Editor's Notes
– INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM. We are pleased to present another article'"this month's cover story on the New Hebrides revolt'"made possible by the Reason Foundation Investigative Journalism Fund. Thanks to the resources of this fund, as soon as the first reports from the South Pacific started coming in, we were able to assign a writer to the task of digging into the background of this fascinating story, interviewing all the key participants. The result is by far the most complete article on this complex revolution and the parties involved to appear anywhere in the world. If you appreciate this kind of journalistic capability in REASON, you may wish to contribute to the Fund. Your tax-deductible gift should be made payable to the Reason Foundation and sent to Investigative Journalism Fund, The Reason Foundation, 1129 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
– SCHOOL PROBLEMS. One of the best "My Turn" columns Newsweek has ever published was on June 9, "The Public-School Monopoly." Written by law professor John Coons, it makes a thorough case for abolishing monopoly public schooling in favor of free choice of marketplace schools. Whether one agrees or disagrees with Coons's proposed voucher system alternative, the article makes a convincing case. For those seeking to opt out altogether, a good source of basic information on home schooling is the Spring 1980 issue of Tidbits, put out by the National Association for the Legal Support of Alternative Schools (P.O. Box 2823, Santa Fe, NM 87501). It's available to members ($20/year); others can probably obtain a copy in exchange for a donation to this worthwhile organization.
– MOON TREATY IN EUROPE. Advocates of space industrialization in Europe have set up the European Space Promotion Organization, a coalition of firms, politicians, and private citizens. Among its first actions has been to publicize the potential of the proposed Moon Treaty to prohibit private enterprise "throughout the Solar System, other than on Earth." The ESPO is urging "all interested in spaceflight, and…all who value private enterprise to immediately write their M.P. and M.E.P." to point out the threat that this represents. Honorary chairman of the ESPO is David Atkinson, a member of the British Parliament.
– LEC MOVING? Our sources in Florida report that it is rumored that the Law and Economics Center'"the widely respected institute headed by Reason Foundation advisory board member Henry Manne'"will be leaving the University of Miami. Rumored destination: Atlanta's Emory University. The move would take place sometime after June 1981.
– HELPING A NEW COUNTRY. Readers of this month's cover story on the emerging new country of Vemarana may wonder if there's any way they can help to ensure its survival. We've been told that the Vemaranans are counting on American investment, and a group of them has set up a development corporation to upgrade the airport, harbor, and communications facilities of Espiritu Santo to facilitate investment and settlement. Those interested may inquire of Jim Giovanni, Vemarana Information Office, BP 1654, Noumea, New Caledonia. Telephone 687 27-6981.
– GETTING PUBLISHED. Several REASON contributors have had articles published elsewhere in recent months. Contributing editor Mark Frazier's "Inner-City Schools That Work" appeared in the June Reader's Digest (making Frazier's fourth appearance thus far in that periodical). Money columnist Steve Beckner had a piece on gold (co-authored with Bogdan Kipling) in the April 25 edition of the New York Times, a two-part article on the silver crash in the Baltimore Sun (May 1 and 2), and another on foreign currencies in the May issue of The Washingtonian. And Brickbats columnist Tom Hazlett turned serious for the cover story of the May 26 issue of Inquiry'"an impressive piece on rent control.
H. Peter Metzger, author of "Environmental Activists Capture Washington" (May 1979), has had two of his articles reprinted as pamphlets. The original speech version of his REASON article (titled "The Coercive Utopians: Their Hidden Agenda") and his newer piece, "Government-Funded Activism: Hiding Behind the Public Interest," are both available from his employer, Public Service Company of Colorado. If you write for copies (Room 940, P.O. Box 840, Denver, CO 80201), tell him REASON sent you.