Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Where The Young Americans for Liberty Stand...

The following is the YAL Statement of Principles...

We are the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL). As Americans we recognize the God-given natural rights of life, liberty, and property set forth by our Founding Fathers. Our country was created to protect the freedoms of the individual and directed by we the people.

We recognize that freedom deserves responsibility and therefore we hold ourselves to a high moral character and conduct. Integrity emphasizes our stance towards action. Principle defines our outlook towards government. Peace and prosperity drives our ambitions towards our countrymen.

We inherit a corrupt, coercive world that has lost respect for voluntary action. Our government has failed and dragged our country into moral decay. The political class dominates the agenda with a violent, callous, controlling grip. And, for this we do not stand.

We welcome limited government conservatives, classical liberals, and libertarians who trust in the creed we set forth.

WE, as Young Americans for Liberty believe:


THAT government is the negation of liberty;

THAT voluntary action is the only ethical behavior;

THAT respect for the individual's property is fundamental to a peaceful society;

THAT violent action is only warranted in defense of one's property;

THAT the individual owns his/her body and is therefore responsible for his/her actions;

THAT society is a responsibility of the people, not the government.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

The Power Of Natural Effort...

“The natural effort of every individual to better his own condition . . . is so powerful, that it is alone, and without any assistance, not only capable of carrying on the society to wealth and prosperity, but of surmounting a hundred impertinent obstructions with which the folly of human laws too often encumbers its operations.”

Adam Smith

Describing Wealth...

"Wealth was not gold and silver in Smith’s view. Precious metals, though reliable as media of exchange and for their own industrial uses, were no more than claims against the real thing. All of the gold and silver in the world would leave one starving and freezing if they couldn’t be exchanged for food and clothing. Wealth to the world’s first economist was plainly this: goods and services. Whatever increased the supply and quality of goods and services, lowered their price, or enhanced their value made for greater wealth and higher standards of living. The “pie” of national wealth isn’t fixed; you can bake a bigger one by producing more."

Lawrence Reed
President, F.E.E.

http://www.fee.org/publications/the-freeman/article.asp?aid=8374

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Ron Paul Wants You To Be F.R.E.E.

Congressman Ron Paul
Foundation for Rational Economics and Education

December 17, 2008

Dear Friend of Liberty:

T
he Founders' inspired vision of limited government has been kept alive by the hard work and generosity of Americans who truly cherish individual Liberty... average people like you and me.

I
n the toughest times... times like we are facing right now in the life of our nation... freedom fighters have always stepped forward for America—armed with whatever it takes and at whatever sacrifice—to answer the call to defend our liberty. That's how America was born and how we, as a free and sovereign nation, have survived.

A major economic crisis is unfolding in our nation. New government programs are started daily, and future plans are being made for even more costly government expansion. All are based on the belief that we're in this mess because free-market capitalism and sound money failed. The obsession is with more spending, bailouts of bad investments, more debt, and further dollar debasement. Many are saying we need an international answer to our problems with the establishment of a world central bank and a single fiat reserve currency.

These suggestions are merely more of the same policies that created our mess and are doomed to fail.

It is unimaginable that Congress could be so derelict in its duty. It does nothing but condone the arrogance of the Fed in its refusal to tell us where the $2 trillion has gone. Every Member of Congress and every American should be outraged that conditions could deteriorate to this degree. It's no wonder that a large and growing number of Americans are now demanding an end to the Fed.

The Federal Reserve created our problem, yet it manages to gain even more power in the socialization of the entire financial system. The whole bailout process this past year was characterized by no oversight, no limits, no concerns, no understanding, and no common sense.

I hear daily from Americans like you who are up in arms about what is going on in our nation. Messages come into my congressional office morning, noon and night. Taxpayers are outraged by the huge bailouts, the massive expansion of government and the refusal by Congress and the leaders of both parties to follow the Constitution.

Many Americans are frustrated—or even outright angry—about failed government policies that just tighten the government's noose around our necks.

The results of the recent election and the socialist policies that we are seeing proposed are indeed reminiscent of FDR and the New Deal and are equally dangerous. Free market economists and historians have correctly pointed out that Roosevelt's horrendous economic policies only served to prolong and extend the severity of the Great Depression by many years.
When the market is not allowed to work, government-created economic downturns are only made that much worse.

Since the financial crisi s has become more and more apparent and the attempts by the Fed, and Treasury and Congress to solve the problem have become more desperate, my phone has been ringing off the wall with calls from media outlets wanting to interview me and get my opinions about what is going on and how we need to deal with it.

During the presidential election, do you remember how the media scoffed at my suggestions that we were facing economic disaster? They laughed at my calls for limited government, for abolishing the Fed and the IRS, for cutting federal spending at home and abroad to balance our budget, and my call for a sound monetary system.

Today, with the crisis at hand, they are not laughing any more.

But, if we love our nation, it is not sufficient for us to sit back and say "we told you so."

The task before us is huge. Our challenge is both political and philosophical, but either way the solution must begin by properly educating Americans as to why our current out-of-control, misguided political and financial systems have failed, and what must be done to turn things around.

My Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE) has been waging such an educational effort for several decades. We have had a great deal of success publishing newsletters and books and producing radio and TV programs teaching people about the Constitution and free markets and sound money.

FREE has done much to educate patriots like you and to win the battle for the hearts and minds of Americans young and old.
Today, however, given the severity of the crisis we face, we must do even more in our battle to spread the truth It is imperative that we redouble and expand the work and scope of FREE's educational effort. Right now, while people are still looking for answers and even the media is trying to figure out what in the world is going on, we must step in to fill the void that exists and to provide answers and solutions for the problems that face us.

You have been a faithful supporter of the cause of liberty. You understand the serious nature of the threats that confront us and the dangers posed to our freedom and our very way of life.

It is up to us step up and lead the pro-freedom movement, not just in Congress, but in every community and at every level of government and every institution of learning.

Our ability to lead this movement comes from your tax-deductible contribution to FREE. $50 or $100, or even $250 or more if you can afford it, is urgently needed to help fund the effort to turn our government and our nation around... before it is too late.

Leadership is sorely lacking in Washington. It is time for true leaders like us to step forward and offer the vision needed to point Congress and our nation in the right direction... and to halt the assault on our nation's sovereignty.

This is a dangerous time. But it is also an historic opportunity. Please help today with your most generous, tax-deductible gift for freedom. We must act swiftly to fill the leadership void in Washington. The time is NOW and the need is urgent!!!

Please log on to www.FREE-NEFL.com and contribute to the incredibly important work of FREE. No gift is too small... and every donation will help me continue to lead the battle for Liberty.

I'm counting on you.

For Liberty,

Ron Paul

P.S. If you can help with $50 or more, I will send you my "Freedom Report" newsletter for a full year as my "thank you" for your generous help. And for a gift of $100 or more I would like to send you a copy of my book on foreign policy... A Foreign Policy of Freedom.

P.P.S. If you can help FREE with a magnificent gift of $500 or more, I'll send you a personally autographed copy of my best-selling book, The Revolution: A Manifesto.

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Gravel Grovels For His Own "Bail Out"...

“It’s a lot of money for us. I’m broke,” he said. “I got the IRS coming at me to pay my taxes and I got the FEC that’s holding up money that would help me pay my taxes. So I’m between a rock and hard place by the federal government.”

Mike Gravel

http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2008/12/good-news-for-mike-gravel-regarding-campaign-debts/

I had the opportunity to meet former Senator. Gravel on the campaign trail. He is certainly easy to like. I admire the times in his past, when he walked the way of a libertarian.

