Here Comes the Attack Letter!

by: AuGeo

Thu May 20, 2010 at 19:44:32 PM MDT

More silliness below fold

Phillies on MA Ballot Access

by: AuGeo

Wed May 19, 2010 at 10:27:16 AM MDT

Situation on Massachusetts Libertarian Ballot Access

Recently -- hey, I'm a candidate, did you expect my opponents to say nice things about me? -- a number of bizarre rumors have arisen about Massachusetts Libertarian ballot access.  Please note that I am one member of the state committee, our chair is David Blau, and our state committee has uniformly been unanimous on these questions. In particular:

#1) False rumor: Massachusetts Libertarians are about to lose ballot access.  

Truth: This year, you can run for partisan office here on the "Libertarian line".  In 2012, you will be able to run for partisan office here on the "Libertarian line". In every other future year, you will be able to run for partisan office here on the "Libertarian line".  That's true no matter who we Massachusetts Libertarians run or do not run for office in 2010.  There is no legal way to change this situation. [Ballot aside: In most town ballots, the candidate names appear in a vertical column, with the Party Designation in slightly smaller print on the line after the name.]

#2) False rumor: I declined an offer to run for Secretary of State as a Libertarian.

Truth: I am not legally eligible to run for Secretary of State.  If anyone had asked -- they didn't -- I would have told them so. [Why? I'm Libertarian State Treasurer, and our state law says that Treasurers of State-filing PACs may not be candidates for public office.]

#3) False rumor: I kept Barr off the Ballot in Massachusetts.

Truth: Barr was on the ballot here.  He was on the ballot here because I personally organized the litigation that got him on the ballot.  He was on the ballot here because I spent thousands of dollars of my own money to collect signatures.  He was on the ballot here because the signature distribution process to Town Clerks, and later the collection and transmission to the Secretary of State, was staged out of my house.

#4) False rumor: The Massachusetts Party is not running anyone for statewide office.

Truth: In Massachusetts, parties cannot put candidates on the ballot.  Candidates have to put themselves on the ballot.  Getting on the ballot is either so easy that you can do it yourself (State Rep, 150 signatures) or so challenging (Secretary of State, 5000 signatures)  that getting on the ballot costs thousands and thousands of dollars.  Of that great expense, the state Libertarians can legally give a candidate for non-Federal office five hundred dollars.  To my knowledge, the libertarian candidates in this state with money are running this year for Congress.

#5) False rumor: After this election, Massachusetts Libertarians will have minor party status and find it harder to get on the ballot as Libertarians.

Truth: In Massachusetts, it is easier to get on the ballot as a minor party candidate than as a major party candidate, for every office except President. Yes, that's the opposite of some other states. If you are a minor party candidate, any registered voter can sign your nominating papers. If you are a major party candidate, registered voters who belong to other major parties can not sign your nominating papers. No matter your party connection, for each office the required number of signatures is exactly the same for all candidates.  Last Winter, Joe Kennedy ran for U.S. Senate.  The press covered him as a "Libertarian".  He was running on the "Liberty Party" line.  He notes that if he had tried to run as a Libertarian, he would have failed to get on the ballot.  

Root for President in 2012?

by: Forwarder

Sun Apr 04, 2010 at 07:52:49 AM MDT

http://www.youtube.com/v/LGWkV...

featuring a video interview with Wayne Root by the Brunson Brothers Media Group.  The exact date of the interview is not given, but references to the Greek financial crisis make it recent.  

In the interview, Root indicates that he will be running for our party's Presidential nomination in 2012.

What my friends and I did for Massachusetts Libertarians

by: AuGeo

Thu Feb 25, 2010 at 19:16:14 PM MST

How LAMA has changed since the 2006 State Convention - and all for the better.

In 2006, the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts was in sufficient straits that its regular yearly convention, which should have been called for April, did not occur.  The State Committee had not met for three-quarters of a year.  Finally, in May the outbound State Chair to his great credit asked Carol McMahon and I to organize and hold the next State Convention, which due to Bylaws constraints could be held no earlier than September.

We held the Convention, an almost entirely new State Committee being elected.   Carol and I were re-elected.  Long time Membership Secretary Jeff Chase was elected as a voting member; long-time Treasurer Walter Ziobro came back.

