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!

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. ;^)

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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...

A Past Interview Of Dr. Ruwart...

Dr. Ruwart On Anti-War Radio...

http://antiwar.com/radio/2008/05/07/mary-ruwart/

Dr. Mary Ruwart On Healthcare...

Is She Tough Enough?..

Dr. Ruwart At LPNC Convention...