Presently, Gravel is way off the path.

Warm And Fuzzy...

Socialism is warm and fuzzy. It does more than tickle your throat on the way down. It devours your individualism and self esteem.

Spit it out before it's too late...

Friday, November 28, 2008

Deflate The Inflated Federal Reserve...

"Who receives newly inflated money first? The federal government, the Federal Reserve, major national banks, and government contractors. It is no surprise then that those who benefit the most from inflation are those who collude to continue the cycle of inflation, weakening the dollar and raising prices. The rich get richer, and the middle class and the poor grow poorer."

Paul-Martin Foss


http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig9/foss1.html

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Video Of The Charlotte End The Fed Rally...

Thanks to Xaq for the video. I have a brief cameo about 1 minute, 19 seconds into the video. My sign obscures my face.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The Golden Rule Of Self Government...

"Hence, if Jesus was serious about the Golden Rule--and He most certainly was--then it necessarily means that He is a consistent libertarian, as the Golden Rule as a political ethic is completely congruent with the libertarian Non-Aggression Principle, i.e., that no person or group of people may initiate the use of force against another, or threaten to initiate force against another."

James Redford

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Chasing Huxley...

Mike Wallace interviews Aldous Huxley. Welcome to the Brave New World...

Saturday, November 08, 2008

The R[evol]ution Continues At The Campaign For Liberty...


My fellow patriots,

Ron Paul made many personal sacrifices during his campaign for President. Dr. Paul certainly poured his heart and soul into his campaign. That's nothing new...he has been carrying the banner of Liberty for over 30 years.

He has asked very little in return. He has never wavered in his commitment to Liberty, Peace and Prosperity. Against all odds, Ron Paul has stood the test of time. He has tirelessly advocated on the behalf on Freedom and the blessings she bestows.

Shouldn't we strive to do the same?

Sure, the odds of anyone of us having the kind of influence Dr. Paul has earned seems quite far fetched. Never the less, shouldn't we at least try?

Ron Paul has made a simple request to the folks who supported his campaign.

Join the Campaign For Liberty and become a precinct leader.

On behalf of Dr. Paul and the future of this nation, I am asking you to do the same.

The cost is low. For only $35 a year, you can have full membership privileges, such as the privilege of becoming a precinct leader.

Other membership privileges include your own profile page, including your own blog. The C4L has it's own social network so you can communicate with other members across the nation.

Dr. Paul started the Campaign For Liberty because he wanted the Revolution to continue.

I can think of no better way to honor Ron Paul and his legacy.

Won't you join me?

Thomas Hill
8th District Coordinator, Campaign For Liberty

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Another Cabarrus LP Member Wins Elective Office..

Mike Helms, longtime member and officer of the Cabarrus LP, has won a
seat on the Cabarrus Board of Education. Mike becomes the third member
of the Cabarrus LP to win an elective office. Bob Ritchie and Jeff
Goforth are currently serving their second terms as Soil & Water
supervisors.

Thomas Hill
Chair, Cabarrus LP

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Mencken On Democracy...

“It came into the world as a cure-all, and it remains primarily a cure-all to this day. Any boil upon the body politic, however vast and ranging, may be relieved by taking a vote; any flux of blood may be stopped by passing a law. The aim of government is to repeal the laws of nature . . . . War becomes simply a device to end war. The state . . . takes on a transcendental potency . . . . Democracy becomes a substitute for the old religion . . . not vulnerable to logical attack.”




http://www.strike-the-root.com/82/ludlow/ludlow2.html

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Liberty Is Compelling...

"Liberty is such a compelling and important value that even brutal dictatorships claim to support it. Tyrants say they are promoting "higher" freedoms - such as "national security", "economic equality", or "the common good". The graveyards of history are filled with the corpses of those deceived by such claims."

Jarret Wollstein

Sunday, October 26, 2008

A Friendly Reminder From The Declaration Of Independence...

"That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it."

Coke Or Pepsi?

"We no longer have independent candidates representing the views of the electorate; rather, we have two corporate brands fighting for market share – the only tangible difference between the two is the advertising (campaign promises). Obama (Pepsi) promises to be the "choice of a new generation," while McCain (Coca-Cola Classic) declares that he's "the real thing." But while the two products may taste slightly different, they both consist of the same basic ingredients."

Paul Armentano

http://www.lewrockwell.com/armentano-p/armentano-p39.html


Church Of Democracy...

"The statists, the collectivists, the social engineers, the central planners, and the religionists, cheerleaders, and worshippers of the cult of the state see democracy as a living, breathing institution that must be protected. Their values tell them that the majority must rule over the minority. That’s what democracy is and has been for thousands of centuries. That’s their religion. And, because of that coercive religion that they have been foisting upon us, it’s what they would like to call the Church of Democracy. Their view, in the language of civics, is that the state is their god, and their beloved and precious democracy is the Church where they worship that god. Socialism, communism, populism, and fascism ae all part of that Church’s bible. That’s what it’s all about, and that’s how they proselytize their religion to others."

Todd Andrew Barnett

Saturday, October 11, 2008

About The Campaign For Liberty...


[From the "About" page on the Campaign For Liberty website]

Americans inherit from our ancestors a glorious tradition of freedom and resistance to oppression. Our country has long been admired by the rest of the world for her great example of liberty and prosperity—a light shining in the darkness of tyranny.

But many Americans today are frustrated. The political choices they are offered give them no real choice at all. For all their talk of "change," neither major political party as presently constituted challenges the status quo in any serious way. Neither treats the Constitution with anything but contempt. Neither offers any kind of change in monetary policy. Neither wants to make the reductions in government that our crushing debt burden demands. Neither talks about bringing American troops home not just from Iraq but from around the world. Our country is going bankrupt, and none of these sensible proposals are even on the table.

This destructive bipartisan consensus has suffocated American political life for many years. Anyone who tries to ask fundamental questions instead of cosmetic ones is ridiculed or ignored.

That is why the Campaign for Liberty was established: to highlight the neglected but common-sense principles we champion and reinsert them into the American political conversation.

The U.S. Constitution is at the heart of what the Campaign for Liberty stands for, since the very least we can demand of our government is fidelity to its own governing document. Claims that our Constitution was meant to be a "living document" that judges may interpret as they please are fraudulent, incompatible with republican government, and without foundation in the constitutional text or the thinking of the Framers. Thomas Jefferson spoke of binding our rulers down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution, and we are proud to follow in his distinguished lineage.

With our Founding Fathers, we also believe in a noninterventionist foreign policy. Inspired by the old Robert Taft wing of the Republican Party, we are convinced that the American people cannot remain free and prosperous with 700 military bases around the world, troops in 130 countries, and a steady diet of war propaganda. Our military overstretch is undermining our national defense and bankrupting our country.

We believe that the free market, reviled by people who do not understand it, is the most just and humane economic system and the greatest engine of prosperity the world has ever known.

We believe with Ludwig von Mises, Henry Hazlitt, and F.A. Hayek that central banking distorts economic decisionmaking and misleads entrepreneurs into making unsound investments. Hayek won the Nobel Prize for showing how central banks' interference with interest rates sets the stage for economic downturns. And the central bank's ability to create money out of thin air transfers wealth from the most vulnerable to those with political pull, since it is the latter who receive the new money before the price increases it brings in its wake have yet occurred. For economic and moral reasons, therefore, we join the great twentieth-century economists in opposing the Federal Reserve System, which has reduced the value of the dollar by 95 percent since it began in 1913.

