Florida Liberty Summit 2011 -- August 19-21

Rosen Centre Hotel -- Orlando, FL

Rep. Ron Paul, (Confirmed) is an American medical doctor and Republican U.S. Congressman for the 14th congressional district of Texas.  Paul serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Joint Economic Committee, and the Committee on Financial Services, and is Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy, where he has been an outspoken critic of current American foreign and monetary policy.

Paul served as a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force from 1963 until 1968, during the Vietnam War. He worked as an obstetrician and gynecologist in the 1960s and 1970s, delivering over 4,000 babies, before entering politics in 1976.

Paul is the founder of the advocacy group Campaign for Liberty and his ideas have been expressed in numerous published articles and books, including Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom (2011), End The Fed (2009), The Revolution: A Manifesto (2008), Pillars of Prosperity (2008), A Foreign Policy of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship (2007), and The Case for Gold (1982).

Paul has been called the "intellectual godfather" of the Tea Party movement.  According to University of Georgia political scientist Keith Poole, Paul had the most conservative voting record of any member of Congress since 1937.  His son Rand Paul was elected to the United States Senate for Kentucky in 2011, making the elder Paul the first Representative in history to serve concurrently with his son (or daughter) in the Senate. 

Jack Hunter (Confirmed) began his punditry career in the late 1990’s when a friend and popular alternative rock disc jockey agreed to let Jack air his political views during the afternoon drive on 96 Wave (96.1 WAVF) in Charleston, South Carolina.

Creating the moniker the “Southern Avenger,” which was borrowed from popular 90’s conservative talk radio host Ken “The Black Avenger” Hamblin, Jack assumed an anonymous super hero/ pro-wrestler persona, and entertained FM rock audiences with his antics and conservative political views until his departure from 96 Wave in 2007.

In 2007, Jack began working for WTMA 1250 AM talk radio in Charleston and began writing a column for the Charleston City Paper, that city’s premiere alternative weekly. Jack also began producing his popular video podcasts around this time, and today his You Tube Channel has received over two million views. Today, you can find Jack’s videos and columns as part of “TAC TV” at The American Conservative magazine.

Jack is a frequent guest host for The Mike Church Show on Sirius/XM’s Patriot channel and is a frequent guest on “The Savage Nation” with nationally syndicated talk radio host Michael Savage. His writing has appeared at The American Spectator, Lewrockwell.com, CampaignforLiberty.com and in Young American Revolution, the official magazine of the youth activist organization Young Americans for Liberty, to which he is also a contributing editor. Jack also assisted Sen. Rand Paul with his book The Tea Party Goes to Washington, released by Center Street in February, 2011.

Doug Wead (Confirmed) is a presidential historian, philanthropist and public speaker. He was Special Assistant to U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and is the author of more than thirty books that have collectively sold over 29 million copies, including the New York Times best-seller All the Presidents’ Children: Triumph and Tragedy in the Lives of the First Families. He has authored a sequel which examines the parenting of presidents of the United States, The Raising of a President: The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders.

In 1979, Doug Wead joined entertainer Pat Boone and Dan O’Neill in co-founding Mercy Corps and in the 1980s, he organized the Annual Charity Awards, now under the name International Charity Association.  In 1979, Wead gave a speech titled “The Compassionate Conservative” at the annual Charity Awards Dinner, and tapes of the speech were later sold across the country at corporate seminars.

From 1984 to 2000, he served as an on-and-off adviser to both presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. 

In March 2008, Wead helped create the website Religious Freedom In America, focusing on government threats to religious observance.  He currently serves as president of Canyonville Christian Academy, a private boarding high school in southern Oregon.  

Wead continues to speak around the world. He has spoken to audiences in 30 countries, including Russia, Poland, Hungary, France, Germany, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Brazil and across the United States.

Dudley W. Brown (Confirmed) is a pro-gun lobbyist, as well as the founder and executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners based in Denver, Colorado. Brown's organization bills itself as a "no-compromise" pro-gun Second Amendment group.  Dudley Brown is also the executive director of the National Association for Gun Rights, a group that serves as an umbrella coordinator for various state-level pro-gun organizations.

Brown is a 1989 graduate of Colorado State University, and founded the CSU College Republicans. After Brown’s 1989 graduation, he served as Northern Colorado Director for U.S. Senator Bill Armstrong. In 1990, when Armstrong retired, Brown became the Media Director for the Colorado House of Representatives

Brown currently resides in Northern Colorado.  Brown is a weapons instructor and avid shooter, as well as a leader in Colorado's conservative movement.

