My brother in arms

Matthew Silber, a.k.a. “Lewis Liberman,” was the type of guy you could contact with a moment’s notice and explain, “Hey man, can I tell you about this essay I’m working on? It’s pretty radical. Uh, do you think you could come up with a compelling lead graphic by, say, tomorrow?!”

His reply was almost always without fail, “Sure. I’d love to. I have some interesting ideas.” Or “I already have a cool image that would probably work. You’re more than welcome to use it.” Or “If I tweak the wording on this old piece, I think it could be a nice fit for your story.”

Matthew passed away on February 3. He was only 41 years old. It was a total shock, as Matthew had no diagnosed illness or medical problem.

As chief graphic designer and co-creator of Libertopia, Matthew was an ideas man who welcomed the big ask, but not because he was a sucker. Rather, because he was a tireless warrior for truth who knew the visual image is prime medium for pushing ideas and challenging the status quo, one colorful and thought-provoking graphic at a time.

I “met” Matthew in the Tom Woods Elite – a private Facebook group where dissidents like us get to let our freak flags fly. We’re a motley crew of snarky, intellectual, but fun-loving folks who have a penchant for free-market economics and thin-libertarianism.

It’s a “safe space” for expressing diverse opinions that fall anywhere under the very large umbrella of non-leftism. Though robust debate is a fine thing indeed, it’s always nice to stumble upon a fellow traveler who aligns overwhelmingly with your worldview – another square-peg rebel who doesn’t quite fit into any round hole.

Sure, lots of liberty-lovers think statism is evil, but too few grasp the inevitable connection between the modern American empire and the Confederacy’s loss to the Union in 1865. Mathew got it.

Lots of anarcho-capitalists are free-thinkers, but many don’t believe in those “old” notions of Christian virtue and Southern tradition. Matthew believed.

Lots of voluntaryists are individualists, but many don’t appreciate that healthy society is comprised of collectives, which simply reflect people’s natural tendencies and desires of free association. Matthew understood.

Lots of libertarians say that flags are sky cloth and Southern statues are government idols, but too many don’t realize that Confederate symbols represent love of localism and resistance to central authority. Mathew knew.

Matthew seemed to me way more Thomas Jefferson than Ayn Rand, and this is what sparked our friendship. And once he knew I was a Southern-without-apology blogger, well, that was all it took for him to reach out.

A voracious reader of anything Southern, Matthew had a deep library of “real” history, not the progressive garbage that passes for truth today. He wasn’t always unReconstructed, though. He was redeeming his education, relearning his heritage and roots after decades of public school and mass media indoctrination, as am I.

Matthew connected unconventional dots, revealing to him an undeniable picture that the leftist horrors we’re living through today can be traced back to Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. He could see that “Lincolnian nationalism,” as Abbeville Institute President Dr. Donald Livington coins America’s false sense of freedom and patriotism, is a sham.

This civic dogma grows government, spreads empire, empowers oligarchs, fosters tyranny, curtails rights, impedes state sovereignty, and destroys identity, yet it’s unquestionably accepted as American gospel by most people. But Matthew wasn’t most people.

“A big game changer for me was reading a book called ‘The Confederate Image’ – how the South suffered during the war because of difficulty in communicating their struggle to the world,” he wrote me.

“Same with Native Americans. How could things be different had they been able to use effective writing and graphics to persuade people to their side?”

This is what Matthew wanted to do today for the South: use eye-catching art with quick-biting rhetoric to bust false narratives and reveal true history. He wanted to rekindle Southerners’ rightful pride in their ancestral legacy and rehabilitate respect for Confederate veterans. He wanted to awaken, influence, and embolden.

Matthew knew that although many Southern folks love Dixie and hate Yankeefication, too many do not fully comprehend that their statist loyalties prop up a system which loathes them. To the Missouri native, the cause wasn’t “lost” at all, but rather, was utterly present and pressing. It was a matter of survival.

Matthew saw clearly the fact that cultural Marxism seeks to destroy everything he held dear. That it’s an onslaught of puritanical-progressivism, just like the federal enemy his Confederate ancestors fought 150 years ago. The uniforms may be different, but the “reformers” are just the same.

He got that this is a war for home and place, and kith and kin, and that the hostilities reach even into the American church. He could see that many Christians are willing to accept leftism when it’s veiled as “social justice,” or anti-Southern or anti-white bigotry if it’s pushed as “racial reconciliation.”

So, Matthew and wife Dawn (Libertopia co-founder and wordsmith extraordinaire) homeschool their 14-year-old son Josiah, not only to impart a well-rounded, faithful, and politically incorrect education, but also to secure the blessings of liberty to their posterity. They knew history is key to understanding the nihilistic edge upon which we’re teetering.

The feature photo at top shows Matthew and Josiah flagging a highway on Confederate Flag Day 2018: Matthew with the Missouri Battle Flag (a.k.a. the Gen. Sterling Price Flag) and Josiah with a small Battle Flag. “Sometimes you just gotta stand up,” Matthew said of this wonderful day out with his son.

Sometimes you gotta be like Frank and Jesse James, Cole Younger, Bloody Bill Anderson, William Clarke Quantrill, and the Missouri partisans, and tell the invaders to go to hell. Sometimes you gotta raise the Black Flag. Sometimes you gotta be a guerrilla like Matthew.

He grasped that Josiah was (and is) a battleground, for the young and impressionable are sheep for leftist wolves. So by teaching real American history, seceding from the feminized system of government schooling, setting a godly example, and passing on the tools of his trade, Matthew was on offense. And he didn’t plan on losing the war.

Matthew imparted to his son the power of graphic design and also encouraged other kids to express their bold messages visually. In fact, he and Dawn organized the Libertopia Youth Art Contest, in which my eldest son won second prize last summer.