We oppose the dehumanizing assumption that all issues that divide us must be settled at the federal level and forced on every American community, whether by activist judges, a power-hungry executive, or a meddling Congress. We believe in the humane alternative of local self-government, as called for in our Constitution.

We oppose the transfer of American sovereignty to supranational organizations in which the American people possess no elected representatives. Such compromises of our country's independence run counter to the principles of the American Revolution, which was fought on behalf of self-government and local control. Most of these organizations have a terrible track record even on their own terms: how much poverty have the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund actually alleviated, for example? The peoples of the world can interact with each other just fine in the absence of bureaucratic intermediaries that undermine their sovereignty.

We believe that freedom is an indivisible whole, and that it includes not only economic liberty but civil liberties and privacy rights as well, all of which are historic rights that our civilization has cherished from time immemorial.

Our stances on other issues can be deduced from these general principles.

Our country is ailing. That is the bad news. The good news is that the remedy is so simple and attractive: a return to the principles our Founders taught us. Respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, individual liberty, sound money, and a non-interventionist foreign policy constitute the foundation of the Campaign for Liberty.

Will you join us?

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Greatest Weapon We Have...

"H.G. Wells once said that civilization was in a race between education and catastrophe. Let us learn the truth and spread it as far and wide as our circumstances allow. For the truth is the greatest weapon we have."

Ron Paul

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Ultimate Crowd Equals Ultimate Mob...

[Thanks to Michael Nystrom...]

"Government is in many ways the ultimate crowd, with nearly every decision being made by committee."

Steve Hochberg

http://www.dailypaul.com/node/63007

Monday, September 15, 2008

Liberty Agenda For N.C.

[Thanks to Brian Irving]

RALEIGH (Sept. 15) -- Ending the state's power to seize private property by forced annexation and eminent domain, improving public education through competition, restoring free, fair and open elections, and cutting off corporate welfare, will be the top legislative priorities of a Libertarians elected to the General Assembly.

Thirteen candidates announced the Liberty Agenda for North Carolina today. They are: Kira Howe (Senate 7), Brian Irving (Senate 17), David Rollins (Senate 20), Richard Evey (Senate 44), Jesse Mignogna (House 2), Sean Haugh (House 30), Barbara Howe (House 32), Susan Hogarth (House 38), Robert Richmond (House 71), T.J. Rohr (House 87), Jeffrey Ober (House 95), Lawrence Hollar (House 96), and Keith Calvelli (House 108).

"I originally ran for council because my property was involuntarily annexed and have vigorously opposed any future involuntary annexations," said second-term Lenior City Council member Rohr.

"After the U.S. Supreme Court incorrectly allowed the practice of eminent domain for purely economic development purposes, I proposed a city resolution condemning that decision and calling for an amendment to the NC Constitution abolishing such practices," he said. "The resolution passed unanimously."

Improving public education is as much a priority for the legislative candidates, as it is for Mike Munger, Libertarian candidate for governor.

"There are many good things happening in North Carolina education," Munger says on his website. "And the path to continued improvement is to foster choice."

"We expect Governor Munger will get strong opposition from the education lobby and teacher's unions," said Irving. "So he'll need all the allies in the General Assembly he can muster."

Irving agrees with Munger that it's fashionable to bash public education, rather than sincerely seek ways to improve it. "The problem is that anyone who proposes thinking out of the box when it comes to education is beat over the head with the supposed public school mandate in the state constitution," he said.

"This selective devotion to constitutional principle is curious, since the legislature freely ignores other parts of the constitution, including the part that says 'all elections shall be free, fair, and open' by restricting the right of people to vote for anyone other than Democrats and Republicans," said Irving.

The Liberty Agenda candidates also oppose economic incentives to businesses, more properly called corporate welfare, as an immoral tax on individuals for the benefit of corporate profits. Recent news reports that the Dell computer company may sell their three-year old Winston-Salem plant, built with nearly $300 million in corporate welfare, demonstrate corporate incentives are ineffective as well as immoral, said Irving.

As proof that Libertarians will do what the say when elected, Rohr said, "I was the only local elected representative to vote against the infamous Lenoir-Google government handouts."

"Ending property theft by government, improving education, restoring fair elections, and cutting off corporate welfare -- these are just our top four issues" said Hogarth. "We will then go on to work to reduce the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and
will consistently oppose increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose."

-30-

The Liberty Agenda for North Carolina

RALEIGH (Sept. 15) -- Ending the state's power to seize private property by forced annexation and eminent domain, improving public education through competition, and restoring free, fair open elections, and cutting off corporate welfare,will be the legislative priorities for Libertarians elected to the General Assembly candidates.

The Liberty Agenda for North Carolina

We, Libertarian candidates for North Carolina General Assembly, pledge that our priority while in office will be to put Freedom First for all the state's citizens. This Agenda fully supports the campaign agenda of Mike Munger, Libertarian candidate for Governor of North Carolina.

1. Ending forced annexation and stopping private property seizure under the power of eminent domain by amending the state constitution.

Forced annexation and the seizure of private property for ostensible "public purpose" is a violation of the fundamental rights of all Americans. Forced annexation is not about providing services, or controlling growth. Forced annexation is about money. Communities should only be annexed with their consent. No government, at any level, should have the power to take or seize private property for any purpose, without the express consent of the owner and without just compensation..

2. Improving public education through school choice and competition.

We agree with Mike Munger, Libertarian candidate for governor, that it has become fashionable to bash public education rather than sincerely seek ways to improve it. There are many good things happening in North Carolina education, and the path to continued improvement is to foster choice.

The problem is that anyone who proposes thinking out of the box when it comes to education is beat over the head with the supposed public school mandate in the state constitution.

This selective devotion to constitutional principle is curious, since the legislature freely ignores other parts of the constitution, including the part that says 'all elections shall be free, fair, and open' by restricting the right of people to vote for anyone other than Democrats and Republicans.

3. Restoring free, fair and open elections to North Carolina by removing barriers to ballot access.

North Carolina has arguably the most restrictive ballot access laws in the nation. These barriers are specifically designed by the Democratic-Republican duopoly to restrict the people's freedom of choice, prevent independent and third party candidates from getting on the ballot. Elections laws also are used to restrict free speech, by limiting how much an individual can contribute to the candidate of their choice. The people should have the unregulated and unrestricted right vote for and support candidates of their choice.

4. Cutting off all corporate welfare and subsidies.

Economic incentives and subsidies, more properly called corporate welfare, are an immoral tax on individuals for the benefit of corporate profits. Recent news reports that the Dell computer company may sell their three year old Winston-Salem plant, built with nearly $300 million in corporate welfare, demonstrate that corporate incentives are ineffective as well as immoral.

Conclusion

Ending property theft by government, improving education, restoring fair elections, and cutting off corporate welfare only the beginning of the Liberty Agenda. Our goal and our pledge is to reduce the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and consistently oppose any increase in the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose.

/signed/

Kira Howe, Senate 7

Brian Irving, Senate 17

David Rollins, Senate 20

Richard Evey, Senate 44

Jesse Mignogna, House 2

Sean Haugh, House 30

Barbara Howe, House 32

Susan Hogarth, House 38

Robert Richmond, House 71

T.J. Rohr, House 87

Jeffrey Ober, House 95

Lawrence Hollar, House 96

Keith Calvelli, House 108

Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Illusion Of Majority Rule...

