Our monthly open thread. Post news tips about alt parties and independent candidates, discuss any story that should be posted here but has not yet been posted, or even delve into completely off-topic stuff….just avoid quarantined thread subject matter and things that could get us and/or you into legal trouble such as threats, libel, and copyright infringement.
News tips can also be sent to the IPR writers who have chosen to make their contact info available at https://independentpoliticalreport.com/about/.
It’s also become an IPR tradition to post videos in the open threads. A perennial favorite is Juice Rap News. Here’s their latest:
Jared Grifoni posted in Libertarian Solutions for Florida
Jared Grifoni
Jared Grifoni 12:57pm Apr 29
“Netherwood can’t be discounted as the nonfactor third party candidates tend to be in elections for national office. His Libertarian message will resonate with many of the conservative voters aligned with the three unsuccessful Republicans.”
Brent Batten: Curt Clawson will need assists from rivals’ teams
http://www.naplesnews.com
Factors unique to this particularly negative race make the next election more than a formality for C…
I have volunteered to help the Tenth Amendment Center, a group that really does get things done. They’ve posted my first Action Alert:
http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2014/04/louisiana-action-alert-stop-warrantless-drone-spying/
Danielle Alexandre posted in Libertarian Solutions for Florida
Danielle Alexandre
Danielle Alexandre 1:21pm Apr 29
It’s official!
The official invitations went out today and Adrian Wyllie will be included in the gubernatorial debate sponsored by Leadership Florida and the Florida Press Association.
The debate will be televised on all of the major networks and rebroadcast nationwide on C-SPAN.
WPBF 25 nabs TV rights to Scott, Crist debate
http://www.wpbf.com
WPBF 25 is proud to announce that it has been selected as the exclusive broadcast partner for the 20…
TWO Libertarians vs. ONE Democrat and ONE Republican?
Gee, we get to come in third AND fourth
What idiot came up with THAT formula
AL is at 3%.
And here’s video of another NC US Senate debate:
Brad Hessel
9:31 AM (3 hours ago)
to statechairs, ecLPNC
The two Libertarian candidates for the US Senate seat currently held by Kay Hagan (D-NC) participated in a candidates forum on the UNC-Asheville campus this past weekend. Sponsored by the local chapter of the Young Americans for Liberty, and mounted with technical assistance from the BuncombeLP this was the only 2014 US Senate primary election cycle event in North Carolina to include candidates from all three parties: Alex Bradshaw (R), Tim D’Annunzio (L), Sean Haugh (L), and Ernest Reeves (D). Moderated by Pete Kaliner of Talk Radio 570 WWNC-Asheville, the 90-minute forum features questions from the audience in the Mountain View Room of the Sherrill Center on the UNC-A campus as well as questions tweeted in remotely. The date of the primary election is May 6.
The event was webcast live on the LPNC’s YouTube channel. Here is the replay.
Brad Hessel
Executive Director
Libertarian Party of North Carolina
“More Freedom. Less Government.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1N4w7AZQiw&authuser=0
We need to contact Gov. Hassan to request a veto of HB1542, which says the 3% (party) petition for ballot access can only be circulated in the election year.
Similar laws in Rhode Island and Arkansas were declared unconstitutional in US District Court. Neither state appealed and both decisions are published. The Moderate Party of Rhode Island won Block v Hollis, 618 F Supp 2d 142, in 2009. The Green Party decision is Green Party of Arkansas v Priest, 159 F Supp 2d 1140 (2001).
The 3% (party) petition is so difficult, it has been used successfully only by the Libertarian Party, in 1999-2000 and 2011-2012. Both times it took the LP a year to get it done. The 2000 petition began in April 1999, and the 2012 petition in August 2011.
If the state really doesn’t want a party to collect signatures on this difficult petition over such a long period, then the state should cut the number of signatures. It is obviously far too difficult. The only states with a petition for statewide party ballot status above 3% (assuming the Oklahoma bill that has already passed both houses of the legislature becomes law) are Minnesota 5%, Rhode Island 5%, and California’s 10%. Maine repealed its 5% petition in 2013 and instead requires 4,000 registered members.
http://governor.nh.gov/contact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eoyWglWJPw
Al Terwelp
10:11 PM (3 minutes ago)
to state
Libertarian nominees
Keen Umbehr, governor
Josh Umbehr, lieutenant governor
Randal Batson, U.S. Senate
Chris Clemmons, House of Representatives District 2
Jeff Caldwell, District 36
Brent Stackhouse, District 14
Gordon Bakken, District 84
Michael Kerner, District 17
Dan Hogan, District 67
James Pruden, District 86
Caleb Christopher, District 38
Sam McCrory, Sedgwick County (district to be determined)
Kenneth Maggard, District 19
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/04/26/4984230/kansas-libertarians-choose-election.html#storylink=cpy
The Libertarian Party of Kansas meet Friday, April 25 for a social mixer and conducted it’s candidate nominating process and banquet on Saturday. About 60 people attended. The top stories coming out of the convention were the nominating of the father/son team for Kansas Governor/Lt. Governor, banquet speech by Gary Johnson and the addition of four platform planks, one which included a near unanimous decision to support the abolishment of the death penalty in Kansas.
The LPKS is pushing hard to achieve major party status in 2014 which requires 5% in the governors race. Governor candidate, Keen Umbehr is a lawyer from Alma and his son/Lt. Governor, is Dr. Josh Umbehr, owner of Atlas MD. The convention garnered decent press coverage. One story (Kansas City Star) is below.
http://www.kansascity.com/2014/04/26/4984230/kansas-libertarians-choose-election.html
Other news reported – LPKS success in bringing school choice to Kansas and the successful passage of the Libertarian Open Carry Firearm bill. The LPKS has grown 12.4% since the 2012 election in an environment that has seen Kansas lose 40,000 registered voters.
Al Terwelp
Chair, LPKS
_______________________________________________
Statechairs mailing list
[email protected]
http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/statechairs_hq.lp.org
Free & Equal via mail346.us3.mcdlv.net
5:55 PM (3 hours ago)
to me
Only 11 days left until the United We Stand Fest!
Act now and get 50% OFF discount available to the next 1,000 passionate supporters of freedom and equality!
Discounted tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis! Tickets are projected to sell fast at this rate, so get your tickets as soon as possible.
To lock-in your discount:
Go to our Ticketmaster page
Click on Ticket Type and select Venue Discount.
Enter offer code WETHEPEOPLE in the text box then click Apply. That’s it!
Your ticket will allow you to see our incredible line-up of big performers & speakers, inside access to a wide array of our exclusive sponsors recognized worldwide, and discussion panels between great minds of our time.
Other festival perks include:
Ben & Jerry’s assorted ice cream giveaway! (will be 100% non-GMO by end of 2014 and is presently almost there)
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps sample packet giveaway! (All-Organic and Fair Trade)
Many more sponsor extras for our attendees to be announced!
“We’re here to shift the market!”
