NH: Republican Under Attack for Signing Libertarian Party Petition

From Ballot Access News:

According to this story, New Hampshire Republican Party state chairman Jack Kimball is being threatened with removal, just because he signed the petition to put the Libertarian Party on the ballot in 2012. The attackers are confusing signing a ballot access petition for a newly-qualifying party with an endorsement of that newly-qualifying party. 

It is also possible that the attackers aren't confusing anything, and are simply enemies of political freedom and independence as so many partisans of the major parties are. 

VA: Libertarian Candidate for State Senate to Face of Against Careerist Republican Pol

From The Examiner:

Meeting in Waynesboro on July 23, the State Central Committee of the Libertarian Party of Virginia voted to authorize its chairman, Wilbur N. Wood of Berryville, to certify J. Todd Martinsen of Spotsylvania County as a Libertarian candidate in the election for the Virginia State Senate in the Fourth District.

Martinsen, a first-time candidate, will face off against incumbent Senator Ryan McDougle (R-4), who first won the seat in a special election called to fill the unexpired term of Bill Bolling of Hanover County, who had become Lieutenant Governor.  He was re-elected to a full term in 2007 . . .

KY: Former Chairman of Libertarian Party to Run for State Treasurer

From the Courier Journal:

Ken Moellman, a 34-year-old information-technology professional who lives in Pendleton County, says he has collected the signatures of about 7,000 registered voters in a bid to run for state treasurer. Moellman, past chairman of the Libertarian Party of Kentucky, said he is advocating elimination of the state treasurer’s post, which he called “the most useless office in state government.”

TX: Libertarians Seek Ron Paul's House Seat

From Libertarian Strategy Monthly:

Within hours of Representative Ron Paul’s announcement that he will not seek re-election to Congress to focus on his bid for the Republican nomination for President, three Libertarians announced their intent to seek the Libertarian Party of Texas nomination for the seat. . . .

Libertarian Party of Texas Chair Pat Dixon said “Dr. Paul has served honorably for 12 terms as ‘the Libertarian’ representative in Congress. The Libertarian Party is proud to offer the voters of District 14 a representative in Congress who will continue to uphold the same principles to which Dr. Paul has remained committed, and that are completely absent in the Republican and Democratic parties.”

MD: Two-Party Politics Are a Joke, and the Joke is on the American People

From the Maryland Libertarian Party:

President James Madison said each generation should bear the burden of its own wars, not foist their expense off on future generations. Since Barack Obama became president, he and the Congress have been responsible for one-third of the current national debt. Record spending for entitlements, war, bailouts to banks, businesses and states have paved the way for future unfunded liabilities of up to $100 trillion. . . . Madison warned us of the need for each generation to pay its own way. If he could have envisioned the burden we are heaping on the backs of future generations, he would be appalled by the corrupt and morally decrepit actions of elected leaders at all levels of government. I know I am.

OK: Libertarian Ballot Access Push

From the Edmond Sun:

Oklahoma Libertarians want their party recognized by the state and represented on the ballot in political primary elections, one local Libertarian leader said.

Oklahoma is the only state recognizing only the Democrat and Republican parties on the ballot without an “unfair” effort required by a third party, said Aletha Lingo, president of the Edmond Libertarian Party. Democrats and Republicans don’t have to collect signatures for ballot representation.

“It’s insane, unfair and to me unconstitutional and ridiculous that we have to go to other Libertarians outside the state to raise money to get on this ballot one time,” Lingo said . . .

IN: Libertarian City-Councile Ed Coleman

From Libertarian Indianapolis City-County Councilor Ed Coleman via the LP blog:

Ed Coleman was first elected to the Indianapolis City County Council in 2007 and is determined to continue working for the citizens of Indianapolis.

Councilor Coleman is a health care professional and works for a subsidiary of Wellpoint in Indianapolis.  He and his wife Kerri are proud parents of two children and reside on the Southside of Indianapolis.  Ed was honorably discharged following 3 years of service in the United States Navy.  Ed spent his 3 years with HS-4 helicopter squadron attached to the USS Carl Vinson doing a 6 month deployment to the Persian Gulf.  Then briefly with the USS Abraham Lincoln.  He then spent 9 years in the Indiana Army National Guard were he was activated in support of training troops for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He also was honored for state emergency service on 3 seperate occasions.  He is an Indianapolis native, graduating from Warren Central and Ivy Tech . . .