Please note that I am against majority rule, even though it doesn't exist in our electoral "system". I am sure my socialist friends would make the argument for mandatory voting.

I say screw all the above and govern yourself.

There are three reasons I play in the political theater.

1) A form of protest or self defense (Lysander Spooner).

2) A method of education. Using the rigged "game" as a mirror to hold before the herd so they can see their own delusional reflection. To them I say, "Your vote doesn't count, it never has!"

3) It is the last refuge for someone like me, who abhors physical violence. It occupies my time and keeps me from beating the living sh*t out of the political thugs who falsely claim to have the moral authority to govern me.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Meeting A Hero...


Sorry for the sh*t eating grin, and the backwards name badge. ;^P

I finally got to meet Dr. Paul at the Leadership Summit in Minneapolis. It was a highlight in an election cycle that allowed me the honor and privilege of serving both of my favorite libertarian heroes, Ron Paul and Dr. Mary Ruwart.

Serving as a precinct leader for Ron and a staff member for Mary afforded me the opportunity of a lifetime. Both campaigns provided me the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, the bitter with the sweet.

Both campaigns provided life changing experiences. I met many wonderful new friends, and a few enemies as well. Politics, like many activities, bring out the best, and worst in human beings.

Although both campaigns fell short of their electoral goals, they were extremely successful in inspiring those, who cherish Liberty above all else, to keep carrying the torch of self government forward, into that ever growing dark night of despotism and tyranny.

Both Good Doctors refuse to go quietly into that dark night. They will continue to preach the Gospel of Liberty because they will always make it a practice.

They both practice the Gospel they preach.

Amen...

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Good Bye To The National LP...

[I still am a proud member of the Libertarian Party of N.C. and the Cabarrus LP]

Without regret, I burned my national LP membership card tonight. Despite the rain, with the assistance of a gas/oil soaked rag, I torched that worthless piece of plastic.

This has been coming for a multitude of reasons. Bob Barr snubbing Ron Paul today in D.C. really sealed the deal.

What a idiot! Same goes for Root, an even bigger idiot and bigot!

The Barr/Root campaign is an utter embarrassment.

The national LP has sold it's collective soul for a "perception" of greater electoral success.

I hereby publicly repudiate the national LP. I still have a dear friend on the staff. I still love him and always will.

I have dear friends on the LNC. I still love them and always will.

I refuse to chose party over principle.

No regrets...

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Separate But Equal...

[From the LPNC]

RALEIGH (Aug. 28) -- WRAL TV's exclusion of the Libertarian candidate for governor from their September 9 debate amounts to a "separate but equal" policy, said Dr. Mike Munger, Libertarian candidate for governor.

The station has refused to include Dr. Munger in the debate, citing their policy of only including candidates who poll at least 10 percent. Yet the station cited no specific examples and failed to note that Dr. Munger has not been included in many of the polls.

Further, on January 17 the station sponsored a gubernatorial primary debate in which no fewer than three of the candidates were then polling at much less than 10 percent.

"So, the policy is applied arbitrarily and is simply something concocted to restrict voter access to information," charged Dr. Munger.

WRAL did invite Dr. Munger to tape a half-hour interview, which they said might be made available on their web site, as a substitute for full participation in the televised debate.

In reply to the e-mail invitation from Ms. Leesa M. Craigie, WRAL operations manager, Dr. Munger cited a 1950 civil rights case, Sweatt v. Painter. Heman Sweatt, an African-American, applied to the University of Texas Law School, but was told a "separate accommodation" would be made for him.

"This was one room, over a pool hall, with some law books," said Dr. Munger. "The State of Texas cared so much about keeping blacks out of their school that they swore, under oath, that this one-room law school was just as good as the main UT Law School, one of the best in the nation."

Sweatt rejected the alternative. "There is now a gym named after him on the UT campus," Dr. Munger noted.

"You seem to think that you are doing me a favor by offering me the equivalent of one room over a pool hall, when by any standard my application for participation in the debate deserves your full consideration," Munger wrote to Craigie.

As a media company that affects to care about the public good, WRAL should not make decisions that clearly protect the entrenched interests of the political duopoly that controls this state, said Munger. "More than 100,000 North Carolinians signed petitions to ensure that they got to exercise a real choice in November. But you are denying it to them."

Dr. Munger has testified before the U.S. Senate, been the President of an international academic society, and director of the master of public administration program at UNC-Chapel Hill. He has been chair of political science department at Duke University for nearly a decade.

"I'll not be bought off by your insulting 'one-room-over-a-pool hall' offer," he said. "I am a qualified candidate. I should be in the debate."

Munger Is The Man!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

The Right Man For The Job



Dr. Munger wowed the crowd at the Don Reid breakfast meeting in Charlotte today.

He also did quite well on WBT after the meeting.

He also treated me to lunch after his interview.

The LPNC is damn lucky to have such a fine candidate.

Disclaimer: The free lunch has nothing to with my kind words. ;^)

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Kicked Off The Ballot...


I just wanted to give a brief explanation of my battle with the General Assembly and SBOE. GS 163-107, in it's very title, says filing fees are for primary elections. The LPNC nominated me for Congress in convention. We were not allowed the privilege of having primaries. We don't want the damn privilege anyway.

In other words, Libertarians are expected to pay for a privilege that they are not allowed to have.

I call that extortion.

I refuse to pay it.

The General Assembly and SBOE can shove their unconstitutional statutes up theirs asses sideways!

BTW, sorry if my potty mouth offends anyone. Those vile and godless criminals in Raleigh should offend you.

Besides, cussing is non-violent. Our Founding Fathers would have dragged these scumbags into the streets.

These statists deserve to have their asses kicked until their noses bleed!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Dr. Mary Ruwart On The Revolution

"Revolution Begins In Our Hearts And Minds"

“There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." -- Victor Hugo

On July 4, Americans celebrate their Declaration of Independence from Britain, the official start of the American Revolution. The real beginning of this momentous war, however, was not a declaration or a gunshot, but an idea whose time had come.

This idea was indeed a revolutionary one, for it rejected the status quo that had been accepted by just about everyone. People believed that a monarchy was necessary; without it, a nation would be plunged into anarchy and chaos. Any tyranny was preferable to life without a king!

The idea behind the Declaration of Independence challenged this premise. The People were sovereign, the Declaration asserted, and had the right, if not the duty, to disempower an exploitive monarchy.

With the success of the American Revolution and the prosperity that resulted from the liberty Americans enjoyed, the idea that the People were sovereign spread like wildfire. European nations discarded or marginalized their monarchies, usually with little or no bloodshed. Even the reigning monarchies could see that there was no stopping an idea whose time had come.

Revolutions, those that are peaceful and those that are not, all start with an idea whose time has come. Today, the libertarian ideal is a revolutionary idea that rejects the status quo that has been accepted by just about everyone. People today believe that we need a government empowered to tax and regulate us; without it, most people believe that our nation would be plunged into anarchy and chaos. Any tyranny, many believe, is preferable to life without a government large and powerful enough to control any aspect of the lives of its citizens.

Of course, each of us would prefer that the government control, tax and regulate everyone but us. We lobby so that government becomes our instrument and we are the “kings.” The problem is that everyone else is trying to do the same thing. We take turns, as majorities and minorities, victims and aggressors, using government to our own advantage.