We look forward to seeing you in beautiful Los Angeles on May 10th! Weather forecast is projected to be warm, seasonable, and sunny.
Let’s Stand United At UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on May 10th!
Doors Open at 4pm PST
Show is 5-10pm PST
Make sure to grab your discounted tickets here!
– Free & Equal Team
PS. Have you watched our latest festival trailer yet?
Gary Johnson via icontactmail4.com
10:55 AM (10 hours ago)
to PaulFrankel
Friends,
Are you on Twitter? Are there issues you would like to “chat” about? If so, I hope you will join me Tuesday evening, April 29, for a live Tweet Chat. I will be on Twitter for an hour beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 PT, and will respond to as many Tweets and questions as time allows.
My personal Twitter handle is @GovGaryJohnson, and we will be using the hashtag: #GovGary.
From health care reform to the NSA to Ukraine, there is much to talk about — and it is my hope that opportunities such as Tuesday night’s Tweet Chat will help to bring a true small government, liberty perspective to these and other critical debates.
I hope you will join me. With more than 122,000 Twitter followers, I look forward to reaching a wide audience. If you don’t have a Twitter account, just go to twitter.com and create one. It’s easy.
This chat is only one of the many activities the Our America Initiative sponsors to help give individual freedom, real spending restraint and smaller government the voices they deserve as the politicians and policy-makers make decisions that impact each and every one of us.
Your support of the Our America Initiative makes these efforts possible. With many critical policy decisions being made in Washington, DC, that your support is more important than ever. Please take a moment to go to Our America and make a contribution, large or small, that will help restore liberty to the national agenda.
Thanks, and I look forward to “chatting” Tuesday night.
Gov. Gary Johnson
Honorary Chairman
Wes Wagner
10:18 AM (11 hours ago)
to State
Things have been going well and this year we have 30 Libertarian Candidates signed up for our primary election for our mail ballot that will be going out to all 16,000+ members of our party.
To give you an idea of the rapid growth of our party in Oregon, in 2010 we only had 6 candidates. In 2012 we had 11 people sign up for primary, and with write-ins we had 24 nominations for state and federal office.
This year with 30 candidates going into primary ballot, it would not surprise us at all to see more than 50 total partisan candidates this year. Additionally we are polling our members for their positions on a wide variety of initiatives that are likely to appear on the November General ballot and will be publishing the results in the State of Oregon Voters’ Guide which is mailed to every household in Oregon.
I hope to see you all at the convention, and feel free to stop by to discuss what we are doing and how and why it works.
—
Wes Wagner
Chairperson, Libertarian Party of Oregon
_______________________________________________
Statechairs mailing list
[email protected]
http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/statechairs_hq.lp.org
Free Press Publications via mail76.atl11.rsgsv.net
12:01 PM (9 hours ago)
to me
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View it in your browser.
FPP.cc
Last week, the Russian Parliament passed a law creating a new legal term for some independent journalists: “Internet user called blogger.”
The Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reports that “bloggers will be obliged to declare their family name and initials and e-mail address, and those authors whose personal website or page in social networks are visited more than 3,000 times per day must register on a special list, and abide by restrictions applicable to the mass media.”
Registered bloggers, like all media in Russia, would be subject to libel laws, and would be prohibited from posting pornography and/or obscene language. Human Rights Watch reports, “Bloggers could also be held responsible for any comments posted by third parties on their website or social media page.”
An initial violation of the new law would result in a fine between $300-1000, with a second violation resulting in a one-month take-down of the website. Russell Brandom from TheVerge.com reports, “While the restrictions are severe, the law is also surprisingly easy to circumvent, since it does not apply to blogs hosted [on a server outside of Russia],” adding, “Many critics also believe the law may be struck down by Russia’s constitutional court as a violation of the country’s provisions for free speech … [one critic said] ‘The real purpose of the bill is to prevent any criticism of the authorities.’”
If the law is intended to prevent criticism of authorities, there is no real freedom of speech. However, there is something to be said about extending journalistic protections to people who are not members of the mainstream media. In the US, these protections include “shield laws,” which currently exist in 48 states. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill (The Free Flow of Information Act) to codify these protections at the federal level, however, USNews reports, “Schumer’s well-intentioned bill would exclude an entire class of reporters who play a vital role in delivering news to their communities.”
Schumer’s bill would likely not give protection to reporters such as Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who published documents leaked by Edward Snowden. The bill also tries to define the journalistic profession, instead of extending coverage to journalistic activities which “include, but are not limited to, interviewing sources, conducting research and photography and videography with the intent of publishing a story in print or online or reporting on radio or television.”
If there is to be a freedom of the press, which the U.S. Constitution supposedly recognizes, the freedoms and protections of the press should be extended to everyone who considers themselves a member of the media, regardless of how that person makes their living.
—
In Peace, Freedom, Love & Liberty,
Darryl W. Perry
Darryl has spent most of his adult life as an advocate & activist for peace and liberty. Darryl is an award winning author, publisher & radio/TV host. He is a regular contributor to several weekly and monthly newspapers. He hosts the daily newscast FPPRadioNews, the weekly news podcasts FPP Freedom Minute and Police Accountability Report, hosts the weekly radio show Peace, Love, Liberty Radio, and is a regular co-host on Free Talk Live.
Darryl is a co-founder and co-chair of the NH Liberty Party.
Darryl is the Owner/Managing Editor of Free Press Publications.
To schedule an interview with Darryl please send an email to [email protected] or call 202 709 4377
Robert Kraus
12:26 PM (9 hours ago)
to statechairs, Emily
FYI
?????
From: Emily Salvette [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2014 1:23 PM
To: Robert Kraus; Casey Hansen
Subject: Less than one month away from delegation list deadline
Robert, would you please forward this on to the State Chairs’ list. Thanks!
Dear State Chairs:
Just a reminder that we are less than a month away from the deadline for submitting at least one delegate name for the national convention in Columbus June 26-29. The deadline is Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day). States that do not enter at least one delegate name, mailing address and delegate status (delegate or alternate) into the credentialing database by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 26 will not be able to seat a delegation in Columbus.
Thanks to the 20 states that have already fulfilled this requirement: AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, KY, LA, MA, NJ, NY, OH, OR, SC, TN, VA and WV.
If you are a new state chair or you know you won’t be going to Columbus and have appointed a delegation chair who is responsible for your list, please let me know ASAP.
Also, please remember that the Credentials Committee needs a copy of your delegate/alternate selection/substitution procedures. Thanks to AL, CO, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, MA, NV & OH for submitting already. Send these to me at [email protected]
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I log into the Credentialing database?
Contact Ben Bachrach ([email protected]) to get a user id and password. Log in at http://www.qsdmbb.com/lpdNet
I’m in, what do I do now?
Go to the help menu and download the Delegation Chair Instructions to find out how to add delegates
This is too much trouble. What happens if I don’t enter a name and address of at least one delegate by May 26?
Your state will not be able to seat a delegation at Columbus and your members will not be able to vote.
I see a name is listed for my state. I’m good for May 26, right?
