039413:::Rational Jenn:::rationaljenn@gmail.com:::http://rationaljenn.blogspot.com:::I loved this post.  Thank you!  I have a few Ayn Rand-inspired stickers on my car, and receive more compliments about them than I ever imagined I would.  It's very heartening.  I wrote last summer about my Ayn Rand Starbucks card and the quick conversation I had with a barista at Starbucks about Ayn Rand (we've since had several more bonding moments in the drive-thru!).  Sometimes it's enough to know that the flame is alive somewhere else, too.  
1233042880:::Daniel::::::http://thenearbypen.blogspot.com:::<BR>I think Ayn Rand herself thought of two that are great to use--when greeting people she would ask "How's your universe?" and when departing she would say "Best premises!" Because of their uniqueness and their history, they have the same sort of "inside" quality as the question you use has, but there meaning is wide enough as to include everyone. What's more they lead conversations right into the sort of fundamental changes that we want to make. I will blog about this in the future...great topic!
1233043560:::Zip:::martinandreasgasser@hotmail.com:::http://uncommonsensecanada.blogspot.com/:::The first thing I thought of was raw milk...  <BR>But that's illegal in Canada. :-(<BR><a href="http://uncommonsensecanada.blogspot.com/2009/01/government-versus-moo-fia.html" target="_blank">http://uncommonsensecanada.blogspot.com/2009/01/government-versus-m ...</a><BR><BR>Cheers anyway.
1233044470:::brian0918:::my handle, through gmail::::::I've been thinking about doing something like the Where's George campaign. They stamp "Where's George" on dollar bills, along with a web address to track dollar bill transmission by the serial number. We could put something pointed on dollar bills, possibly referring to fiat currency, or maybe just the always-useful "Who is John Galt", with a link to a website.
1233047844:::KPO'M:::ka84796@comcast.net::::::What about absinthe?
1233048205:::Thomas Shoebotham:::celloshoe@yahoo.com::::::This just makes me want to try Madeira now.  I'm a wine fan, and I can't say I've ever had any of this before.
1233050036:::Richard:::::::::In a similar but somewhat different sense, Paul McKeever wrote about bottled water.  It's explicitly commercial, convenient, and disposable.  Pretty much everything hated by the socialist types (because it's a "public" commodity being treated for profit), and environmentally it's a sin as well.
1233058440:::Anony:::::::::Marijuana. You can't drink it, but if you're taking a puff you're actively working against laws and a government that completely disrespects your right to your own life. It's legal history during the last century is nothing short of a demonstration of collectivist (read racist) policy and what happens when the government gets in bed with business (looking at Dupont). And the result of all thisâ€"the largest per-capita prison population existing in the land of the free!
1233062638:::Ted Coxhead:::tedcoxhead@yahoo.co.uk::::::Anony (may I call you An - it helps to distinguish you from all the other Anonymous ones?)<BR><BR>I would have asked you what you are smoking, but I guess it's obvious.
1233064363:::Sajid:::::::::I like the raw milk idea the best.  Milk signifies health which is a virtue and drinking it in disobedience signifies going against the system in favor of a healthier system (which is also the opposite of what smoking marijuana would signify).  However, is civil disobedience even the correct method to fight for a more Objectivist society?  Civil disobedience works best against tyranny, especially the abuse of power kind like the British empire.  However, this battle is rather different as power is being abused not for the good of the empire, but rather for (supposedly) our own good.  I have to say Marijuana is quite a nice symbol for saying "What I do to my body is my business alone".  No wonder lots of adolescents use it (or sex) as a form of rebellion against their parents.  But needless to say this creates a pernicious dichotomy--government's way and virtue or my way and vice.  This is why I really like the milk idea but it still just doesn't "feel" right.  I guess drinking milk and a "fuck you" mentality just don't go well together.  Perhaps we don't really need a symbol (yet, at least), since symbols are useful to convey secrets and there is absolutely no need right now to keep the fact that you are an Objectivist a secret.  So a simple "Objectivist and proud" sticker might suffice.  <BR><BR>I guess the ultimate rebellion symbol would be something that is a really "high" (for lack of a better word) pleasure but at the same time hurts the government if you indulge in it.  In a totalitarian state this would of course be any fine art or fine wine.  The fact that in our present society today it is so hard to come up with such a pleasure just goes to show how far society has advanced.  <BR><BR>I also have to add that I am not really a big "rebellion" fan.  I personally feel the way forward (in American society at least) is to work within the system for change rather than against it.  Thus symbols for the American revolution (which stood for a whole new system, not change in the existing system) may not apply to the Objectivist movement and one my have to look for inspiration elsewhere.