Sure, my 11-year-old’s drawings were simple, but Matthew knew his art had heart and that fostering such nonconformist pursuits is always worthwhile. Teach ’em while they’re young, as they say.

“He always used to get after Josiah by telling him ‘go do something productive,'” Dawn said. “Matthew could never relax unless he had something of value to show for his time.”

Matthew was a workhorse who never wasted an opportunity. He was an editorial cartoonist for his local newspaper (see his publisher’s tribute) and created the Brion McClanahan Show logo (listen to Dr. McClanahan’s accolades).

Matthew recently published his first book, the satirical “Snowflake Buddies: ABC Leftism For Kids!” (read Shotwell Publishing’s kind words). He made graphics for organizations such as the Tenth Amendment Center, the Seasteading Institute, the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) National Headquarters, and the SCV Hughes Camp, of which he was a proud member.

All of Matthew’s projects were labors of love, whether paid or not. He was shocked and thrilled when I became his first supporter on Patreon – a monetizing site he didn’t even advertise at Libertopia. He told me he didn’t feel right asking for money since he couldn’t think of anything “special” to offer patrons.

“Dude, you give so much of your stuff away for free. Certainly there are other folks who you’ve supported who will support you!” I said, urging him to seek donations from friends and fans alike. Even his Patreon goal was modest – a meager $10 a month just so he and Dawn could finally purchase the domain “LibertopiaCartoon.com.”

Matthew was also quite the writer, penning parody articles for Abbeville, dystopian short stories for Lew Rockwell, and blogs for Libertopia. He was webmaster for the Missouri Division of the SCV (read their memorial) and board member of his local historical society.

Matthew did anything and everything – from organizing an effort to get Tom Woods’ book “Nullification” into the hands of Missouri State legislators, to making videos for Southern compatriot Hezekiah Brown, to creating awesome graphics for little ol’ me.

Matthew and I often worked in concert. It wasn’t planned; it just happened. For example, when I reviewed “Snowflake Buddies: ABC Leftism For Kids!” he wrote a Libertopia blog post about my book review.

If I used one of his images, he’d promote my blog on social-media. Matthew even gave me a shout-out on the Johnny Rocket Launch Pad – a pretty notable podcast in libertarian circles.

But probably our most memorable cooperative effort was when Matthew designed a graphic in response to my blog Totalitarians, t-shirts, and tirades oh my! This story tackled the encroaching meddlesomeness of uptight, white-guilt-ridden, virtue-signaling homeschool moms, who deemed offensive a cute and innocent shirt made by some crafty ladies.

Sadly, these too-altruistic entrepreneurial moms caved to the PC finger-waggers and decided not to sell their tee. Matthew saw the opportunity and ran with it, quickly creating his own “Some guy in Africa” graphic and products.

It’s a little inside baseball for folks who don’t participate in Classical Conversations, but suffice it to say that whenever I shared Matthew’s replacement design in certain homeschool groups, all the right people were outraged. Matthew told me that his Libertopia store had its best single-day sales ever during this whole “controversial t-shirt” hubbub.

Although much of Matthew’s art was humorous, his messages weren’t always comical. He was a master at using the sledgehammer of parody to smash the glass house of leftism. His satire provoked and prodded, even if that made the viewer uncomfortable or even angry.

Matthew was a live-and-let-live kinda guy, but when social institutions, academia, and media want you dead, well, you’d better damn well pick up that cross and take the narrow path. And that he did.

Matthew was peaceful but pissed. Not really a contrarian at all, but more of a good old-fashioned American traditionalist and a Southern gentleman. You know, what used to be called a patriot.

Yet in our world gone mad, those types of folks are deemed haters or bigots, which is why Matthew used an alias. Providing for one’s family can be a precarious and difficult thing to pull off in our victim-obsessed times, with “aggrieved” mobs running amok, constantly doxing and destroying those who dissent to the nihilism.

He was a humble man, routinely working in obscurity and not receiving much recognition for his work. Most people as talented as Matthew would’ve chosen an easier life, a comfortable career, or personal glory. Not Matthew.

I feel blessed to have met the Silbers at the Abbeville conference in the fall. Paul Graham from Shotwell brought an early release of “Snowflake Buddies,” and Matthew and Dawn were obviously proud of this accomplishment and excited about what their future would hold.

After two fun-filled days of talking Dixie, secession, and current events, the Silbers attended Divine Liturgy at St. Seraphim Orthodox Cathedral with my husband and me on Sunday. That was a big deal for us, since many Protestants wouldn’t dare enter a church filled with religious icons, incense, and saints’ relics.

We rounded out our unReconstructed weekend by visiting Dealey Plaza, where we met Robert Groden, Kennedy assassination expert and author of “High Treason.” I think Matthew had actually read the conspiratorial book, as he seemed quite well-versed in multiple-shooter-ese. I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Matthew Silber was buried on Saturday with casket draped in his favorite Missouri Battle Flag. Dawn surrounded her husband with his other Confederate flags, Civil War reenactor uniform, and guns, adorning him in “things that represented who he was, and still is,” she said. The Missouri SCV provided an Honor Guard and did a graveside musket salute. A fitting ceremony for this loyal Southern son.

Matthew was not only my friend, he was my brother in arms. I hope to see him one day on the other side. Rest in peace, rebel.

If you’d like to help out Dawn and Josiah during this trying time, please make a donation through Go Fund Me. You can also purchase Matthew’s Libertopia designs at Red Bubble, his cool Southern gear at Keytesville Mercantile, or “Snowflake Buddies” through Shotwell Publishing; all creator and author profits will go to the Silber Family. Dawn hasn’t worked outside the home in 16 years, so every penny is appreciated. Let’s support and pray for the remnant.