Florida Libertarians Call for Arrest of TSA Agents

A press release sent to TPID via email:

PALM HARBOR, FLORIDA - In a strongly-worded email sent today to all of Florida's 67 county sheriffs, the Libertarian Party of Florida demanded the arrest of TSA agents for violations of the U.S. and Florida Constitutions, and accused TSA agents of committing sexual battery. The letter reads as follows: 

Dear Sheriff,

On this day in 1776, our forebears founded this Nation by declaring their independence from an oppressive government. This beautiful and timeless document expressed the self-evident truth that all people have certain inalienable rights, upon which no government can infringe. They asserted that governments are formed among men to secure these rights, not to impede or restrict them.

The Libertarian Party of Florida is reaching out to you, and to all of Florida's 67 Constitutional Sheriffs. We, The People of the State of Florida must turn to you as our last line of defense against a federal government that is usurping authority and ignoring the rule of law.

I am referring specifically to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and their egregious violations of the United States Constitution, as well as the Florida Constitution and state law.

Every single day, TSA employees conduct electronic and bodily searches upon tens of thousands of Florida citizens and visitors at airports, and more recently at bus terminals, rail stations, and highways. They are searching the persons and seizing the effects of travelers without warrant or probable cause. Specifically, they are in blatant violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads as follows:

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

These TSA agents are also in clear violation of Article One, Section 12 of the Florida Constitution, which reads as follows:

"Searches and seizures.— The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, and against the unreasonable interception of private communications by any means, shall not be violated. No warrant shall be issued except upon probable cause, supported by affidavit, particularly describing the place or places to be searched, the person or persons, thing or things to be seized, the communication to be intercepted, and the nature of evidence to be obtained."

In addition, one of the methods by which the TSA agents conduct these searches, referred to as the "Enhanced Pat Down," is clearly within the definition of felony sexual battery, as codified in Florida Statute 794.011.

I would like to point out that this statute clearly defines that it is a first degree felony when sexual battery is committed by a law enforcement agent in paragraph 4(g), which reads:

"When the offender is a law enforcement officer, correctional officer, or correctional probation officer as defined by s. 943.10(1), (2), (3), (6), (7), (8), or (9), who is certified under the provisions of s. 943.1395 or is an elected official exempt from such certification by virtue of s. 943.253, or any other person in a position of control or authority in a probation, community control, controlled release, detention, custodial, or similar setting, and such officer, official, or person is acting in such a manner as to lead the victim to reasonably believe that the offender is in a position of control or authority as an agent or employee of government."

As Sheriff, you have the absolute duty to enforce the law uniformly and without prejudice. You are, at best, engaged in selective enforcement by choosing to further ignore these flagrant violations of federal and state law. At worst, you are complicit.

If you have TSA agents within your county that are violating the law, then you must act. Warn the TSA agents that they are subject to arrest if they continue to violate the law. Should they continue, then you must begin making arrests.

We urge you to remember the oath you took to support, protect and defend the Constitution of both the State of Florida and the United States of America. On behalf of all Floridians, the Libertarian Party of Florida calls on you to do exactly that.

We turn to you, our Constitutional Sheriffs, to enforce the law in accordance with your sworn duty.

Sincerely,
Adrian Wyllie, Chairman
Libertarian Party of Florida

Liberal Blog Calls for Open Debate and Discussion with Libertarians

From the Angry Bear blog:

Here at Angry Bear, we've had a number of posts on LIbertarians over the years. Inevitably, someone writes to tell us we're misrepresenting Libertarians... even when we're quoting well known libertarians.

So... if you are libertarian consider this an invitation. Send me one to three paragraphs on what it means to be a libertarian or what libertarianism is. Or put it in comments. (I beg the indulgence of non-libertarians to please not put up comments of their own.) If you feel what you are writing about applies particularly to one or another strain of libertarianism, please make that clear. . . . .