Attack dogs eventually bite the hand that feeds them. That’s exactly what’s happened with our government. Our Constitution permitted eminent domain so that government could forcibly take someone’s home when building a road. The Supreme Court decided in 2005 that anyone’s home could be condemned, taken by the government, and given to corporate interests for “economic development” (i.e., increased tax revenue). i

Our homes are no longer our castles. They are ours only if someone more influential than we are doesn’t want it.
“The specter of condemnation hangs over all property. Nothing is to prevent the State from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory.” —Justice Sandra Day O’Connor

In 2008, the Supreme Court refused to hear a landmark case in which cancer patients sued for the right to buy new drugs that had not yet received FDA approval. The lower court ruling claimed that we the People have no Constitutional right to buy potentially life-saving drugs, even if it means we will die without them!ii Whether we have access to cutting edge medical treatment is determined, not by us or our physicians, but by DC bureaucrats.

What if government couldn’t do these things? What if government wasn’t empowered to control our medicine, exercise eminent domain, tax and regulate us? What if we couldn’t rule our neighbors through government—and they couldn’t rule us? What if we were all sovereigns as long as we didn’t interfere with the sovereignty of others? What if we honored the choices of our neighbors and they honored ours? What if we were free from tyranny from monarchs, governments, and other individuals?

Freedom from tyranny from any societal entity is the libertarian ideal. A few decades ago, this idea was scoffed at by just about everyone. In the last year, the outpouring of response to Ron Paul’s libertarian rhetoric has shown that times have changed. “Liberty,” as Dr. Paul is fond of saying, “has become popular.”

The libertarian ideal is a natural extension of the American Revolution. We don’t need monarchs ruling us to be peaceful and prosperous. Indeed, we do better without them. We don’t need governments to tax and regulate us in order to be peaceful and prosperous either!

Indeed, without a government empowered to do such things, I calculate that we would be 3-18 times wealthier!iii Imagine a world where the buying power of your paycheck was tripled, quadrupled, or multiplied by a whopping 18 times!

It’s difficult to do, isn’t it? It’s tough for a Stone Age person to imagine what the Space Age would be like. When government doesn’t strangle the economy with taxes and regulations, such vast differences in our standard of living are not only possible, but probable---without anarchy and chaos.

Are you ready to embrace an idea whose time has come, an idea that promises not just change, but change for the better beyond your wildest imaginings? Can you imagine any better legacy for your children and grandchildren than a nation free of tyranny, a nation where peace and prosperity abound?

The next phase of the Revolution has already begun with an idea whose time has finally come, the libertarian ideal. Be a part of it!
“Never doubt that a small group of committed, thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” ---Margaret Mead, American anthropologist

----Mary J. Ruwart, Ph.D.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Dr. Mary Ruwart Is Coming To N.C.

Dr. Mary Ruwart will be speaking on Friday, July 25th at the Sweet Pea
Cafe (16 Union Street South)in downtown Concord. The event starts at
7:30 pm.

More details coming soon.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

I Care Not...

"Let me issue and control a nation's money, and I care not who writes its laws" - Meyer Amchel Rothschild, the largest shareholder, initiator and owner of the Federal Reserve Bank.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Steve Kubby's Excellent New Adventure...

[thanks to Paulie for this message]

Happy Anniversary!

It was exactly 2 1/2 years ago yesterday, that I headed back to the US, as a “felon” and “fugitive,” to “turn myself in,” determined to face the evil beast and defeat it once and for all.

Today, because you cared enough to help, I am a free man, with a clean record and an exciting new pharmaceutical venture. As I celebrate my victory, I am deeply grateful for all you have done to help.

I am also grateful to all those who urged me to seek the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party. Going from a prisoner ID number to a FEC Presidential Candidate ID number went a long ways towards building back my self esteem.

However, the real reward was that it led to my discovery of a new kind of cannabis medicine that is incredibly effective. That’s because running for President forced me to do a lot of traveling and, in order to comply with state and federal laws, I had to rely upon a prescription for Marinol to keep enough THC in my system to protect me.

Unfortunately, pure THC is a sloppy, unpleasant and nausea inducing drug. So I started experimenting, on myself, to see if there wasn’t a better solution. I tried all the edibles and candies, but they just knocked me out and left me dragging. I needed something that would energize me, not turn me into a bag of cement.

After a lot of experimentation, I discovered an astonishing new way to transport cannabinoids across the cell walls of the mouth and directly to the brain. My own tests on myself have shown me that my method is far more effective than any other mode, except for smoking.

My new meds look like a regular lozenge, but they pack a potent wallop of cannabinoids, in a matrix that makes it far more bioactive. Depending on the concentration I use, my meds can get me high, or meter out the dosage over an extended period of time to give me the medical benefits, without the high. Naturally, I use only whole plant extracts from organically grown plants.

This year, the emerging market for cannabinoid medicines is estimated a $1 billion. There are only two companies in this market, Cannasat, worth about $12 million and GW Pharmaceuticals, worth over $100 million. Based upon research and consultations with world authorities, I believe my new medicine will easily out perform the products currently being produced or tested.

I have started the process of assembling a world class team to investigate and help me secure licensing for my discovery. As part of my recruitment effort, I spoke to some of the top cannabinoid scientists in the world who admitted, privately, that my method is totally superior to anything else being tested or contemplated.

Winning government approval for my new medicine won’t be easy, but I am assembling a talented team to accomplish just that. My new libertarian friends, some of whom are quite successful, are helping me and we are all very excited about providing a new, highly effective medicine to help sick, disabled and dying people.

So, happy anniversary, to each and every one of you who helped make this wonderful victory possible.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Ron Paul On The Passing Of Kent Snyder

The Freedom Movement has suffered a great loss. Kent Snyder, chairman of my presidential campaign, lost his tragic battle with pneumonia last week. Kent was a true lover of liberty. He was an American patriot. He was my friend. And, he will be missed.

Kent was a gentle man who carried himself with quiet dignity. While soft spoken, great inner strength lay behind his kind blue eyes. He was filled with conviction, and principles of decency, loyalty and respect ran to his core. Those fortunate enough to work closely with Kent were touched by his integrity and old-fashioned American work ethic. Stories of his youth in Kansas and lessons taught to him by his two greatest influences, his mother and father, were often shared with friends and colleagues. During difficult times, Kent was always a calm at the center of the storm.

I first met Kent in 1987 when he, as a young man in his late 20’s, served on my first presidential run. Over the next twenty years, we worked together on countless projects in the name of Freedom. It was Kent, more than anyone else, who urged me to run again for president last year. I was skeptical, but he was much more confident that the time was right. Without Kent, I don’t think it would have happened. Though he was an optimist, in the end, even he didn’t expect what we achieved.

Like so many in our movement, Kent sacrificed much for the cause of Liberty. He sidetracked a blossoming political career when he chose to work for a third party candidate. He walked away from a lucrative career as telecommunications executive to work for me in Washington when I returned to Congress in the late ‘90’s. Ultimately, he sacrificed his health as he worked tirelessly around the clock on our presidential campaign, ignoring the pleas of his doctors to pull back.

Kent poured every ounce of his being into our fight for Freedom. He will always hold a place in my heart and in the heart’s of my family. We deeply mourn his loss.

I hope we can celebrate Kent’s life, the wonderful man he was, the tremendous success of his contribution to the cause of liberty, and the bright path he helped blaze to a future where freedom springs alive once again. Kent should be remembered with every victory we achieve as we move forward together. Without Kent Snyder, the fight for liberty would not be where it is today. We all owe him a great debt.