WRONG! There were 51 names from 2012 kept in the database as placeholders. You need to go into the database and edit that record to include a 2014 delegate name, mailing address and voting status (delegate or alternate) by May 26.
Do all delegates & alternates from my state need to be entered by May 26?
No. Only one name (with address & voting status) needs to be in there. You may edit your delegation up until the last Credentials Committee meeting before the convention is called to order on June 27. (That last meeting will be at 8:30 a.m. on 6/27)
I entered my delegation names and everyone is showing up as “pending” on the public list (at http://www.qsdmbb.com/lpdNet/publicViewByState.php) How do I change that?
You can’t. “Pending” means a credentials committee member still needs to go into the database and verify that your delegates are eligible to vote. Committee members should do this in a timely fashion. All names submitted will be screened before the convention. If a delegate was not verified, look for a note in the delegate’s record explaining why from the credentials committee member who screened the name.
I don’t do databases. Is help available to enter my list?
YES! Send your list to Credentials Committee member Emily Salvette at [email protected] and she’ll enter the names for you. She is also available to answer any questions you have.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need help completing this important task.
Thanks,
Emily Salvette, Interim Chair
2014 LP Credentials Committee
734-645-5809
[email protected]
_______________________________________________
Statechairs mailing list
[email protected]
http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/statechairs_hq.lp.org
Green News – DC
1:02 PM (8 hours ago)
to dcsgpnews2, bcc: me
DC STATEHOOD GREEN PARTY
http://dcsgp.yolasite.com
For immediate release:
Monday, April 28, 2014
Contact:
Scott McLarty, DC Statehood Green Party media coordinator, 202-904-7614, [email protected]
Eugene Puryear, DC Statehood Green Party candidate for At-Large Member of DC Council, 202-556-1651, [email protected]
Pete Perry, DC Statehood Green Party Steering Committee member, 202-704-3963
DC Statehood Green Party Joins May Day Rally
• Council At-Large candidate Eugene Puryear to speak at celebration of international working class holiday
• When: Thursday, May 1, 5 pm
• Where: Malcolm X Park (also known as Meridian Hill Park), bordered by 15th, 16th, W, and Euclid Streets NW in Washington, DC
Washington, D.C. – The D.C. Statehood Green Party will join with labor rights activists and other progressive groups on Thursday, May 1, uniting in an expression of solidarity with millions of workers from every continent and country for a May Day Rally and March.
The rally will begin at 5 pm at Malcolm X Park (also known as Meridian Hill Park). Eugene Puryear, the DC Statehood Green nominee for At-Large Member of Council (http://www.EugenePuryear.com), will speak at the rally. Following the rally, a march downtown will begin. (Event contact: Mike Golash, 202-253-4880, [email protected])
“I am honored to be speaking at this event which marks an important day for all those who struggle for respect and greater rights within the workplace,” said Mr. Puryear. “Once I am elected to D.C. Council, the first legislative items I introduce will be a $15 minimum wage and official recognition of a union card check.”
Eugene Puryear’s candidacy has been endorsed by AFSCME Local 2401 and DC Tenants Advocacy Coalition (TENAC). David Schwartzman, DC Statehood Green candidate for “Shadow” U.S. Senator, was also endorsed by TENAC. (See http://gp.org/newsroom/press-releases/details/4/686)
May Day is an international working class holiday. It is a day on which workers review their strength and prepares for struggle against the prevailing status quo of corporate greed and profits over people. May Day honors the struggle for greater dignity and labor rights. It began as a commemoration of the Haymarket Massacre in 1886 when a general strike was called by unions in Chicago during the campaign for an eight-hour work day.
The DC Statehood Green Party has major party status and ballot access in Washington, DC. In recent general elections, Statehood Green candidates have collectively received more votes than Republican candidates, leading many to call Statehood Greens “DC’s Second Party” in terms of election day numbers. The party is affiliated with the Green Party of the United States and accepts no corporate contributions.
MORE INFORMATION
DC Statehood Green Party
http://dcsgp.yolasite.com
Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
~ END ~
Michael McDermott to Lead Libertarian Team in Drive for Governor’s Race http://lpsc.li/home/2014/04/27/mike-mcdermott-to-lead-libertarian-team-in-drive-for-governors-race/
Gubernatorial candidate Michael McDermott with Gigi Bowman, State Senate candidate for the 5th District on Long Island.
In one of the largest New York Libertarian Conventions in many years, long-time Huntington resident Michael McDermott was chosen by the New York State Libertarian Party as its candidate for governor of the Empire State on Saturday, April 26th in Colonie (a suburb of Albany). In a hotly contested nomination process, McDermott won over the assembly, which was comprised of men and women, young and old, newcomers and veterans. The voting was close, but McDermott edged out his challengers with his powerful presence, delivery, and clear vision for the actions necessary to lead the Libertarian Party of New York to victory at the polls in November.
Each of the candidates for nomination were strong, viable choices, and brought a unique and refreshing perspective to the debates, yet McDermott prevailed at the finish. He looks forward to working with not only his former challengers and the entire Libertarian Party, as well as other groups interested in stopping the decline of New York’s economy and personal liberty. Owing to his gift of being a “uniter”, McDermott brings conservative, constitutional, and liberal groups together that are prone to disagreement on the issues.
He supports libertarian principles, restoring the Constitution, individual rights, smaller government, reducing spending and taxes, and bringing real jobs back to New York, rather than political rhetoric that never lasts past the end of the election cycle.
Gubernatorial candidate Michael McDermott (2nd from left) with the Libertarian Party Team for Governor
Christopher Edes – Lt. Governor (Far left)
John Clifton – Comptroller (2nd from right)
Carl Person – Attorney General (pronounced Peerson) (Far right)
McDermott, along with his fellow nominees from across our great state, Christopher Edes, John Clifton, and Carl Person, are working as a team to bring New Yorkers who are disaffected, wary and disillusioned by voting in what they were trying to vote out, back to the polls to restore the Empire State to it’s former vibrance and appeal.
McDermott, who campaigned on Long Island for the third district’s Congressional seat in 2012 as the Libertarian candidate, has a slogan, “When Principles Meet Action”, and he means it. Hear him talk even once, and you will realize that he believes what he says, giving clear, direct answers on issues, rather than playing at ‘talking points’.
With the ‘traditional’ parties focusing on only one or two hot-button issues, and a history of broken promises on those same issues, New Yorkers would be well served to get new ideas and a new Governor with firm principles and the gumption to take on the special interests and lobbies.
Michael and his team will be appearing all over the state, before many different groups and at many events. As the chairman of the New York Libertarian Party Mark Axinn has already stated, “If our opponents are afraid and stay away, we win, and if they appear, we will still win on the issues, every time.”
This is one of New York’s State’s last chances to turn things around and return to being “The Great State of New York”. The state flag has the motto “Excelsior” at it’s base, meaning ‘Excellent’, or ‘Great’. Currently, we are at the bottom of the list for business and investment, and as a recent Washington Times editorial has stated, New York is “hemorrhaging a staggering 1.5 million residents” to more business-friendly, lower-tax states.