In 1993, Brown became Legislative Director of the Firearms Coalition of Colorado and contract lobbyist for the Colorado State Shooting Association (the NRA state affiliate). In 1996 Brown founded Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a no-compromise gun rights lobby concentrating on Colorado, which operates independently of other gun rights organizations. He is the only professional lobbyist to endure the 9-year battle for a "shall issue" concealed carry law in Colorado.   

Dudley Brown's lobbying activities have focused on influencing the Colorado Legislature, both in opposing new gun legislation such as that proposed in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre, and supporting specific legislation to relax concealed carry regulations. Brown often criticizes the National Rifle Association as being soft on gun control.

Brown is well known for involving his organization in bitter Republican primary elections at the state and local levels.

Philip Giraldi (Confirmed) is a former CIA counter-terrorism specialist and military intelligence officer who served 19 years overseas in Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Spain. He was Chief of Base in Barcelona from 1989 to 1992, was designated as senior Agency officer for support at the Olympic Games, and served as official liaison to the Spanish Security and Intelligence services. He has been designated by the General Accountability Office as an expert on the impact of illegal immigration on terrorism.

Giraldi is now the Francis Walsinham Fellow at The American Conservative Defense Alliance and provides security consulting for a number of Fortune 500 corporate clients.  As a counter-terrorism expert, he has assisted multinational corporation in the upgrad of their secufity at overseas sites to help them comply with the Patriot Act.  He was one of the first American civilians to travel to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban, was brought in for consultation by the Port Authority of the City of New York in its planning, has assisted the United Nations security organization, and has helped develop a security training program for the United States Merchant Marine.

He has written op-ed pieces for the Hearst Newspaper chain, is a columnist for AntiWar.com, and a contributing editor to American Conservative magazine. His media appearances include Good Morning America, MSNBC, NPR, BBC, FOX News, Polish National Television, al-Jazeera, and 60 Minutes. Phil was awarded an MA and PhD from the University of London in European History, and speaks Spanish, Italian, German, and Turkish.

Dr. Yuri Maltsev (Confirmed) is a college professor, author and world-renowned speaker. Professor of Economics in Wisconsin, and has held various government and research positions in Moscow, Russia.

Before defecting to the U.S. in 1989, he was a member of a senior economics team that worked on President Gorbachev's reforms package of perestroika.

Before settling in the Midwest, he was a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, a federal research agency. His work involved briefing members of Congress and senior officials at the executive branch on issues of national security and foreign economic and military assessment.

Dr. Maltsev may be the only person to have briefed senior leaders on both sides during the last stages of the Cold War. He also testified before the U.S. Congress and appeared on CNN, PBS NewsHour, C-Span, CBC and other American, Canadian, Spanish, and Finnish television and radio programs. He has authored five books and over a hundred articles.

Dr. Maltsev has built a reputation for accurately identifying the right economic trends and political developments. His unique and broad experiences establish him as a primary source of information on the opportunities and risks created by the demise of the Soviet Union.

Jordan Page (Confirmed) is a young Singer/Songwriter and itinerant musician seeking to mobilize a new generation to stand up for their country and the rights of the individual. Jordan uses his talents to promote a message of peace while educating and mobilizing resistance to tyranny and the erosion of American civil rights.

A mix of acoustic rock, hard rock, and folk, Jordan puts forth a powerful lyrical message with equally impactful music to educate and entertain simultaneously. Jordan seeks to change society and the world for the better through his words and his music. He empowers his audience by letting them know that the real revolution begins with the individual.

Over the past few years, Jordan has honed his songwriting and musicianship and is now selling out clubs throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, on the East Coast from Maine to Florida, and in the Mid-West. He has been a headlining performer at over 50 political and protest events all over the country, performing alongside Congressman Dr. Ron Paul and Judge Andrew Napolitano, and has been a featured guest on numerous news and talk show programs including Fox News – The Strategy Room and Freedom Watch Live.

As long as there is a cause worth fighting for Jordan Page will be speaking out for the rights of the people and singing a call to action. 

Thomas DiLorenzo (Confirmed) is an American economics professor at Loyola University Maryland.  He is an adherent of the Austrian School of Economics. He is a senior faculty member of the Ludwig von Mises Institute and an associated scholar of the Abbeville Institute.  He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Virginia Tech.

DiLorenzo has devoted much effort to scholarly historical revisionism, focusing on what has been called "the Lincoln Cult” as a political and historical phenomenon. In the same vein, he has spoken out in favor of the secession of the Confederate States of America, defending the right of these states to secede in a view similar to that of abolitionist Lysander Spooner. He has also criticized the crediting of the New Deal for ending the Great Depression.

DiLorenzo lectures widely, and is a frequent speaker at Mises Institute events.