In liberty,
Ron Paul

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

This Revolution Is Here To Stay...

iPaul...

Statism Needs War...

"Statism needs war; a free country does not. Statism survives by looting; a free country survives by producing."

Ayn Rand

A Message From Steve Kubby...

"I’m pleased to report that all charges against me have been dismissed and my record has been expunged.

I am a free man with a clean record.

Yes, you read that right, thanks to the incredible support of my fellow libertarians, I not only survived, I PREVAILED!

Because of those who cared enough to help me and my family, I survived an indictment for 19 criminal counts amounting to a minimum of 40 years to life in prison. That indictment was backed by a $10 million grant by the US government to put me, and the medical marijuana revolution, behind bars.

For the crime of passing and then attempting to utilize a law that police, prosecutors and judges all hate, I faced the wrath of the DEA, California Attorney General, IRS, State of Nevada, CPS, Immigration Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Placer County DA.

Upon my voluntary return to the US, under a 30 day departure order, not deportation as widely reported, I was pulled off a plane and roughed up by heavily armed officers from Homeland Security, US Immigration, and US Customs.

Two days later I was in solitary confinement in cell number 420 (cops humor is suppose, but that really was my cell number), pissing blood, suffering horrible pain from my damaged kidneys, and cut off from the world. But you didn’t forget me and you came to the jail where you shook the jail walls with billowing clouds of MARIJUANA SMOKE!

Even my former wife, Rebecca Maidman, pitched in and raised several thousand dollars to purchase the Marinol that kept me alive through my ordeal.

Oh, how I wish you could have seen how they came to me and told me their phones were all tied up! The medical complex can’t do a thing because of the constant ringing of phones! The entire jail complex is on HIGH ALERT because we have no phone communications!!! WORST of all there was MARIJUANA SMOKE in the PRISON VENTILATION SYSTEM!!!

Yes, I wish you could have seen their faces when they came and told me that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors had passed a resolution calling for me to be released immediately. Truly, they looked like deer caught in the headlights. (Actually, these were all big deputies, so it was more like hippos caught in the headlights.)

Most of all, I wish you could have seen Placer County Sheriff Ed Bonner, coming to visit me in jail and greeting me with a big smile and a warm handshake. Bonner told me straight up that he thought medical marijuana was a fraud, but now he knows it is real and that law enforcement is going to have to obey the new law.

It’s sad that anyone should have to go through something like this, especially when someone has followed the rules and changed the law. However, as Dennis Peron, the true author and driving spirit behind Prop. 215, recently told me, “It is our suffering that changes the world.”

To which I can only add, “It is libertarians like you, supporting those of us on the front lines, who make real change possible!”

Ron Paul At The FFF Conference...

Ron Paul Just Won't Give Up...

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Freedom Is Not Rhetoric...

"Freedom is not rhetoric, it is the power to own your own life, make your own choices, discover the best in yourself and others. Freedom is crafting that life with the power God placed in your hands from birth. Freedom is an absolute. It is a whisper in your ear that says, take your life and live it, own it, make of it the glorious truth that speaks the best within you. The choices are yours as long as you do no harm."

Melinda Pillsbury-Foster

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Healing Choices...

If licensing laws do us more harm than good, how do we ensure that our drugs are safe and effective?

If the aggression of licensing laws ended, patients and their physicians could buy whichever drugs they felt might be helpful, regardless of the stage of testing. Since they could not competently evaluate every drug for themselves, they would probably rely on a professional or consumer's group for a status report on pharmaceuticals they were considering. Patients and physicians could choose to defer to one of these "authorities," but none could force adherence to their verdict.

Dr. Mary J. Ruwart

Liberty, Not License!

For most of us, state-of-the-art knowledge of how to stay well and get well will be the primary factor in determining how long and how well we live. Licensing limits the availability of a service, thereby lowering the overall quality delivered. Thus, we would expect our health care to be of substantially lower quality than it could be in the marketplace ecosystem undisturbed by our aggression.

Dr. Mary J. Ruwart

More Pie, Please!...

If small businesses were not stopped at gunpoint from creating goods and services, consumers would have more options and lower prices. No one would need to support enforcement agents, lobbyists, or the unemployed. Available wealth would be increased greatly and everyone's piece of the pie would be correspondingly larger.

Dr. Mary J. Ruwart

Protecting Workers From Exploitation...

In a society without minimum wage or licensing laws, disadvantaged individuals would not be excluded from creating wealth, as they are today. Opportunity for on-the-job training with pay would be readily available. If employers did not give adequate pay raises to individuals who performed well, the employees would have the option of starting their own businesses, possibly competing with their former employer. In this way, the marketplace ecosystem protects a worker from exploitation.

Dr. Mary J. Ruwart

Free From Aggression..

The "free market" is the name given to describe the marketplace ecosystem when it is free from aggression. In the 1800s, our country came closest to this ideal. As a consequence, penniless immigrants flocked to our nation to make a better life for themselves and their loved ones. America became known as the "land of opportunity" and the richest nation on earth. Wealth was the natural by-product of a marketplace ecosystem free from aggression.

Dr. Mary J. Ruwart

LP Speaks Up For Privacy...

New DNA collection raises privacy concerns

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Libertarian Party issued a statement from Executive Director Shane Cory following the announcement of the federal government's new practice of collecting DNA data from people arrested, though not convicted, for federal offenses:

"The new practice of collecting DNA data from people arrested for federal crimes raises serious privacy concerns. The government will now be compiling a databank from people arrested, though not convicted, of any federal crime. Therefore, if you are detained for a federal crime, even a minor offense in a national park, you will have your DNA stored forever with the federal government. This is a sad day for privacy rights in a country that used to value the idea of 'innocent until proven guilty.' However, this comes as no surprise given this Republican administration's eagerness to increase the power and scope of the federal government."

The Libertarian Party is America's third largest political party, founded in 1971 as an alternative to the two main political parties. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party by visiting www.LP.org. The Libertarian Party proudly stands for smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom.

For more information on this issue, or to arrange a media interview, please call Andrew Davis at (202) 333-0008 during normal business hours, or at (202) 731-0002 during any other time.

Our Own Reactions...

War and poverty are caused, not by "selfish others,"
but by our own reactions to them.
If we wish to change the world, we must first change ourselves.

Dr. Mary J. Ruwart

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

A Tax Day Message From Mary Ruwart...

“Nothing is certain but death and taxes.”

Conventional wisdom puts the so-called “necessary evil” of taxation on par with death—inevitable, unavoidable, the way the world works. Our society seems to believe that taxation is indispensable to civilization. Our ancestors once believed the same thing about slavery.

Today, we know better. Slavery is not only unnecessary to civilization, but hinders its development. What we call “evil” has a way of doing that.

One day, the “necessary evil” of taxation will be recognized for what libertarians know it to be: legalized theft, a hindrance to civilization, prosperity, harmony, and happiness.

We’ve been so conditioned to accept taxation, that we often forget it’s an “evil.” Yet if we closely examine the process of taxation, we find it looks a lot like stealing.

Imagine, for example, that we wanted to have a new neighborhood park. We could get together with other neighbors who wanted the same thing and raise the necessary funds. We could even hire a manager to do this if we didn’t want to.

If some of our neighbors didn’t want to contribute, they wouldn’t have to. If they changed their mind later, however, they might have to pay an extra entry fee. Everyone would be free to choose whether or not they wanted to help create a park.