If you believe that New York State still has a future, Michael McDermott deserves your consideration at the polls this November as your next governor of New York State on the Libertarian ballot line.
Visit Mike’s gubernatorial website at http://votemcdermott.org.
Mike Shipley via mail188.wdc02.mcdlv.net
5:17 PM (4 hours ago)
to me
View this email in your browser
Thank you Outright!!
Your enthusiasm for liberty is translating in to such rapid growth that we can barely keep up. THAT’S GREAT!! In the past six weeks, we’ve nearly doubled the number of state chapters, including Outright Louisiana which came out boldly raising awareness of corruption in the state’s adoption system that favors heterosexual couples while shutting out queers.
Not to be outdone, members of Outright DC have been keeping busy with the Mayoral campaign of their chapter’s organizer, Bruce Majors. The press and media coverage have been fierce, just look at this!! In a three way race against decidedly uninspiring status quo politicians, this campaign is really making waves. If you’re in the area, please consider joining in, and help put LGBT/LP candidates over the top.
This past Friday, the notorious Adam Kokesh appeared on our podcast and admitted that marriage equality trumps “getting the state out of marriage” in the short term, a major shift from his stand just a few weeks ago, then invited Outright to return the favor by calling in to his show as well. With movement leaders looking to us for messaging guidance, it’s clear we’ve succeeded in sparking a powerful dialogue.
But it’s not over yet!! We would like to continue seeing this growth, and there are a few ways you can help:
Sign up for a membership or make a donation online today (we also take Bitcoin!)
Get involved with your state chapter, and if there isn’t one, get it started!!
Forward this email to friends and colleagues, and share it on your social networks.
Thank you as always for everything that you do, and have a wonderful week.
Mike Shipley
OutrightUSA.org
LSLA speaker schedule
Inbox from
Alicia Mattson
8:17 PM (55 minutes ago)
to MarkAxinn, Bill, Bill, me, Aaron, neberly, Rob, Brett, Carla, Evan, harold, Sharon, Kevin
The LSLA board met last night and approved the training conference
schedule, confirming each of you as a speaker:
Candidate 10am-12:00 Carla Howell – Who’s Driving
Candidate 12:00 – 1pm LUNCH ON OWN
Candidate 1pm – 3pm Evan McMahon – Candidate Training
Candidate 3pm – 5pm Harold Thomas – Candidate Training
Candidate 5pm – 6pm Sharon Harris – Communications
Internal 10am – 11:30 Paula Edwards – FEC Compliance
Internal 11:30am – 1:00pm LUNCH ON OWN
Internal 1pm – 2pm Axinn, Redpath, Frankel – Managing a Petition Drive
Internal 2pm – 6pm Multi-State Team – Divisional Structure of a State Party
I have a couple of inquiries about what could be done with that extra
30 minutes in the lunch break on the internal track. I’ll respond to
that matter separately.
Thanks to all of you for volunteering to make our conference valuable
for our state party leaders!
The latest from Saturn’s Repository
http://saturnsrepository.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/overreaction-posits-bad-news-for-free-speech/
As far as trials go, do judges pay any more of a price for being wrong than juries do?
I interpreted it as a statement about government bureaucrats and politicians.
Bundys Cowboy Up And Get Cattle Back (Video)
Raw video from 4/12/14 of the Bundy cowboys getting their cattle from the BLM.
Click here to watch
http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2014/04/21/bundys-cowboy-up-and-get-cattle-back-video/
Paulie: Re Sowell: He must not like trial by jury. That is what the message says.
The majority of people who receive welfare benefits from the government, work for the government, contract with the government, or are in some kind of government created or protected profession (such as tax preparers or tax attorneys), have little to no interest in cutting the size of government, and are more concerned with their government check or check that comes as a result of complying with government, than they are with the concept of individual freedom and having a free market.
Here is a big part of the reason of why we are screwed.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/workers-benefits-Medicaid-Social-Security/2014/04/16/id/566016/
Census: 86M Workers Support 148 Million Govt Beneficiaries
Wednesday, 16 Apr 2014 02:48 PM
By Courtney Coren
More than 86 million Americans work full time in the private sector and support almost 148 million who receive government benefits, according to data from the Census Bureau.
The 86,429,000 full-time workers include anyone who worked 35 or more hours per week at least 50 weeks of the year for a business or for themselves, according to the 2012 Census Bureau data, CNS News reported.
There are two categories of individuals who receive government benefits. The first includes those who receive benefits from nonwelfare programs they paid into, such as Medicare, Social Security, unemployment, and veterans benefits.
The second category includes those who participate in a welfare program, such as Medicaid and food stamps.
Individuals benefiting from a government welfare program in the fourth quarter of 2011 included more than 82 million people who live in a household where one or more people are using Medicaid; over 49 million where someone in the household used food stamps; more than 23 million people who lived in households where someone used Women’s, Infant and Children (WIC) services; more than 20 million who lived in a household where someone received Supplemental Security Income (SSI); and over 13 million who lived in subsidized housing, totaling 108,592,000 people.
The first category is made up of more than 49 million who received Social Security benefits; over 46 million who received Medicare; over 5 million who were collecting unemployment compensation; and more than 3 million receiving veterans benefits.
The two categories make up a total of 151,014,000. When the veterans are subtracted, it makes up a total of 147,802,000 nonveteran government beneficiaries.
Those who get benefits outnumber full-time private-sector workers by nearly 2 to 1.
Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/workers-benefits-Medicaid-Social-Security/2014/04/16/id/566016#ixzz2zXZcyCes
Urgent: Should Obamacare Be Repealed? Vote Here Now!
https://www.facebook.com/libertarians is at 499,940 likes…should pass 500 k today at the average growth rate, or at the latest tomorrow.
Here is a great speech by the Judge. I don’t agree with everything he has done, but this one was really good.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10203636432261549
Not that it would be considered news, but here is a study to confirm a theory.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10769041/The-US-is-an-oligarchy-study-concludes.html
http://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/missouri-lp-places-30-candidates-on-primary-ballot
The William Drummond Campaign put together its first Facebook Page. You can like and follow to see what’s going on.
https://www.facebook.com/williamdrummondforcongress
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCNF0wrIeyM
Some of you might remember the situation about Scotty Bowman being arrested for wanting to enter a debate for an office he was running for. If you would like to sign (and/or share) this petition, I’m sure he’ll be appreciative.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/828/669/441/dont-prosecute-victim-of-rogue-cops/?cid=FB_TAF
Libertarian Party of Colorado convention highlights posted on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8uaxx205Qc&
Yeah I’d say that qualifies. Run with it if you feel the urge. Here is what my dad forwarded me about it:
I was not aware of the alt party angle.
Sorta third-party/independent news-ish: Frazier Glenn Miller was recently arrested for a fatal shooting at a Jewish center. Mr. Miller is the founder of something called the White Patriot Party & ran as a write-in for House in 2006 and Senate in 2010.
