A=A Frequently Asked Questions

Section 1: The Leader

Section 2: The Floating Head of Ayn Rand

Section 3: The Movement

Section 1: The Leader

Due to security concerns, no pictures of him have been published. Older pictures of him -- from grade school, for instance -- have been destroyed.

The Leader is single. In a larger sense he is married to A=A, and as such is unavailable.

However, in the interests of propogating good Objectivist genes, he has made sperm donations to selected facilities around the world. Details will be posted shortly.

Section 2: The Floating Head of Ayn Rand

On October 31, 1965, Ayn Rand's head was removed from her body after a car crash. This was done both in accordance with her wishes, and in order to save her for the benefit of future generations.

Originally the plan was to preserve Ms. Rand's head cryogenically, and await technology that would allow her to lead a normal life. However, circumstances allowed her to reach that goal sooner than originally anticipated.

Ms. Rand's head can talk. Her voice sounds almost exactly the same as it did before her head's removal.

She does not often eat, as there is nowhere for the food to go when it is swallowed. An exception is usually made on her birthday, when she enjoys a piece of chocolate cake.

Ms. Rand's head is now equipped with a "levitation" device under her control that allows her to move at will. It also contains a colony of symbiotic photosynthetic bacteria which provide nutrition.

Ms. Rand's head can see and think exactly as before. Her personality, though changed by experience and age just as anyone else's, is the same.

The Floating Head of Ayn Rand was launched into space by an Arianne rocket in 1982. It is now in geosynchronous orbit above the earth, meaning that it seems to rest directly above the same place at all times.

The satellite is visible from time to time, depending on your location. Due to security concerns, the exact location -- and therefore its exact time of visibility -- is secret.

Ms. Rand continues to do the same as she always did: promote Objectivist thought, develop the Objectivist philosophy further, and strive for a better future for mankind through Objectivism. On a practical basis, this includes writing, keeping up with world events, and maintaining contact with different Objectivist organizations through A=A.

It is surprisingly easy to do this from space. Even when first launched, contact was near-continuous through a network of Objectivist ham-radio operators. Using the Internet, it is now simpler than ever for Ms. Rand to fulfill her goals.

Originally Ms. Rand used breath controls to control a computer. These days, Ms. Rand uses speech-recognition software.

Yes. Ms. Rand's ambition has always been to use the powers of her mind to the fullest extent. She feels she has accomplished this goal handily.

As well, her time is spent doing what she loves: bringing Objectivism to the world.

Due to security concerns, no engagements for Ms. Rand are being made at this time. However, with the increasing ease of telepresence over the Internet, this may change. Details will be posted if this is the case.

Section 3: The Movement

A=A is a radical Objectivist movement dedicated to the care of The Floating Head of Ayn Rand. It was founded in 1952. Its goals are simple: a rational, Objectivist world, with The Floating Head of Ayn Rand at its head.

Despite what you may read in the mainstream media, A=A is not a terrorist organization. Indeed, the very idea of terrorism -- that one may effect valid political change through the use of terror -- is completely antithetical to one of the central tenets of Objectivism: that only rational, selfish choice is morally good. Coercion is simply not an option, no matter what the motive.

That said, A=A is a radical organization, and that means an acceptance of force as a useful tool in certain situations. Rest assured, however, that use of force is limited, specific, and always directed against property, not lives. If you are an innocent bystander, you will not be targeted. You have nothing to fear from A=A action.

Due to security concerns, the exact number of members of A=A must be secret. The same is true of our headquarters' location. In any event, the former is constantly growing, while the latter is constantly changing.

The name is derived from the title of Part 3 of Ayn Rand's book Atlas Shrugged. From the afterword of that book:

The only philosophical debt I can acknowledge is to Aristotle. I most emphatically disagree with a great many parts of his philosphy -- but his definition of the laws of logic and of the means of human knowledge is so great an achievement that his errors are irrelevant by comparison. You will find my tribute to him in the titles of the three parts of ATLAS SHRUGGED.

This is another case where the mainstream media are not to be trusted. Despite a well-publicised -- and falsified -- quote from The Leader deriding other Objectivist organizations as "weak sisters", A=A has nothing but respect and admiration for any individual or group bringing Objectivism to the attention of others.

Nevertheless, we are different from other groups, and because of that we must of necessity stand alone. Support from our mainstream cousins is limited to the moral kind. We rarely meet with them, for it is rare that we can venture into the mainstream. Instead we read what we can and keep our ear to the ground. Newsletter subscriptions play a large role in our contact with them.

Our role is different from that of many others. That is something of which to be neither proud nor ashamed: it simply is. Motivating all of our actions, and those of all our fellow organizations, is the same drive: to make the world sane, rational, and Objectivist.

Saint Aardvark the Carpeted is a private individual. As far as we can tell, he has few (if any) Objectivist sympathies. He is neither a member nor a supporter of A=A. He has never met The Leader or Ms. Rand.

In the course of his own research into radical Objectivism, he was invited to contact The Leader. He did so, and a dialogue ensued. An offer was made to donate a certain amount of webspace, for an entirely selfish reason: to increase traffic. We accepted for an entirely selfish reason: to further our own aims. The result is the website you are visiting.

For the record, neither St Aardvark the Carpeted nor A=A approves or vetoes any of the material either party places here. Barring limitations of hard drive space, we are both at liberty to publish what we will -- and that includes our opinions of each other.

A=A has had no website previously for a number of reasons. Partly, the issue of financing has been thorny; money laundering is difficult these days, and harder all the time. There was also the question of exactly what it would consist of: material about The Leader, the subject of much curiosity, or about Ms Rand, who has inspired us all?

Frankly, though, time has been the main stumbling block. It is only with the recent recruitment of an HTML-savvy intern that we have been able to dedicate the weeks and months necessary to put together a presentable website. St Aardvark the Carpeted's offer was particularly timely in this respect, coming only a few weeks after the intern began training with us.

For now A=A is content to be hosted on St Aardvark the Carpeted's website, and has no plans to obtain a domain name of its own due to the extra expense of time and money this would entail.

Membership in A=A is offered rarely, and only to those who are prepared to give all to the movement. There is no place to apply, no form to fill; if you are ready, we will contact you.

Support is a different matter. We do not generally accept donations, either of money or materiel, but we encourage you to spread the word of Objectivism. Discuss Objectivism with friends and co-workers; give away the works of Ms Rand; write letters to the editor.

Most important, be sure to tell people about this website.