DiLorenzo has authored at least ten books, including:

• Hamilton's Curse: How Jefferson's Arch Enemy Betrayed the American Revolution – and What It Means for Americans Today (2008)
• Lincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed To Know about Dishonest Abe (2006)
• How Capitalism Saved America: The Untold History of Our Country, From the Pilgrims to the Present (2004)
• The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War (2003)
• From Pathology to Politics: Public Health in America (2000)
• The Food and Drink Police: America's Nannies, Busybodies, and Petty Tyrants (1998)
• CancerScam: The Diversion of Federal Cancer Funds for Politics (1997)

Bruce Fein (Confirmed) is a graduate of Harvard Law School.  As a lawyer in the United States , he specializes in constitutional and international law. Fein has written numerous articles on constitutional issues for The Washington Times, Slate.com, The New York Times, Legal Times, and is active on the issues of civil liberties. He has also worked for the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation, both conservative think tanks, as an analyst and commentator.

Fein was a top Justice Department official under the Reagan administration.  Under President Ronald Reagan, Fein served as an associate deputy attorney general from 1981 to 1982 and as general counsel to the Federal Communications Commission. In 1987, he served as the minority (minority party) research director of the committee in the United States House of Representatives that investigated the Iran-Contra Affair. He recently served on the American Bar Association’s Task Force on Presidential signing statements.

In March 2007, he founded the American Freedom Agenda with Bob Barr, David Keene and Richard Viguerie. Notable published writings by Fein include articles advocating the impeachment of former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and former U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney.

He is frequently quoted in The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, and other major national publications. He has been featured on the cover of the American Bar Association Journal, the legal profession’s most prestigious publication.  He is a regular guest at the BBC, C-SPAN, CNN, Reuters, MSNBC, and NPR.  He is invited to testify regularly before Congress and administrative agencies by both Democrats and Republicans.

He has authored several volumes on the United States Supreme Court, the United States Constitution, and international law. He has assisted three dozen countries in constitutional revision, including Russia, Spain, South Africa, Iraq, Cyprus, and Mozambique, and consulted foreign nations on matters ranging from telecommunications and cable regulation to sugar quotas, oil and gas pipelines, immigration, election laws, and human rights.

Laurence M. Vance (Confirmed) is an author, a publisher, a lecturer, and a freelance writer. He holds degrees in history, theology, accounting, and economics. The author of nineteen books, including Christianity and War and Rethinking the Good War, he has contributed over three hundred articles and book reviews to both secular and religious periodicals. He is a regular columnist and blogger for LewRockwell.com, writes a weekly column for the Future of Freedom Foundation, is an adjunct scholar of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, and is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature.

Tom Mullen (Confirmed) is a writer, musician, and business consultant.  Tom is originally a native of Buffalo, NY and graduate of Canisius College.  He earned a Master’s Degree in English from State University of New York College at Buffalo.  He now resides with his family in Tampa, FL. 

In January 2009, he published his first book, A Return to Common Sense: Reawakening Liberty in the Inhabitants of America.  Tom was the opening speaker at the Revolution March in Washington, D.C. in 2008 (keynote speaker Ron Paul).  He has been a featured speaker at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum, Campaign for Liberty, Florida Liberty Summit, and numerous campus and community-based organizations.

Tom has made appearances on Freedom Watch with Judge Andrew Napolitano on Fox News and RT’s Adam vs. the Man. Tom’s writing has been featured on some of the most popular libertarian websites in the world, including LewRockwell.com, 321Gold! and Campaign for Liberty.

During the 1990’s, Tom was lead singer, guitarist, and principle songwriter for The Skeptics, an alternative powerpop band that played for audiences all over the U.S., including opening shows for national acts including 10,000 Maniacs.  Tom has appeared twice on A.M. Buffalo with The Skeptics, and was also featured on Buffalo’s local music television broadcast, Nickel City Scene.

In 2007, Tom released his first solo CD, A Glimpse of the Ether, containing 13 original compositions.  Tom’s style has been described as “Powerpop with a hint of modern rock.”

Rep. Scott Plakon (Confirmed) is a Longwood, Florida CEO and publisher.  He is a Republican politician who serves as the representative for District 37 of the House of Representatives of the State of Florida.  He was first elected to the Florida House in 2008.  He was re-elected in 2010 without any opposition.

Representative Plakon was the House Sponsor of the Florida Health Care Freedom Act (which will be on the 2012 ballot as a possible constitutional amendment), the Florida Firearms Freedom Act and the 10th Amendment Resolution. These bills are Representative Plakon's response to encroaching federal influence in state policy.