Here is a link that is a listing of all of the candidates for Missouri LP this season. http://lpmo.org/releases/2014-04-13-000000/689
Bob Dole was the last losing VP nominee to later win one of the two major party’s presidential nominations. If Ryan’s 2012 reception is any indication, I doubt he can excite the Republican base enough to win the nomination. Jeb Bush, however, is a strong possibility. The establishment loves him and his background appeals more to the Tea Party than Romney ever could.
If 2016 is Bush versus Clinton, this presents an opportunity for third party candidates. So many are tired of the duopoly, but even more are tired of the Bush-Clinton dynasty. Success here requires money, charisma, and mass appeal. I don’t believe Bloomberg has the latter two. Even if he spends a billion on a campaign; gun owners, capitalists, and civil libertarians will still despise him. Uniquely, he is the worst of both worlds: a pro-war hawk who loves the surveillance state as much as he loves the nanny state. He would be but a third statist in the race.
Honestly, I don’t believe Bloomberg will run. Johnson will probably receive the LP nomination again and could do a little better than 2012, maybe 2 percent. Jeb Bush will defeat Hillary Clinton and we’ll probably go back to Iraq. Personally, I’d rather see the establishment lose. Rand Paul versus Julian Castro versus [insert name] would be an interesting race.
BTW that does not guarantee that a Democrat will be elected. At least since 1900 (I’d have to look to see further back) Democrats have only succeeded other Democrats in presidential office when the first Democrat died (FDR, Truman; JFK, LBJ). So the next president is most likely to be Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan or Michael Bloomberg.
I’m willing to place a small bet.
Here’s the press release guys;
Press release:
Coalition of Western State Legislators, Sheriffs, and Veterans Stand Vigil in Support of Embattled Nevada Rancher, Cliven Bundy ‘To Prevent Another Ruby Ridge or Waco”
A Delegation of state legislators, lead by Washington State Representative Matt Shea, along with a delegation of current serving Sheriffs, lead by Sheriff Richard Mack of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, and military and police members of Oath Keepers, are converging on the site of a stand-off between federal law enforcement and Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy, to prevent bloodshed and to stand in defense of hardworking rural Americans who are under assault by a runaway federal government.
LAS VEGAS, NV, April 10, 2014
The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA.org), led by retired Arizona Sheriff Richard Mack, and the Oath Keepers organization (oathkeepers.org) are assisting Washington State Representative Matt Shea in organizing a delegation of current serving Western state legislators and Sheriffs to travel to the site of a tense stand-off between Bunkerville, Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The delegation is traveling to Nevada to support a coalition of current serving Nevada legislators being organized by Nevada State Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, of Las Vegas, to stand vigil at the Bundy ranch to prevent Federal Government provocation of violence resulting in another Ruby Ridge or Waco type incident. They also hope that their example of oath-sworn public servants defending the rights of the people will prompt Clark County, Nevada Sheriff Douglas Gillespie and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to honor their oaths of office by taking real action to defend the rights of the Bundy family, the rights of all Nevadans, and the sovereignty of the State of Nevada.
Yesterday, April 9, 2014, Nevada State Assemblywoman Michele Fiore served the first watch in this vigil shortly after Cliven Bundy’s son, Ammon Bundy, was tazered by BLM “Rangers” during a heated confrontation. The video of that confrontation can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LhJ6H9vlEDA
The courage and resolve displayed by Ammon Bundy and his relatives is inspiring, and may well go down in history as a watershed moment – a turning of the tide. But the above video also amply demonstrates the heavy-handed behavior of the BLM that risks escalating an already volatile situation into open bloodshed, that, once begun, may spiral out of anyone’s control.
It is necessary that current serving public servants step in-between the protesters and the BLM, to protect the rights of the people and to prevent violence against them by the militarized federal law enforcement that are massing near the ranch to continue the forced confiscation (theft) of Bundy’s cattle, while they also restrict all access to huge tracts of public land, and attempt to restrict the free speech of protesters with their absurd “First Amendment Area” (which the protesters are ignoring, to their honor).
The Oath Keepers organization, comprised of 40,000 current serving and former military, police, and first responders, is also calling on its members and all other patriotic Americans to join the vigil at the Bundy ranch under the leadership of the current serving legislators and sheriffs. The goal is to have at least one current serving state legislator and at least one sheriff on the ground at all times until this is over. And they will be backed by a large number of military and police veterans, as well as dedicated patriotic Americans from all walks of life, to interpose and defend the rights of the protesters and to keep an eye on the actions of the BLM and any other federal law enforcement present, to prevent a recurrence of the horrid abuses seen at Ruby Ridge and Waco, and to hopefully pressure the Clark County Sheriff and the Nevada Governor to step up and do their constitutional duty.
Regardless, please tell everyone you know to be praying for a peaceful resolution to this situation and for the safety of the brave patriots headed there and on the ground there right now.
As Assemblywoman Fiore said yesterday during the launch of her vigil, “we are here because the Governor is not.” And she will remain there until Governor Sandoval steps up to do his job, by defending the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Nevada, as he swore to do when he took office. And Assemblywoman Fiore will not stand alone. Other brave public servants will honor their oaths by standing with her, and there are thousands of Americans now on their way to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them. Governor Sandoval did at least, finally, state the following
“Most disturbing to me is the BLM’s establishment of a ‘First Amendment Area’ that tramples upon Nevadans’ fundamental rights under the U.S. Constitution. To that end, I have advised the BLM that such conduct is offensive to me and countless others and that the ‘First Amendment Area’ should be dismantled immediately. No cow justifies the atmosphere of intimidation which currently exists nor the limitation of constitutional rights that are sacred to all Nevadans. The BLM needs to reconsider its approach to this matter and act accordingly.”
But the Governor needs to take the next step and go there in person, as is his duty, and order the Nevada Highway Patrol to actively interpose and stand between the people and an out of control BLM, to make sure the BLM actually reconsiders its approach to this matter and acts accordingly. And he needs to speak out directly on the issue of federal subversion of what were supposed to be state lands, and the intentional destruction of rural America. Silence in the face of tyranny implies consent. Governor Sandoval needs to be sure he is not silent.
This is not about cattle. This is about power, and the trampling of rights. It’s about a systemic power grab and abuse of power by the federal government as it runs roughshod over the rights of honest, hard-working rural Americans and over the rights of all the Western states. This is not an isolated incident. It is but the latest in a long train of abuses aimed at subjecting rural Americans to absolute despotism while destroying the property rights, economy, and independence of the rural West, in particular, and eventually wiping out all of rural America. This is an attack on all of the West, which is why patriotic legislators and lawmen from all over the West are answering the call to defend it.
And it is not just ranching that is under attack. It is also mining, farming, logging, fishing, oil and gas, and any other industry that uses natural resources or the land. This is a full spectrum, frontal assault on the rural West. Ultimately, it is about bankrupting and impoverishing independent rural Americans to bring on a planned depopulation of the West.
