Dear ASF community,
As world events continue to unfold at a rapid pace, our work in supporting conversations and actions to restore strength, common sense, joy, and hope in Australian society is more important than ever.
Our inaugural ASF Vox Libera salon, featuring Dr John Lott, an expert on crime statistics and gun control policy, was a resounding success. While John was here, we jumped at the opportunity to record a live interview with him that we have just released, to kick off our new ASF Interview Series!
If you missed the Vox Libera salon with Dr Lott, which was ASF’sfirst in-person event of the year, and our February Monthly Members’ Forum at which Dr Lott spoke, fear not! ASF Director Jason Strecker conducted an in-depth interview and long-form discussion with Dr Lott while he was in town, and we were fortunate to have this interview professionally filmed and edited.This is the first in a new series of interviews where we plan that ASF Directors will interview and discuss pressing issues with a range of technical experts. Thefull interview with Dr Lott is onASF’s Youtube page – which also has lots of other great content for you to check out.
Following our inaugural Vox Libera salon, at which Gigi Foster discussed gun rights and crime rates with Dr Lott, we will be holding oursecond Vox Libera salon with Jason Strecker and David Maywald on International Boy’s Day, Saturday 16 May, from 6 to 8:30 PM. This ASF members-only event, at a private home in Sydney’s inner west, is an opportunity for thoughtful Australians to gather, share a pot-luck (“bring a plate”) meal, and engage in a candid, constructive conversation about the future of boys and young men in our country. Get your ticket today!
Another event relevant to young people is the upcoming Academia Libera Mentis online information session, at 8 PM Sydney time on Monday, April 13th. This session is open to interested youth, parents, and anyone else who would like to learn more about this exciting new high-education initiative. If you’ve heard of ALM before – perhaps through this newsletter – and thought about checking it out, this is the perfect opportunity to meet the founders and see what the philosophy, the curriculum, and the castle in Belgium are really like, from the comfort of your own home.
ASF Director Gigi Foster was just in Perth for a couple of weeks to participate in the launch of Secession by Western Australia, a new book co-authored by Julian Gillespie, herself, Michael Baker and Ian Brighthope. The proposal to make WA independent from the Commonwealth may sound extreme, but the work on this project is an ideal opportunity to both dream and get practical about the type of society that we would like to build. The book contains chapters on defence, education, health, anti-corruption frameworks, fiscal and monetary policy, and many other aspects – plus a draft new Constitution at the back, drafted by Julian. Western Australians have had a strong independence streak for generations, as we have found while working on this project. Over the coming months and years we want to consult widely with WA residents and policy experts about our proposals, in order to hone them into the best possible blueprints to undergird a thriving, happy society. If you’re interested in this project, please subscribe to our new substack to keep abreast of developments (and see a videorecording of the launch).
While Gigi was in Perth, the ASF Board decided on the exciting plan to hold the fourth annual ASF Progress through Science and Freedom conference this year in Perth! We are presently putting together the conference organising committee, and will advise our community soon (hopefully in next month’s newsletter) of the planned dates, so you can mark your diaries. In next month’s newsletter we also hope to announce the launch of our ASF matchmaking platform, on which we have been working feverishly. Stay tuned!
Some ASF members may be interested in an upcoming free event with John Salter, co-author of this book, who will be speaking in Sydney on Tuesday, 21 April. The event description follows:
AN EVENING WITH FRANK SALTER
Frank Salter & Harry Richardson co-authored Anglophobia: The Unrecognised Hatred
Dr Frank Salter has a PhD in biosocial science from Griffith University, Brisbane. For most of his career he was a researcher at a Max Planck Institute near Munich, Germany on subjects including the biology and politics of ethnicity. Frank has published several books, including On Genetic Interests, Welfare, Ethnicity & Altruism, The Voice Referendum and most recently, a collection of his ethnic research over the last 30 years: The National Question & Human Nature: An Australian Perspective.
This talk concerns the content of the book Anglophobia: The Unrecognised Hatred, written with Harry Richardson. He will first give an overview of the book, initially drafted by Harry, then speak about why it interested him as an academic researcher.
The book describes three categories of hostility towards people of British ethnicity. These are vilification, the most common, followed by discrimination and violence. Australia has experienced all three in recent decades.
The author’s interest stemmed from research on ethnicity, approached through the paradigm of biosocial science which is the application of biological insights into human nature. This explains that biology is directly relevant to ethnicity because an ethnic group is defined as a named population whose members see themselves as descended from shared ancestors and have similar physiognomy. Genetic evidence shows these groups are essentially extended kin networks, just like families. In the same way that biologists observe kinship markers prompting cooperation among animals and humans, ethnic markers have a parallel effect in human societies, fostering similar cooperative behaviours.
Based on that finding, he has researched the effects of ethno-religious diversity on welfare, social cohesion, organised crime, nationalism, and the ideology and practise of multiculturalism. The Anglophobia book draws on that research.
The book also exposes attacks upon Australia’s Anglo-Celtic heritage and way of life.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase on the night.
Logistical details:
6.30pm 21 April (Tuesday)
Upstairs large room (behind the bar)
Shakespeare Hotel
200 Devonshire Street
Surry Hills
(the light rail stop is 2 minutes’ walk to the venue)
Another upcoming event of potential interest is the Mindd International Forum, happening at the Australian Turf Club in Sydney from April 30 through May 2nd. The title of the Forum is “A Functional Approach to Brain and Mental Health”. More details and registration information can be found here.
If you know people in Auckland, New Zealand – where people are still celebrating their country’s rejection of the 2024 IHR Amendments – please pass word of this in-person event upcoming on Saturday 28 March. This new news service from Reality Check Radio may also be of interest.
In scholarly work this month, we have seen more evidence of alarming effects on pregnancies and on autoimmune issues from the covid shots. This month also saw a terrific analysis by James Nuzzo of the human subjects ethics implications of some of the activities conducted today that pass for scientific research.
As Australia faces an uphill battle with fuel security, Stand Up Now Australia has put together this petition that you may wish to consider signing.
In the US, the Supreme Court has moved to expand parental rights, a bill has been introduced to Congress to re-enact manufacturer liability for covid vaccine products, and a major settlement in the case of Missouri vs Biden extends protections against government censorship of private citizens.
This new film may pique your interest, while in new books this month, in addition to Secession by Western Australia you may wish to check out 3/11 Viral Takeover and Public Health: An unhealthy conceit. Academia Libera Mentis Academic Director Paul Frijters and Sienna Baker, co-authors of Minds that Dare: Restoring Western Education, a True Story, also recently spoke about their new book with Topher Field.
Keep your chin up during these dark times, and know that you are not alone. Come to some of the exciting events above to invest in your community and re-kindle the spirits of tolerance and thoughtfulness in our society.
Until next month,
Gigi Foster