However, we usually prefer not to honor our neighbor’s choice. If we are part of a majority that wants the park, we vote to impose a tax on all of our neighbors, even those who don’t want a park or wouldn’t use one. The majority forces the minority to its will. The minority is no longer free to choose.

If one of our neighbors refuses to pay the park tax, he or she will be forced—at gunpoint, if necessary— to do so. For example, if the new tax is a property tax, a lien will be placed on the dissenting person’s home. Eventually, if the tax is not paid, armed officers will forcibly evict our neighbors from their home. If they resist, they may even be shot and killed, yet they have harmed no one. Their only crime is that they didn’t agree with the majority about how their hard-earned money should be spent.

Most of the time, our dissenting neighbors will pay the tax before they are forced to do so at gunpoint. Eventually, they will retaliate in kind by becoming part of a majority that opposes what we might prefer. For example, people who don’t want a park may want a library instead. They will vote to force us to pay a library tax, even though we buy our reading material at a bookstore rather than patronize a library.

With taxation, we take turns being minorities and majorities, victims and aggressors. We become irate and belligerent as the stakes escalate, reminiscent of the famous Hatfield and McCoy feud.

You can see this interplay in the verbal venom used by the liberals and conservatives, as they decry the way the other group wants to spend your hard-earned money. They never question whether or not your money should be forcibly taken from you in the first place. They clearly believe that it is their “divine right” to do so.

Libertarians believe that it is your divine right to spend your money as you wish. If you are smart enough to earn it, you are smart enough to spend it. Stealing from Peter to pay Paul is still stealing. Taxation is indeed an evil, an evil that tempts us to grab as much as we can from each other. Voting for a tax is a declaration of war on our neighbors and is eventually responded to in kind. No wonder we have so much strife in our fair land!

Not only is taxation “evil,” it’s unnecessary as well. When government provides a service, it costs us twice as much as a private firm would charge us (for examples, see my book, “Healing Our World,” available as a bound book (2003 edition) or a free download (1992 edition) at www.ruwart.com). If we all spent our money the way we chose to, instead of trying to tax each other, we’d have twice as much to spend. Imagine how much better off we’d be! Civilization would flourish, instead of being suppressed. Harmony would be restored.

The only major party candidate who understands that taxation is an unnecessary evil is Dr. Ron Paul, GOP hopeful, and 1988 Libertarian Party presidential nominee. If he doesn’t get the Republican Party’s nomination, many supporters will write in his name on their ballots. Sadly, such loyalty will go unreported by the press, since write-in votes are rarely counted and even more rarely reported.

I see only one way that his supporters can make their voices heard if Dr. Paul doesn’t receive the GOP nomination. If the Ron Paul Revolution votes en masse for the Libertarian Party (LP) candidates, including the presidential nominee, the LP will receive an unprecedented number of votes. The Ron Paul Revolution votes will likely land LP candidates in local and state offices, and empower them to help Dr. Paul with his programs.

The press tied the libertarian label closely to Ron Paul. The Revolution will get credit for the surge in LP interest. Sympathetic politicians may feel it’s safe to come out of the closet and support Congressman Paul’s proposals.

Of course, all this is possible only if the LP runs a principled Libertarian and Ron Paul supporter for their presidential candidate. I propose to be that candidate. I have supported Dr. Paul’s congressional campaigns since 1988 and have been active in his presidential run. Dr. Paul has supported me by endorsing my book, “Healing Our World,” and writing President Bush in support of my application for FDA Commissioner some years ago. As the LP presidential nominee, I will refer to Dr. Paul’s ongoing efforts, such as passage of the “Health Freedom Protection Act,” as part of my program to deregulate the health care industry.

If Ron Paul does get the GOP nomination, what a wonderful dilemma we will face. I would be delighted to educate voters on choosing between the greater of two goods, rather than trying to discourage them from voting against the lesser of two evils!

Originally published by the Arizona Libertarian Party.

Dr. Mary J. Ruwart is current seeking the Libertarian nomination for President of the United States. Visit her website at http://www.votemary2008.com.

Monday, April 14, 2008

N.C. Libertarians Nominate Candidates...

LIBERTARIANS NOMINATE DUKE PROFESSOR FOR GOVERNOR

RALEIGH (April 13) -- Dr. Michael Munger was nominated as the Libertarian candidate for North Carolina Governor today at the party's state convention in Burlington. Dr. Munger is a professor and chair of the Duke University political science, economics, and public policy departments.

"We have have planted the tree of liberty, now it's time to pick the fruit," Dr. Munger told the convention after the unanimous vote.

His campaign themes will be controlling municipal aggression against property, establishing a broad-based education vouchers system, ending corporate welfare, and imposing a moratorium on capital punishment.

"We're not the third party in North Carolina," Dr. Munger declared. "In many legislative districts we are the second party, since nearly half of the General Assembly seats are unopposed races."

The Libertarian Party is on the verge of collecting the nearly 70,000 signatures required by law in order to be recognized as a political
party by the State Board of Elections.

Libertarians also nominated candidates for state and local officers. Mark McMains of Fuguay-Varina was nominated for Insurance Commissioner. Thomas Hill of Concord was nominated for U.S. Congress District 8.

Libertarian candidates for the General Assembly are: Sean Haugh, House 30; Lawrence Hollar, House 96; Susan Hogarth, House 38; Barbara Howe, House 32; Brian Irving, Senate 17; Richard Evey, Senate 44, and; Stephanie Watson, Senate 16.

Paul Elledge is the candidate for Guilford County Commissioner at-large.

Dr. Mary Ruwart of Texas, a candidate for the Libertarian presidential nomination, was the overwhelming choice of delegates in a non-binding straw poll. Several other presidential candidates attended the convention, including former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel and former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr.

Libertarians amended their platform, adding a plank calling on the state to "refuse to implement any national identification program," like the Real ID. Additional new planks include a call for the the repeal of all local sign ordinances as an infringement on free speech, a repeal of state regulations that prohibit the reuse of privately owned water on private property, and a call to stop fluoridation of public water supplies.

The convention filled several vacancies on the state executive committee, chose delegates to the Libertarian National Convention in
Denver, May 23 to 25, and selected Presidential Electors.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Why You Should Nominate Mary Ruwart...

Some words of wisdom from long time LP activist, Melinda Pillsbury-Foster...

If the Heartland's 5-state straw poll is any indication, the LP has sadly lost its way and forgotten the core values that brought it into existence nearly two generations ago now. Some few of us still remember the tears that welled in our eyes when we came together to work for the vision that is America. Like no other nomination in our history this one matters and this is why.

The original idea was freedom for all of us, man and woman, every race, every kind and part of that cantankerous collation of living, beating spirits who comprise humanity. We felt that in those opening days, saw ourselves as new revolutionaries fighting a new battle for a war never truly won. It was all about the individual; it was never about playing into the frame of corporate glitz that is strangling America today. Now, at a time when the make up of those seeking our nomination clearly indicates that American politics faces a realignment of political parties, we need to choose for principle. This is the time for which we have been waited so long. Everything tells us so.


No one anticipated that a cantankerous family doctor from Texas, his words ignored for so long, would become an icon. But it happened. It happened because America is ready to hear the truth about freedom from the Party that made freedom its unifying goal. Dr. Paul gave Americans the thing for which they most hunger, hope and the promise of a renewed freedom. That ground swell awakened hundreds of thousands of Americans to the reasons America lost its way. War, corporate greed, rapacious government, the strangling of hope from all sides. Some among us decided that efficiency was a greater virtue than individual rights. Some of us came with only one issue clutched to our heart, the other issues we shrugged off as irrelevant. Too often we ignored the always present truth that until all are free no one is.