This is truly a range war, and it is being waged by all three branches of the federal government, including complicit federal judges who “make it legal” through their willful rulings that strip away any meaningful redress or shelter for ranchers and farmers who have worked the land for generations only to now be told that they can no longer do so because of one endangered species or another. Entire regions of the West are being shut down and impoverished using this tactic.
In this case, the Bundy family has run cattle on that same range since 1877 and they used to have fifty-two neighboring ranchers who did the same. Now, using the Desert Tortoise as the weapon of choice, the federal government has run all the other ranchers in Clark County, Nevada out of business, and Cliven Bundy truly is the last man standing. And it is also about all Nevadans being “prohibited” from using their own “Public Land” and the fact that the Feds were imposing their will over the state and it’s people at gun-point.
Unless We the People begin to take a meaningful stand now, in full support of our patriotic state public servants who are willing to lead us, the domestic enemies of the Constitution will not stop until the West is a land of ghost towns, devoid of people, and we are all crammed into city slums, totally dependent and weak, with no protection of our rights, like third-world urbanized peons under the arbitrary and capricious control of corrupt dictators. Remember the immortal words of Frederick Douglass:
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.
Under the Founders design, the states were to control their own land, unless, and until, the federal government purchased a particular piece of land, with the consent of the state legislature, for a fort, magazine, arsenal, dock-yard, etc.
As Article One, Section 8, Clause 17 states, Congress has the power:
To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States,and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings.
When did the Federal government purchase the millions of acres in Nevada it claims to own? When did the legislature of Nevada ever consent to it? Where are the forts, magazine, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildings on that land? Where in the Constitution does it say the federal government can keep 80% of a state when it is admitted into the Union? Nowhere. And yet the federal government totally ignores the limited powers of Article I, Section 8, Clause 17, doctrine of equal footing, whereby new states admitted to the Union were to enter it on an equal footing with the original states. Why doesn’t Virginia have 80% of its land claimed by the federal government? Why doesn’t Ohio? It is only in the West that this absurdity exists (and it is not just in Nevada. Similar abuses are seen in the rest of the West).
And now, the federal government is not even content with that. It wants to control all of the land, and stop all beneficial use, by having complicit federal judges use the catch-all “commerce clause” to turn the Constitution on its head, inventing a general police power of Congress to regulate anything and everything, which is the basis for the entire modern regulatory leviathan that is now strangling and stomping rural America into the dust in the name of the Desert Tortoise, the Spotted Owl, the Delta Smelt (used to deny water to California farmers) and even prairie dogs (with Utah farmers who have farmed for generations told by the EPA that they could no longer till their land because it is now “prairie dog habitat”).
We must stand now, or see our children impoverished and enslaved in their own country.
As Thomas Paine said: “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.” That is a timeless truth that we must accept and embrace, lest we be cursed by future generations as cowards who sold them into slavery for the sake of our own fleeting comfort. As Paine also said, “those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”
It is vital that the Western States stand up now for the rights of their people and in defense of their state sovereignty. As Thomas Jefferson and James Madison taught us in 1798, in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, when the federal government violates the Constitution by claiming powers never granted, it is the duty of the states – all three branches of the state, and at every level, from the Governor down to the local dog catcher – to nullify and interpose to protect the rights of the people and to defend the dual-sovereignty design of this Republic.
In contrast to Sheriff Gillespie, who is truly AWOL in his failure to defend the people of his county, there have been Nevada Sheriffs who take their oaths seriously, such as the legendary Sheriff Jones of Eureka County, Nevada and Nye County Sheriff Tony De Meo, who successfully defended rancher Wayne Hage against BLM abuse.
We wouldn’t even be in this confrontation at the Bundy Ranch if Gillespie took his oath seriously, but even without him, it is time to get it done, and with Nevada State Assemblywoman Fiore and her brave coalition of Nevada legislators leading the way, and joined by a growing coalition of staunch constitutionalist public servants from many states, we will defend the West.
We therefore call on all liberty-loving Americans who can possibly make it to Bunkerville, Nevada to join us in this vigil, NOW, in direct support of oath-keeping Western lawmakers and lawmen as they stand guard over the rights of the people and begin to push back against federal abuse. Come take a meaningful stand, in a real fight where it counts the most – in our states. This is far, far more important than any trip to Washington D.C. to wave signs and yell at a deaf and blind Congress, White House, or Supreme Court. This is where the real battle is, and where you belong. This is where you can make a real difference, and begin the restoration of the Republic, from the bottom up.
And we call on all who cannot be there in person to be there in spirit, and to hold a prayer vigil for the duration of this struggle, asking that the Lord grant us wisdom, courage, humility, and His protection while we take this stand for our children’s future. Truly, “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
We humbly endeavor, to the utmost extent of our power, to follow in the footsteps of our Founding Fathers when, in their time of great trial, they proclaimed “and for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
Michele Fiore, Nevada State Assemblywoman, District 4, on behalf of a growing coalition of Nevada State legislators
Matt Shea, Washington State 4th District State Representative, on behalf of a growing delegation of Western state legislators.
Sheriff Richard Mack (Retired), for the CSPOA (as well as a member of the Board of Directors of Oath Keepers), on behalf of a delegation of current serving Sheriffs
Stewart Rhodes, Founder and President of Oath Keepers on behalf of the Board of Directors of Oath Keepers and 40,000 Oath Keepers members
CONTACT:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
I saw Brett Pojunis asking about it on Facebook last night, but I haven’t seen anything since. There has been a call to action about calling the Sheriff, whose name is Gillespie, I think. If anything comes up, I’ll post about it.
I wanted to know if the Nevada LP and its candidates were doing anything for that rancher out there. It is a great way to get buzz going about your campaign. Individual sovereignty is just one issue that it would bring. The amount of land the government owns in Nevada is another.
Just an idea for you to think over.
William Drummond is running for Congress in Florida’s Second District. He will be hosting a teleconference at 9pm EST tonight. Please join in the live conversation.
Number: 712-432-3066
Code: 296915
CLC (confused languid cancer) “Hey Dave Terry (piece of shit), nobody reads your boring paragraphs. You have no influence. You will not make a difference.”
Please don’t tell me your REAL identity!
I was talking with a libertarian-leaning Democrat the other day, and he mentioned limiting money in politics as one important reform he supports. I said that the only way to reduce the influence of money in politics is to reduce the power of government, and short of totalitarianism, special interests will always find loopholes to lobby.
I also mentioned the problem that trying to outlaw such influence-buying presents the problem of restricting freedom of speech and the press. Media outlets are often corporations after all, and if you outlaw “in-kind giving” as well as cash donations (which “reformers” would have to, since merely outlawing cash gifts would only prompt a switch to giving in-kind donations), then are you going to criminalize newspaper editorials supporting a candidate?
In response to this question, my Democratic conversationalist suggested an exemption for newspapers, to which I pointed out that this would just encourage corporations and special interests to start more newspapers (or buy them) as a way to get around the restrictions. He didn’t have any argument for that, and conceded it was a good point.