Dan Reale, the Chairman of the Connecticut Libertarian Party, has already responded:

Libertarians oppose the initiation of force to promote social or political goals. We acknowledge that a "right" is a power, faculty or ability inherent to ownership and incident upon another. This applies to both to your property and yourself, as you own both.

This also applies to what people myopically characterize as "economic", "civil" or "social" rights, as if the principle is somehow different or distinct. Rights function on the same premise no matter who owns the property in question. If the action of the property owner (as in the person with the corresponding rights inherent to that ownership) would take action that would risk damage to property, infringe the rights of others or limit the rights of others, that person taking such action needs to obtain (or contract for) permission.

Libertarians are minarchists. We believe that government's only function is to protect individual rights . . .

PA: Libertarians Get the Runaround from Clueless Democrat-Republican Bureaucrats

From the Times Leader:

The head of the Pennsylvania Libertarian Party has issued a release blasting Luzerne County Election Bureau Director Leonard Piazza and the state election office for failing to provide written verification on the type of paperwork needed for the party’s candidates to get on the November ballot.

The confusion stems from the party’s new designation as a minor political party in the county, based on the vote tallies of Libertarian candidates in the 2010 election. Every year, the state requires counties to certify political parties – the major parties and any minor political parties, Piazza said. That certification was submitted around February without listing the Libertarian Party as a minor party, he said.

Libertarians met with Piazza in March and pointed out that the party should be designated a minor political party in the certification based on the election results, and Piazza said he concurred. Piazza said he amended the certification adding the Libertarian Party and submitted it to the state last month . . .

But Pennsylvania Libertarian Party Chairman Lou Jasikoff said a state election legal adviser contacted him and informed him that a different document known as a political body nomination paper might be required for signatures gathered by Libertarian candidates before the amended certification was submitted to the state. Political body nomination papers are used for candidates from parties that are not designated minor political parties by a county, Jasikoff said . . .

It's Time to End the Failed War on Drugs

From the Libertarian Party:

June 17, 2011 is the 40th anniversary of America's War on Drugs. Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle issued the following statement today:

"On June 17, 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a 'War on Drugs,' which has become a relentless violation of the lives and property of Americans, including many who have never taken illegal drugs. These violations continue under President Barack Obama, an admitted former cocaine user who has shown no hesitation in throwing people into prison -- a punishment he might have suffered had he been caught. Moreover, although promising to respect medical marijuana use in states where voters have approved it, the Obama administration has already conducted close to 100 raids on patients, growers, and compassion centers in those states.

"America's first experiment in prohibition involved alcohol, and is widely recognized as a failure. Approved in 1919, Prohibition I led to a steady rise in both alcohol usage and violent crime. The murder rate rose 50% between 1919 and 1933, peaking at 9.7 murders per 100,000 population in 1933, when the country finally decided enough was enough. Immediately after the repeal of Prohibition I, gangsterism went into a swift decline, with all of the major gangs disappearing within 18 months, and the murder rate dropping every single year for more than a decade.

"Prohibition II -- the War on Drugs -- has been another tragedy. We applaud the efforts of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), an organization of current and former police, prosecutors, judges, DEA agents, and others, which issued a 20-page report this month detailing the tragic results of this misguided crusade, entitled 'Ending the Drug War: a Dream Deferred.'

"In their report, LEAP documented some of the measurable costs: over a million people arrested each year, a trillion dollars spent, and drug gangsterism at a level that dwarfs its alcohol equivalent and which has led to a bloodbath in Mexico that is spilling over into the United States. Not because of drugs, but because of drug laws. And over 120 million Americans have used illicit drugs: only the most deluded observer believes the laws have curbed drug abuse, and only the cruelest believes that 40% of the American population belongs in prison. No wonder 67% of police chiefs say the War on Drugs is a failure.

"Ultimately, of course, this tragedy is the result of our government's refusal to allow people to engage in peaceful choices as to what they consume . . .