In all of these ways we went a long way down the path to losing everything that really matters. Now, we can redeem all the errors. This is the moment when we rediscover freedom for ourselves and help all Americans find it for the first time. We need the right candidate, and when you finish reading this the right candidate will be obvious.


To be a Libertarian is to understand that the people must govern themselves. To be a Libertarian is to know, down to your innermost being, that you own yourself. When you realize that you stand up a little straighter, feel the ease of tension across your back.


We have settled for words, rhetoric, that while well honed, was empty of the truth found only in action. It is actions, not words, that matter. True liberty is what we live. Ron Paul's message resonated because his actions, a full measure, speak his truth. That is the message for which Americans hunger; Not words but a life-time of proven truth.


We need a candidate we can trust, who understands us because they have withstood the terrible temptations of power. We need a candidate with honor we can take to the bank, not just another practiced salesman with eyes on the potential for publicity this nomination could bring. Most of all, we need a candidate who understands what it means to be a Libertarian.


And because this is a realigning campaign we need a candidate who can do the job if elected. If we ever had the opportunity to smash the two party system this is the moment. To grasp that opportunity we need a candidate who has been a consistent Libertarian and who can bring into their campaign people from both Right and Left. By so doing we could, finally, elect a Libertarian president. That is not an opportunity to be wasted.


That said, these are the candidates who offered themselves.


Wayne Allen Root, who received 22 votes is a polished speaker. He has practiced speaking the words of freedom. But what does his life say to us when examined? His professional association is with the gambling industry and he intends to recruit on-line gamblers who are angry with the government for Internet restrictions on their favorite pastime. Root has been a LP member for only a short time and has no record of activity with his state party. Root's presidential run is his first LP campaign ever.


Until late February, Root told delegates that we needed to be in Iraq, but has recently changed his tune. Root uses his initials (WAR) proudly all over his web site. Root has been getting prime radio spots and some TV exposure because of his reputation in the gambling industry. Root might play well in Nevada, his home state, but how is the LP going to play to the public with a gambler at the top of our ticket? For years we've fought the image of gun-toting pot heads who advocate prostitution. The kind of media coverage we're going to get with Root may brand us for decades. It will speak a powerful negative to our allies in the anti-war and peace movements.


The candidate is not words. The candidate is the message Americans will hear.


Next in line was Bob Barr, who has not formally announced his candidacy, but is expected to do so shortly. A former Republican congressman, Barr's reputation as a drug warrior, Patriot Act supporter, and homophile have all been well-documented. Barr converted to the LP a couple years ago and currently serves on the LNC.


Barr probably has the most name recognition of any candidate, except Mike Gravel. He also has the most checkered past. Barr is actively hated by the gay community for his authorship of the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies the federal benefits of marriage to same-sex couples. The LP will alienate the gay community, one of the LP's strongest support bases, with Barr.


But that's just the beginning. Barr is also the author of the legislation, which has effectively ended the possibility of medical marijuana in DC. The MPP recently paid the newly-reformed Barr big bucks to unsuccessfully lobby against his own legislation. Barr is likely to alienate yet another of the LP's staunchest allies, those who want to end drug prohibition.


Barr now regrets his support for the Patriot Act, as do many others. I realize that he says he has had a change of heart and I am thrilled to have Bob in our party. However, we all must live with the consequences of our actions. Bob voted for the most egregious piece of legislation to pass through Congress in our lifetimes without even seeing it. He has been a typical Republican for many years, and only flip-flopped to the LP recently when the Republicans no longer had any use for him. His candidacy only serves to divide this party.


This background gives the media carte blanche to blacken the LP's name. I can just see the headlines now: "Drug Warrior Receives LP Presidential Nomination." "Patriot Act Supporter Nominated by Libertarians." "Author of Marriage Defense Act to head the Libertarian ticket."


Since Barr got 19 votes, when not even present, he could possibly, according to the straw poll, be the LP's leading contender. The LP should welcome former evil-doers with open arms once they sincerely reject their past. Should they become the LP's standard-bearer, when that same past will alienate large segments of the LP? Isn't that a steep price to pay a little more media exposure, and potentially damaging exposure at that? We have fallen for the promises of big money and huge media attention before, and what did it get us? Nothing! It is time we stop believing in empty promises and select the best Libertarian nominee we can. We should have a messenger at the top of the ticket that we can be proud of, not one that we will have to make excuses for during the whole campaign!


Does Barr send a message that says NO to the concentration of power in Washington DC? Ask yourself and be honest.


Placing third was former Democrat Gravel, party member for all of 7 days. Gravel supports universal health care, a subject which he carefully avoided during the debate. As stated in the debate, he wants to replace the income tax with the Fair Tax (which appears to be about the only thing he and Bob Barr agree upon), rather than do away with it altogether. Two-time LP candidate Harry Browne used "eliminate the income tax and replace it with nothing" as his signature issue. Republican candidate and former LP nominee Ron Paul garnered a lot of support pledging to do the same thing. Will Libertarians back off from their "taxation is theft" stand in the hopes that Gravel's, or Barr's, name recognition will garner them a few new votes?


And what about Gravel's signature issue, total democratic referendum, where every piece of legislation is passed not by Congress, but by direct vote of the people? The Constitution is out the window if a slick ad campaign can convince a majority of the voters to do so, an easy sell in the days of public education. Ron Paul has demonstrated that a large segment of our population is set on fire by the Constitution, but it looks like the LP is ready to throw the Constitution to the flames in the hopes for a bit of media.


Mike Gravel has done heroic things for America – but he has not even begun to understand freedom.


Running fourth in a field of over a dozen candidates is Dr. Mary J. Ruwart, long-term libertarian author and activist. Ruwart, a cancer survivor, has claimed for years that she would rather write than campaign. She has lived freedom, showing her courage in quiet ways that last, speaking loudly to those who know her. Eloquent and yet able to touch her audience, she is the author of Healing Our World, Short Answers to the Tough Questions, and an Advocates for Self-Government web-column. Through a career decades long she, like Ron Paul, has stayed on message in her own life as well as in what she says.


No other candidate has campaign books while Ruwart has a comprehensive libertarian primer and a short version for our public school graduates. Her life proves that what matters to her is freedom. She is one of the few who have extended the reach of the freedom message to the Left, and there she also has a following.


Ruwart decided to run not because one person asked her but because many veteran LPers asked saying they desperately needed an experienced, principled candidate. Ruwart, a veteran of close to a dozen state and local races, garnered one of the first major news endorsements (The Detroit News for State Board of Ed).


You may well be one of the many she has brought to the LP.


Ruwart brings the people together. She sees every person is a potential libertarian because everyone benefits from liberty and her fervor is tangible. She not only explains Libertarianism, she has lived it. When someone sits down with her to listen they understand our message from both heart and mind. They learn the same things by watching her live her own life. Man, woman and child, they get the message.


Mary is what we need. We must stop acting out of desperation. We must never fear that Americans cannot understand that vital, inner need to be free. The Ron Paul Revolution has proven the opposite to be true. Self doubt has made us weak just when we most need to be strong.


Go to Denver and nominate Mary Ruwart as your candidate for president. Give Americans the opportunity to see what freedom means when someone has lived it all of their life, in every way. If you really believe in freedom then believe in Mary.