Categories
Libertarian

Non-Voting is Principled Political Self-Defense

If a man claims the right to dictate your life to you, and you laugh in his face, are you giving up your right to self-defense? That’s what Libertarian Party member Morey Straus claims in his essay The trouble with voluntaryists. What separates anti-political libertarians from principled partyarchs is the advocacy of a vulgar form […]

Categories
Asides

I’ve Evolved … into an Anarchist

I never questioned the legitimacy of governments. Their history is rife with examples of some people using them to initiate violence against others, but I just thought they needed reform – and I thought “mine” was better. How misguided I was. Despite the nationalistic propaganda we’re endlessly fed in schools and the media, the US […]

Categories
Libertarian

The LP is dead. Long live the LP!

The Libertarian Party has lost its way. We who seek a more libertarian, transparent and effective LP need to work together today to build a replacement LP so we can sweep internal elections next year and quickly put the LP back on track as a force for mobilizing opposition to expanding government power. On the […]

Categories
Libertarian

What should LP Transparency Advocates Work on First?

A few weeks ago I stated my intention to form an LP Transparency Caucus. I’d like to form a Transparency Caucus in the LP in order to identify what concrete and specific steps we can take to be more open and to restore people’s trust as well as to field a slate of candidates for […]

Categories
Politics

LNC Members Speak Out on Executive Session

After the September Libertarian National Committee (LNC) meeting and the resulting hubbub about executive session, I decided to approach LNC members – current and former – to see what their thoughts were on their own use of executive session. I contacted all current LNC members via email but only eight of twenty-five chose to respond. […]

Categories
Misc

September LNC Meeting Minutes Correction

The minutes for the September LNC meeting state: LP member George Donnelly put together a list of Libertarian candidates as noted on various state websites which has proven to be quite useful. This has generated some controversy, so I’d like to clarify exactly what happened. After I noticed Paulie Cannoli had put together a list […]

Categories
Politics

Last Chance to serve on 2010 LP Platform Committee!

If you’d like to serve on the platform committee for the next convention, please write up an email that includes three sample platform planks and a short essay on your qualifications and send it to LP Secretary Sullentrup. Angela Keaton writes: Platform Committee will be chosen at the San Diego meeting. You should send the […]

Categories
Politics

Why I Joined the Boston Tea Party

A libertarian political party should be (a) transparent, (b) bottom-up and not excessively hierarchical, (c) structurally free of common causes for infighting and schisms (like the platform), and (d) member-oriented. This is true of the Boston Tea Party. Sadly, this is not true of the Libertarian Party of 2008. Parallels with the Free State Project […]

Categories
Politics

LNC Falls Short of Own Policies on Transparency, Due Process

The Libertarian National Committee (LNC) Policy Manual, 44 pages of rules, responsibilities and procedures for the LNC and LP headquarters, was released this week by Marc Montoni of the Virginia LP. Dated June 26 of this year, a close reading of the manual reveals significant differences between policy and practice in the national Libertarian Party.