Wikinews Interviews Libertarian Presidential Candidate R. Lee Wrights

From Wikinews:

R. Lee Wrights, a candidate for the U.S. Libertarian Party's presidential nomination, took some time to speak with Accredited Wikinews Reporter William Saturn about his presidential campaign and positions on political issues.

Wrights, a native of North Carolina, is an activist and lifetime member of the Libertarian Party who currently serves as the editor of several Libertarian publications. He previously worked as a medical technician inthe United States Air Force and earned degrees in History and Journalism at Willmar College.

He is currently being challenged for the nomination by National Guard officer R.J. Harris, radio host Jim Duensing, former Nevada Libertarian Party chair Jim Burns, marketing executive Roger Gary and attorney Carl Person. 2008 Vice presidential nominee Wayne Allyn Root is also expected to make a run . . .

NY: Libertarians Open to Cross-Endorse Republicans who Support Gay Marriage

From Capital Tonight:

In hopes of countering the state Conservative Party’s threat to strip GOP senators who vote “yes” on gay marriage of the right to run on Row C, the Libertarian Party is offering those ousted lawmakers a place to land in 2012.

“The Libertarian Party does not believe government should have any role at all in marriage,” state Chairman Mark Axinn told me in an email this morning. “But inasmuch as it does, we certainly believe that such involvement should be on a non-discriminatory basis.”

“Various Republican State Senators have stated that they will support equal rights for gay New Yorkers and it is likely that the Conservative Party (and perhaps others) will shun them for that. We believe the opposite reaction is warranted. Those state Senators who indicate they oppose government discrimination are welcome to seek the Libertarian line in 2012, and we would be happy to discuss it with any of them should they be so inclined.” . . .

AR: Libertarian Party Qualifies for Party Status

From Ballot Access News:

On June 16, the Arkansas Secretary of State determined that the Libertarian Party petition for party status has enough valid signatures. The party had submitted 16,000 to meet a requirement of 10,000. The validity rate was approximately 75%.

Before 1971, Arkansas did not require any petition for a party to become ballot-qualified. Since then, the other only parties that have ever successfully petitioned for party status in Arkansas have been the Reform Party in 1996, and the Green Party in 2006, 2008, and 2010 . . . 

Arkansas has a far easier ballot access procedure for parties that just want to be on the ballot for President. That petition only requires 1,000 signatures, and until today, that is the only petition that the Libertarian Party had ever used in Arkansas. Arkansas is the only state in which the Libertarian Party has never placed any nominees on the general election ballot, other than its presidential nominees. There are no statewide offices (other than President) up in Arkansas in 2012, but it is expected that the Libertarians will have candidates for U.S. House and state legislature.

NJ: From the Bottom Up

From Ballot Access News:

New Jersey elects its state legislators in odd years. This year, New Jersey’s active minor parties have more candidates for the Assembly (the lower house) than they did two years ago. Libertarians have candidates in four districts this year, whereas the party only had candidates in a single Assembly district in 2009. The Green Party has candidates is two districts this year, compared to only one in 2009. The Constitution Party has two candidates in one Assembly district this year, compared to no legislative candidates at all in 2009. There are 9 independent candidates for the Assembly.

IN: Libertarian Strategy and Social Liberalism

From the Courier Press:

Though the Indiana Libertarian Party has not landed a candidate for the 2012 governor's campaign, it has identified an opening to influence the race. On social issues, the major parties' leading candidates Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Pence and Democratic former Indiana House Speaker John Gregg take conservative stances. So the Libertarian candidate could be the only one who offers a significantly different position on issues such as abortion and gay marriage.

Libertarian Party of Florida on the Trouble with Libertarians

From the LP Florida:

There is a paradigm shift in this country happening, it’s not Republican/Democrat or Left/Right, or Conservative/Liberal. The people are realizing that there is now a war between those who love liberty and all it entails and statists who want to control everything. The Libertarian Party should take advantage of this paradigm shift, but as our 40 year history has shown, we once again we shoot ourselves in the foot. We have again furthered our image of Amoral Atheistic Anarchists. This unfortunately accurate combination of descriptors will insure that the American people will only rarely elect Libertarian candidates. Ron Paul, arguably the most successful candidate wearing the libertarian moniker, is not a member of the Libertarian Party. Because he has realized that to win elections and have a positive affect for liberty for all Americans, he had to abandon the LP. Americans will not elect Amoral Atheistic Anarchists . . .