Root Makes Clear He Is Chair Candidate

by: AuGeo

Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 21:21:15 PM MST

A few weeks ago, CA Libertarian Party Judicial Committee Chair  (and LNC Chair candidate) Mark Hinkle circulated to some number of libertarians a formal statement on behalf of the Judicial Committee of the Libertarian Party of California.  The statement read:

"For Immediate Release:

On Tuesday, January 26, 2010, the Judicial Committee of the Libertarian Party of California issued a ruling that overturned the suspension of a member by a vote of 5-0.  While Robert's Rules of Order prevents the Judicial Committee from revealing the details of the proceedings, the Judicial Committee finds that it may comment on certain inaccurate information circulating about this case.  The suspension of the member by the Executive Committee was not for the commission of any crime, the Judicial Committee was not asked to render a decision that depended on the determination of whether or not the member had committed any crime, and the statements of the causes for suspension that were submitted to the Judicial Committee did not pertain to any such crime.

The Judicial Committee recognizes that the Executive Committee acted within the authority granted to it by the Party Bylaws to vote to suspend a member for a specific cause or causes.  The member also acted within the Bylaws by appealing the suspension to the Judicial Committee.  The Judicial Committee met the time lines delineated by the Bylaws and held an extensive hearing during which both parties had the opportunity to present their cases and call witnesses.  Following the hearing, the Judicial Committee carefully reviewed the statement of the causes, and the evidence and arguments, which had been submitted to it.  The Judicial Committee concluded that neither the Executive Committee nor the member presented their respective cases effectively.  The Executive Committee not having met the burden of proof on the causes as stated, and the Judicial Committee not being empowered nor inclined to extend or substitute for the stated causes, the Judicial Committee accordingly rendered a decision to overturn the suspension and restore the individual's membership as provided for under Section 6 of Bylaw 5.

Privacy considerations which are described in Robert's Rules of Order, as well as past precedents from membership suspensions by the Executive Committee, prevent the members of the Judiciary Committee from making any more specific comments with regard to this case.  Individual members of the Judicial Committee are of course always free (as is any member of the Party) to advocate for improvements in such things as declarations of Party membership requirements and the quality of administrative procedures, but such advocacy should not be assumed to reflect on the merits of this individual case.

The Judicial Committee has reviewed and affirmed its decision of Tuesday, January 26, 2010."

Wayne Root's response appears below the fold.

Root Announces for Chair

by: AuGeo

Sun Jan 31, 2010 at 09:34:14 AM MST

The text of the letter reads:

This matter has been off my radar as I run multiple businesses, do hundreds of media interviews about Obama, Obamacare, and "state of the union", and run a family of 6. I try to stay out of LP affairs- especially on the state level. This was for California to handle. I just cannot get involved in every intra-party issue.

But now that these results are public, I may very well weigh in.

All I can say without knowing all the facts yet, is this is precisely why I'm going to run for National Chairman.

I'm sure you are well aware of how I felt about the opinions written in a book by a potential LP candidate for President in 2008. Those opinions on the topic of "age of consent" shocked and sickened me. I was the ONLY major LP figure that spoke out loudly.

This decisions sounds even worse.

I will look into it and do whatever I can to fight it, reverse it, and/or prevent it from ever happening again.

But the whole incident highlights the problems and disconnect from reality that have held this party back for 39 years... and why I'm running for National Chair- TO DRAMATICALLY CHANGE "business as usual."

"The incident" refers to a matter now covered on Independent Political Report

Hawkridge Endorses Phillies for National Chair

by: Forwarder

Sat Jan 30, 2010 at 19:01:34 PM MST

We desperately need a National Chair who focuses on supporting activism, recruiting candidates, and raising money.  We desperately need a National Chair who focuses on administration, not someone who will continue factional conflicts.

We desperately need a National Chair who welcomes all into the party - Radicals, Reformers, Minarchists, Anarchists, Centrists, Pagans, Christians, sex workers in fabulous costumes and professional business people in three-piece suits -- but who insists that it is libertarians who will guide our party's direction.

I am endorsing and supporting the one man who will focus on these goals - and who is committed to supporting candidates.  Candidate support should be our primary mission.  No longer will our budget allot zero for candidate support.

My candidate sees the value and necessity of educational outreach, not to mention collaboration with outside groups when we agree on issues.

That's why I endorse and support Dr. George Phillies for National Chair.  Please join me.