1233064570:::William H Stoddard:::whswhs@mindspring.com:::http://whswhs.livejournal.com/profile:::Gina,<BR><BR>F. Paul Wilson's science fiction short story "Lipidlegger" has a certain relevance here, with its hero smuggling prohibited butter and eggs to city dwellers. Though happily, it's still science fiction at this point.
1233066872:::Jim May:::Seerak@gmail.com::::::Regarding the "Who is John Galt" symbol of rebellion, I've been seeing that question pop up in blog and forum comments over the last few months, much more than before.<BR><BR>Though not a "rebellion" per se, one thing I have that serves as a sort of "salute" to like-minded individuals is a "Rearden Steel" T-shirt (from the former venture capital firm).  It goes over the heads of enemies or critics, as AR's critics overwhelmingly are unfamiliar with her actual words and ideas.  Those who *have* read it, recognize the reference and comment on it.  I would suggest that references to parts of AR's works that go over non-reader's heads in this fashion work very well as a "signal".<BR><BR>In "Atlas Shrugged" itself, the symbol was the dollar sign cigarettes, but that doesn't work for myself, as smoking has a very strong association with second-handedness in my mind, especially with regards to teenagers.<BR><BR>Sajid: I don't think that the "rebellion" being discussed here is meant as part of our actual fight, but more as a signal and reaffirmation to ourselves and others of our commitment to that fight.  The Madiera was not actually illegal, remember -- it was simply a loophole in the law.  Americas made a point of exercising their right to drink it tax-free versus any British drink, as a signal that they would not relinquish that freedom lightly.<BR><BR>Today, a similar act might be to apply for and use a license to carry a handgun (CCW).  I don't think that works as a symbol however, by definition :)  <BR><BR>I suggest that many of the old symbols would work now; the "Don't Tread on Me!" flag works for me, as it carries a self-assertive egoistic connotation.
1233081021:::Ken:::khall39@yahoo.com::::::I like Rearden Steel as an insiders' signal (although I'm not an Objectivist per se and I don't go much for esotericism, so that gives me pause). The Gadsden is a good idea too. If one must try something else, though, how does "up the rebels" sit wi' ye?<BR><BR>Open carry of firearms, where not malum prohibitum, is a nice cranky symbol too.
1233088530:::Joe:::::::::I just put a sticker on the back window of my vehicle that says "Vote NO on Directive 10-289".  I can hardly wait to see how long it takes for someone to comment on it (especially if they "get it").  I think it's especially relevant these days, with the new administration moving ahead at full speed on the bailouts, etc.
1233092509:::Taylor O:::taylor.oneal@gmail.com::::::I second Mr. Shoebatham's thought.  I'm all about trying this Madeira.<BR><a href="http://www.wine.com/V6/Broadbent-Rainwater-Madeira/wine/1471/detail.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.wine.com/V6/Broadbent-Rainwater-Madeira/wine/1471/detail.aspx</a>
1233093063:::Andrew Baker:::::::::Keeping with another theme of this blog, heavy meat eating would me another method to rebuff patriarchic government and environmentalists.  It is very easy to find environmentalist articles crying about how much energy is used making meat products compared to grains and other plants with the implication that is bad.  And the government supports in subsidies and promotion of foul foods as being beneficial to you.  It is rebelling against their attitude that they can prescribe a proper way of living.
1233108085:::Ted Coxhead:::tedcoxhead@yahoo.co.uk::::::Gina: "I wonder if in some small way what I felt was the same kind of pride a colonist felt when he ordered Madeira in a bar full of British soldiers."<BR><BR>The symbolism of the story is great and truly inspiring. I think, though, that it would have been a very brave patriot who dared order a Madeira in a bar full of British soldiers. Not because the Brits would have got the political message, but because Madeira, being incredibly sweet, is almost exclusively a dessert wine. It is very popular in England with chocolate desserts. You certainly can't drink it by the pint! In today's world, imagine trying to look tough in a bar full of sailors as you order your Country Club Cooler (go easy on the French Vermouth, bartender. Yeah, 3 lumps of ice and be sure to shake it).<BR><BR>A variety of Madeira called malmsey (also from Malvasia grape) is even sweeter and may have made a better political point since it was allegedly used to murder the Duke of Clarence on February 18 1478. He was reputed to have been drowned in a butt of malmsey. But you would have to be crazy brave to order that in a water-front bar!<BR><BR>Malmsey and Madeira are still widely available in England, even in some supermarkets.
1233115935:::IMS:::jaguh@mail.com:::http://free-inventory-management-software.blogspot.com/:::nice share.. thanks ..
1233123261:::GinaLiggettt:::GLiggett@comcast.net::::::Great ideas, everybody. I especially liked Joe's bumper sticker, "Vote No on Directive 10-289." Ted, Malmsey was supposedly the favorite of Adams and Franklin, according to what I learned in my wine class! Cheers everyone! 