Scott Plakon is a dedicated husband and father as well as a well regarded local businessman. After his first foray into publishing, he joined a local firm and had a successful career in the securities industry. He later served as chief operating officer at another publishing company and in early 1996, after only 3 years, that Central Florida Company started to trade on the NASDAQ National Stock Market.

Scott Plakon believes that we all have a responsibility to give of our gifts, talents and resources to help others that may be in need. Scott serves as the Vice Chairman of the Sanford Rescue Outreach Mission and the Open Door Shelter for Women and Children, one of the few places of refuge for the homeless and hungry in Seminole County.

 Scott also serves as a founding board member of the Safe Harbor Pregnancy Center, which counsels pregnant women and helps those who have chosen to give birth to their babies be prepared for their new lives as mothers.

Dr. Kirk Elliott (Confirmed) has his Ph.D. in public policy and administration. His focus is on public economics and he is an inflation and precious metals expert. Kirk has served as adjunct faculty for Fort Lewis College, Liberty University and Walden University in the areas of Economics, Public Policy and International Business.

Kirk also serves on the board for Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, VA and is a member of the Council for National Policy. He serves as co-chair of the economics committee for Save America Foundation.

Dr. Elliott reveals the true state of the economy and provides us with a commentary and analysis of public policy, legislation and its impact on America and what you can and should be doing to avert this economic catastrophe.   

John Michael Chambers (Confirmed) is the Executive Director of the Economic Advisory Council. He is the founder of JMC Productions, Asset Preservation Institute and Save America Foundation, a not for profit 501(c)(4) whose purpose is to see that our elected officials reinstate, protect , defend and adhere to the Constitution of the United States. John is an entrepreneur, talk show host, author, public speaker, and songwriter.

He has been interviewed in the Wall Street Journal and featured in numerous publications and television stations in Florida, New York, Colorado and New Mexico.

One of John’s companies is the “Asset Preservation Institute”. This is an Education and Consulting firm that is preparing Americans for the transformation of America, the collapse of the currency and a prolonged hyperinflationary depression. 

Today, John Michael Chambers is a public speaker and is the producer and radio talk show host for the program “Freedom...it’s up to U.S."

Peter Gemma, CFRE (Confirmed) is an award winning free lance writer and a long time political activist. A columnist with Middle American News, he is a contributing editor to The Social Contract Quarterly and has written for a variety of publications including: USA Today (where more than 100 of his commentaries have appeared); Military History magazine; The Washington Examiner; The New American; Human Events; The Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies; and The Quarterly Review (England)—as well as such websites as the DailyCaller.com and DailyPaul.com.

In a 25 year career as a fund raiser, Peter Gemma provided counsel to non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, and political campaigns. His diverse clientele have included the American Institute for Cancer Research, commentator G. Gordon Liddy, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, pundit Joseph Sobran, and the Wildfowl Trust of North America. His political involvement includes being elected as a Delegate to the 1992 Republican National Convention (serving on the platform committee), and as a senior staff member for the Pat Buchanan 2000 Reform Party presidential campaign.

Slade O'Brien (Confirmed) is the State Director of Americans for Prosperity, a leader in grassroots mobilization.  Slade has played a prominent role in Florida state politics for more than 15 years. Slade served as the Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida for Victory ’94, Florida Director of Citizens for a Sound Economy, Executive Director of Florida Stop Lawsuit Abuse, and most recently as President of Florida Strategies Group.

Slade has proved to be influential on plethora critical issues facing Floridians, conducting more than 50 town hall meetings on Social Security reform, Medicare reform, tort reform, and school choice. Moreover, Mr. O’Brien held Florida’s first statewide free market leadership conference in Orlando, Florida in 2000, and is an expert at recruiting, educating and mobilizing economic conservatives and free-market thinkers.

Blaise Ingoglia (Confirmed) is behind Government Gone Wild, a series of Web videos, seminars and blogs, highlighting the greatest threat to the United States in generations; a federal government that will choke on debt within a decade.  His approach shows people how bad the issue really is.

Ingoglia aims to break down the federal government’s massive debt problems into easily understandable chunks in his videos and seminars. A recent video produced through Government Gone Wild — “Brother, Can You Spare a Trillion?” — is a YouTube hit. The video has surpassed 3.6 million hits.

“The reason why this resonates with people is it melds satire and motivational speaking in a political atmosphere. “The problem when politicians start talking about budgets and finance is people’s eyes start to roll to the back of their heads in boredom. The solution is education and motivation,” Ingoglia says. “We need to hold our elected officials responsible.”

The government spent $712,000 of federal stimulus money on joke-telling software. “Why do we need joke-telling software,” asks Ingoglia on a Government Gone Wild video, “when we already have Congress?”