Libertarians, Independents and Trust in Elected Leaders

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Many Independents might be libertarians: fiscally conservative and socially liberal (by W. E. Messamore, CAIVN) 'So, if many of these centrist, independent voters are indeed libertarians, why aren't libertarians better recognized? First, the word "libertarian" is still unfamiliar — even to many who hold "fiscally conservative, socially liberal" views. Pollsters rarely use it. So in polls, many libertarians call themselves "conservative," "independent" or "moderate" — making it hard for analysts to recognize them.'
• Majority of Americans Do Not Trust President Obama or His Economic Advisors to Handle Budget Deficit -Even larger majorities do not trust Speaker Boehner, Congressional Republicans or Congressional Democrats (Harris Poll Press Release) Independents, however, do not trust anyone. Just two in five trust President Obama (43%), 36% trust his economic advisors, 31% trust Speaker Boehner, 28% trust Republicans in Congress and 22% trust Democrats in Congress.

2012

• Pawlenty campaigns in northwest Iowa (by Radio Iowa) “Independents, people who are, you know, going to decide the election in large measure, have really figured out that he has not turned the country around like he promised.The economy continues to do very poorly and they don’t favor his reelection,” Pawlenty says.
• Doug Schoen: Democrats Fear Christie Entering Presidential Race (By: Jim Meyers and Ashley Martella, Newsmax.com) “The American people are looking for fresh faces and if somebody like Chris Christie got into the race, I think there is a real chance that there could be a boomlet of excitement that could catapult him pretty quickly to the top of the polls.”

Business Insider: Libertarianism Won't Tend My Lawn

From Business Insider:

I wandered over the Libertarian Party and I found their Platform. I'm sure there are a few items here and there with which some libertarians disagree, but in general, it seems to me to be a pretty fair representation of libertarian beliefs, so I encourage you to read the whole thing. That said, I do not believe libertarians live up to their stated beliefs. Here's the first sentence of the pre-amble:

As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.

To that end, of course, the libertarian philosophy also seeks to minimize government, in particular, government coercion . . .

And it is precisely here - in the first sentence of the pre-amble, and its implications, where libertarians go off the rails. Consider the following... my neighbor, whom we have never met and might not even have seen (we're not certain) despite living in this house for two years, seems to enjoy letting her lawn grow uncontrollably . . . 

PA: Republican Party Judge is Declared Enemy of Free Elections

From Politics PA:

Both the Pennsylvania Green and Libertarian Party representatives slammed the GOP’s choice for Superior Court judge, Vic Stabile, citing his efforts as a Republican party official to knock third party candidates off of ballots in PA.

The Pennsylvania Libertarian Party chair Lou Jasikoff called it “shameful.” . . . “Mr. Stabile led the charge to get Libertarians knocked off the ballot in 2008 and was recently quoted as being pleased by efforts to keep the Green and Libertarian Parties from appearing on the statewide 2010 ballot." . . .

Candidates from several third parties expressed their displeasure at Stabile. Carl Romanelli, the US Senate candidate in 2006 for the Pennsylvania Green Party, has long contended that his own removal from the ballot could not have been accomplished without the aid of partisan judges.

“The last defense of democracy and the Constitution is the judiciary. When it is corrupted or co-opted, it represents the most significant threat to the principles that once made America the grand protector of liberty,” said Romanelli. “The lack of meaningful review reflects as poorly on justice in Pennsylvania as does Stabile’s blatant obstruction of our rights. It is sad to think that the cradle of democracy, Pennsylvania, has now become its graveyard.”

Wayne Allyn Root, the 2008 Vice-Presidential candidate on the Libertarian ticket, stated that Mr. Stabile’s actions not to be tolerated. He called them “Unamerican”