1233125458:::Zip:::martinandreasgasser@hotmail.com:::http://uncommonsensecanada.blogspot.com/:::I have tiled the sentence "Who is John Galt?" on my desktop at work in 2 inch letters.  I made the letters slightly off black and the background black so you really have to look to see it.
1233128529:::larry:::::::::I would go for utilizing some of Rand's more obscure comments relating to the evils of handicapped-accesible public buses (those really make me mad!!!). 
1233134488:::Monica Hughes:::monicabeth10@gmail.com:::http://fa-rm.org:::"It is very easy to find environmentalist articles crying about how much energy is used making meat products compared to grains and other plants with the implication that is bad."<BR><BR>Absolutely, Andrew.  And unfortunately, it's an argument all too many people are buying into or don't wish to think about.  It is technically true that more energy is lost in the production of animal products because the majority of the energy from the grains/grass they are eating are mostly lost as heat rather than retained as cow biomass.  However, people who eat mostly meat eat fewer calories, anyway, and much of the world's land isn't suited to grain production but is suited to range animal production.  And, of course, the people that buy into this never really think about soil fertility, either, and assume that somehow soil can remain fertile without animals.  It's absurd to anyone who really understands community ecology of agricultural systems.  <BR><BR>Oh, and isn't it funny how there was no methane problem when 60-100 million bison, twice as big as our national herd of 100 million cows, roamed the American plains?  <BR><BR>The goals of environmentalists, animal rights activists, and ag/biotech companies fit in perfectly with the nutritional dogma that has been spouted for the past 40 years -- more grains, more vegetable oils, and less meat.  All of these entities are either completely deluded or woefully corrupt.  (I leave the possibility that some biotech people are not corrupt but simply deluded by the completely wrongheaded nutritional dogma and simplistic environmentalist thinking of the past 50 years.  Same for the followers of the environmentalist and animals rights movements.)<BR><BR>The single greatest government intervention I fear is intervention in our food supply: because next they'll be coming after my steak, liver, and milk.  <BR><BR>Control the food, control the population.<BR><BR><a href="http://www.fa-rm.org/blog/2008/12/diet-for-unhealthy-planet.html" target="_blank">http://www.fa-rm.org/blog/2008/12/diet-for-unhealthy-planet.html</a><BR><BR><a href="http://www.fa-rm.org/blog/2008/12/epa-tyranny-cow-fart-tax-coming-your.html" target="_blank">http://www.fa-rm.org/blog/2008/12/epa-tyranny-cow-fart-tax-coming-y ...</a><BR><BR><a href="http://www.fa-rm.org/blog/2008/12/pondering-return-of-buffalo.html" target="_blank">http://www.fa-rm.org/blog/2008/12/pondering-return-of-buffalo.html</a>
1233137248:::Damon Peichl:::dpeichl@hotmail.com::::::I have been flying a Gadsden flag since last summer.  I'm not sure how good it is for starting conversations, but I feel like I'm protesting every time I see it waving there.  When it becomes unreadable, I'll replace it with another.
1233256145:::moe:::::::::I'm thinking of making a t-shirt or bumper-sticker of Francisco's line in Atlas about how it's not really that difficult to determine which stocks will appreciate in value.  <BR>Would be a nice rejoinder to all the anti-capitalist doom-sayers out there.
1233269037:::KPO'M:::ka84796@comcast.net::::::Moe, too bad for a lot of us that we don't have Francisco's stock-picking ability.  In the current environment, it's difficult to find people in business who both a) have good business acumen, and b) are true capitalists.  There are a lot more Orren Boyle's than Hank Rearden's out there.  
1242001699:::Melayu Boleh:::melayuu@mail.com:::http://melayubolehinfo.blogspot.com/:::nice share dude :0
1247580078:::Ebay Sale Tips:::ebayshop83@yahoo.com:::http://ebaysaletips.blogspot.com/:::Absolutely, Andrew. And unfortunately, it's an argument all too many people are buying into or don't wish to think about. It is technically true that more energy is lost in the production of animal products because the majority of the energy from the grains/grass they are eating are mostly lost as heat rather than retained as cow biomass. However, people who eat mostly meat eat fewer calories, anyway, and much of the world's land isn't suited to grain production but is suited to range animal production. And, of course, the people that buy into this never really think about soil fertility, either, and assume that somehow soil can remain fertile without animals. It's absurd to anyone who really understands community ecology of agricultural systems.
1247581268:::BrianS:::::::::Hmm.  Interesting question.  What is a predominant concrete symbol of altruism/selflessness?  And what is its recognizably egoistic/selfish concrete alternative?<BR><BR>Will have to give it some thought.