Jed Z: “Money isn’t speech. Speech is speech. Words leaving your mouth is speech. Just as the written word is not speech. That’s the press.”
.
What you’re saying is that a mute has no free speech rights. Be careful about where you’re going with that. By the way, “money is speech” the way money is, say, travel. Someone with a lot more money than you have, who travels more often, does not have more of a right to travel than you have..
The way the progressives (so called) want to take all of this, if followed to its logical conclusion, will lead to government making all elections “more fair” by, among other things, making sure that competing candidates have the same number of lawn signs. That would mean telling many people that they have to remove their signs. To make it “fair”. Oh sure.
.
Bob T
Dave T: “Yet instead of celebrating this expansion of liberty, the egalitarians ans socialists bewail it.”
.
Yup. They think the First Amendment is more about protecting cookbooks or something, instead of discussion of issues and candidates
.
Bob T
In the 2008 election cycle, the first Democratic Party presidential debate occurred in April 2007. Just as many see her now, Hillary Clinton was then considered the “inevitable” choice for the nomination. There’s always the chance that history repeats itself and a fresh-faced challenger arises. San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro comes to mind as a possibility. There’s also the chance that Clinton’s health precludes another presidential campaign or severely weakens it.
JZ; ” I want socialists to run outside the two parties. I want conservatives and progressives to run outside the two parties. I want communists, fascists, and anarchists to run outside the two parties. I want as many different opposition choices on the November ballot as possible.”
WHAT TWO PARTIES???? By the time you separate every little variation, there wouldn’t be any TWO parties.
“The Constitution doesn’t need to be interpreted, it’s written in English.
Nonsense! Even if your middle name is Webster, YOU are not the final arbiter of what words mean in English. In fact, there is no other language with anywhere near the number synonyms
and homonyms; not to mention degrees of denotations or connotations.
Should =/= will. And I don’t think the debates will be that early. Also, withdrawing from the primaries can be tricky in itself. Again see Michigan precedent. Granted that was NSGOP but the DP will learn from that playbook. I have a little familiarity with how the Clinton political machine operates.
As a sitting U.S. Senator, Sanders should be invited to any Democratic debates. He can appear in these throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall 2015 to keep his name in the news. Then before the primaries, he can drop out to run as an Independent or Third Party candidate, thereby avoiding the sore loser laws.
Not a smart move if true. Hillary will squash him like a bug and probably won’t even bother to debate him, and he won’t be on the ballot when a big chunk of the public starts to pay attention. Plus, thanks to the 6th Circuit now upholding the novel concept that sore loser laws apply to presidential candidates all of a sudden, he may have a harder time switching to independent/alt party once he has appeared on any Democratic primary ballots.
La. Congressman Vance McAllister may leave his party and become an independent if the state GOP keeps going after him.
The LP credentials committee is entertaining discussions of tomfuckery. Jill has the details.
The Constitution doesn’t need to be interpreted, it’s written in English.
The Ninth Amendment is not supposed to be interpreted as granting whatever rights one can imagine. It is meant only to show that none of the previous Amendments should be so construed as to deny any rights.
As I explained last night, the First Amendment protects expression under the concept of Freedom of Speech. The Oxford English Dictionary defines Freedom of Speech as the “freedom to express one’s opinions without censorship, legal penalty, or any other restraint, esp. when regarded as a right.”
“How then, do you include printed matter in the definition of “speech”? Except for Journalists, the Constitution does not (literally) protect “printed opinions”
If I own an auditorium, I can allow anyone I choose to speak without charge while others must pay a fee. Isn’t this a “monetary contribution”. If no one volunteers a speaking venue and I pay to rent an auditorium so that my choice of candidate or issue can be promoted; why would you prohibit me from doing so.”
Again, I’m not saying you don’t have that right, I’m saying it’s protected by the ninth amendment, not the first amendment.
“How so?
Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist, and has caucused with Senate Democrats for years, and is counted as a Democrat for the purposes of committee assignments. ”
He’s always run as an independent or with a third party, I had hoped he would continue to do so.
“And he has praised Scandinavian-style social democracy.”
Yeah I disagree with him, so what? I want socialists to run outside the two parties. I want conservatives and progressives to run outside the two parties. I want communists, fascists, and anarchists to run outside the two parties. I want as many different opposition choices on the November ballot as possible.
Bernie Sanders running for US President as a Democrat in 2016……would be very disappointing.””
How so?
Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist, and has caucused with Senate Democrats for years, and is counted as a Democrat for the purposes of committee assignments. And he has praised Scandinavian-style social democracy.
* (May 26, 2013). What Can We Learn From Denmark? The Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-bernie-sanders/what-can-we-learn-from-de_b_3339736.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders#cite_note-4
JZ: “It may seem like semantics to you, but to me the idea that giving money to someone is speech just seems……wrong.”
How then, do you include printed matter in the definition of “speech”? Except for Journalists, the Constitution does not (literally) protect “printed opinions”
If I own an auditorium, I can allow anyone I choose to speak without charge while others must pay a fee. Isn’t this a “monetary contribution”. If no one volunteers a speaking venue and I pay to rent an auditorium so that my choice of candidate or issue can be promoted; why would you prohibit me from doing so.
That would be very disappointing.
Alas, it looks like Bernie Sanders is leaning toward running for US President as a Democrat in 2016
http://digital.vpr.net/post/sanders-test-political-waters-new-hampshire
Right as you may be, it still bugs me.
Words themselves are not at issue. Freedom of Speech as a concept under the First Amendment is synonymous with the concept of Freedom of Expression, which probably conforms more closely with the dictionary definition. Spending money may not be speech under the dictionary definition of the term, but spending money is undoubtedly a means of expression.
Godbless you, Citizen Hobo. I’m glad to see you can view videos on IPR and you no longer need to whine about that.I hope you enjoy this video, it will help you with your Phil Collins problem.
http://youtu.be/JR7BcfVuwc8
It may seem like semantics to you, but to me the idea that giving money to someone is speech just seems… wrong. Do we not know or care what words mean anymore?
Jed,
You’re making a semantics argument. The Supreme Court has defined speech very broadly. For example, there is symbolic speech, which includes action such as burning the flag and wearing arm bands in protest of the war. Presumably, money falls under this category.
Speech need not be oral. Protection of the written word as speech is a fundamental concept under the First Amendment. Written word qualifies as speech, but not all written word qualifies as press. For example, this comment constitutes speech. However, it is not press.
Money isn’t speech. Speech is speech. Words leaving your mouth is speech. Just as the written word is not speech. That’s the press. We have freedom of speech and freedom of the press, two freedoms clearly and specifically outlined in the Constitution.
While I’m in agreement that individuals have every right to donate whatever they want to any candidate for any reason, it’s not free speech. That’s just silly. We have rights & freedoms not even mentioned in the Constitution. That in and of itself is in the bill of rights. We don’t need to call non-speech, speech.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Tiz6INF7I
God bless you Paulie. I hope you enjoy this song:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=YkADj0TPrJA
I saw two questions. I take it you mean the anwer to Deran’s second question is yes.
God bless you Deran. The answer to your questions is yes. Thank you for asking.
Mass Incarceration in the US
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaPBcUUqbew
CLC, and you are a mover and shaker? That’s not very functional of you to make proclamations of such an infantile nature. Maybe you should have a talk with your parents and/or guardians abt you lack of functionality?
Hey Dave Terry (piece of shit), nobody reads your boring paragraphs. You have no influence. You will not make a difference.
Libertarians and traditional liberals should be cheering the Supreme Court’s decision last week in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, which reaffirmed a value at the heart of the First Amendment: The best response to unwelcome or controversial political speech is more political speech.
Democratic self-government depends on the right to participate in advocacy and debate, and the Constitution reserves some of its strongest language to support of citizens who choose to exercise that right. “Congress shall make no law” abridging it.
But much of the reaction from the left to McCutcheon, which threw out the aggregate cap on how much money an individual can contribute to federal candidates or party committees in a given election cycle, has been apoplectic. The ruling didn’t alter the maximum contribution that can be given to any candidate ($2,600 for each primary or general election), but by striking down the overall ceiling, it restored the right of Americans to support as many candidates as they wish. Yet instead of celebrating this expansion of liberty, the egalitarians ans socialists bewail it.
http://libertycrier.com/annual-tax-free-gun-ammo-weekend-now-reality-mississippi/?utm_source=The+Liberty+Crier&utm_campaign=4544470555-The_Liberty_Crier_Daily_News_4_7_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_600843dec4-4544470555-284901389
The McCutcheon decision voids overall donation caps for Federal elections. Some states have distinct caps for non-Federal candidates. Those caps are likely to have been eliminated by McCutcheon, though you may need to litigate to make your point.
2014 WTC Drone/Military Plane Best Proof (Many New Witnesses)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsmc_rS2jOo
Never Aired PENTAGON 911 Video HD Where is the Boeing?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSod8QAnRow
Open your mind wider and you will receive the answer.
What then does it mean? Whose anus, awaiting whose penis?
I thought I would share this as a few days ago we celebrated Politicians day (April 1st).
http://youtu.be/_Oh5Tye_pGc
Ode to the planet!!
Here it is: https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2012/04/starr-wiener-enters-race-for-lp-vice-presidential-nomination/
That reminds me, I should re-run the classic IPR article from 2012 about the Johnson/Wiener Presidential ticket–
In fairness to CLC, if California does break off a region called “Tittiesville,” I will consider moving. Perhaps I can be that region’s representative on the LNC, now that Wiener’s not in my way anymore.
CLC, your obsession with your own excratory channel is something you need to take up with your parents/guardians.
CLC, I can remember it was just a year ago when would you would squeal when your delicate sensibilities were offended. Now you can use words like “anus” and “Tittiesville” in full sentences. Your political development has really made headway in the last year. I’m sure your parents/guardians must be proud.
I didn’t bring up any nonsense like that. You pulled that one out of your …….
I did some research and believe I can explain the goatse image here. The image of an outstretched anus (as the Obama logo) awaiting a penis reflects the conspiracy theories that Obama is homosexual. Some say he married a Paki man in the 80s. Some say he allowed the men of Trinity United to sodomize him. I don’t know if any is true, but I wonder why paulie keeps bringing it up
Several people on LNC and State Chairs lists apparently took it seriously 🙂
LOL. I’m glad to see that someone is having fun with April Fool’s Day!
Daniel Wiener
9:58 AM (3 hours ago)
to LNC, statechairs
As you know, the Libertarian Party of California held its annual convention this past weekend, and one of the agenda items was the election of a regional representative to the Libertarian National Committee. Even though I ran a strong campaign for re-election, I was soundly beaten by NOTA 147 to 32. I admit I was a bit shocked by the result, especially considering the seemingly small number of convention attendees. I could argue that 17.9% of the vote isn’t that bad, compared to what most Libertarian candidates get. But I won’t try to rationalize it, nor will I be a sore loser and demand a recount.
So this is to inform everyone that you won’t have me to kick around anymore. And since None Of The Above has won, California will not have a representative on the LNC for the next two years. My term has ended, and today (April 1, 2014) is the last day that I will be communicating with any of you.
Now that the Libertarian Party has become a dead end for my political ambitions, I am exploring other free agency possibilities. I have a standing offer from the Peace and Freedom Party to become their national chair person and 2016 Presidential candidate, but their latest contract proposal won’t guarantee me more than 50 P&F members. I also have a tentative meeting set up with Ross Perot, although for now the details of that must remain utterly confidential lest they be leaked prematurely to IPR. And I’ve been getting a barrage of phone calls and emails and faxes and texts from Jesse Ventura. (Fortunately his phone calls all go to voice mail, his emails are being filtered into my spam folder, and I no longer have a fax machine. But I can’t seem to do anything about all the text messages.)
In retrospect, my 42 years in the Libertarian Party have constituted a palpably life-altering experience. Accordingly, to all those whose lives I have altered, I say “suck it up!” Maybe in another 42 years I’ll return to the LP and officially retire as a Libertarian, but until then you’re on your own.
Daniel Wiener
http://reformparty.org/press-releases/reform-party-changes-name-incumbent-party/
Reform Party’s yearly joke.
Porter Announces Presidential Campaign
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Council Bluffs, Iowa-Jake Porter has declared his intention to run for President in the 2016 election as a functional Green/Libertarian candidate.
Porter, 26, previous served as an Alternate to Region 6 of the Libertarian National Committee and was the 2010 and 2014 Libertarian nominee for Iowa Secretary of State. In 2010, Porter received 33,854 votes in the general election, covering the margin of Republican Matt Schultz’s victory over Democrat Michael Mauro.
Porter earned his Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from AIB College of Business in Des Moines. After college, Porter moved to Nebraska where he worked as a retail store manager. Today, Porter lives in Council Bluffs and handles customer care issues for a large Internet corporation in Omaha. In addition to his private sector work, Porter has managed and advised several political campaigns. Porter believes his hard work and experience make him a perfect fit for the job. “I may not be constitutionally qualified to be your President, but I can assure you that I’m a hell of a lot better than the other guys.”
Although Porter is not Constitutionally qualified to run for President he promises not to let technicalities get in his way, “I’m tired of all these birthers saying I can’t run. I promise you that I will be the most functional Presidential candidate the Libertarian Party has ever had. I won’t have to take the Union Pacific while listening to my old cassette tapes of Bob Seger’s “Beautiful Loser/Traveling Man to campaign events like we have done in the past. I may not be much to look at, but I sure have a lot of money.” said Porter.
For more information about Jake Porter please visit:
http://www.jakeporter.org
For campaign photos to use in your publication please visit:
http://jakeporter.org/official-campaign-photos/
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Lost interview with Vermin Supreme uncovered! http://saturnsrepository.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/lost-vermin-supreme-interview-uncovered/