Michigan Libertarian: June 2014, Volume 43:06

Welcome to the June 2014 issue of the online newsletter of the Libertarian Party of Michigan, the Michigan Libertarian. The newsletter is our main vehicle for sharing what's happening for Libertarians in Michigan. You may manage your subscription by going here or visiting our Website www.michiganlp.org).

““Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is the highest political end.”—Lord Acton

Happy June everyone! Warm weather, graduations, weddings, Father’s Day and Flag Day. It’s also when Libertarian candidates begin to get their campaigns in full swing. Let the games begin!

First I would like to thank the Libertarian Party of Livingston County for organizing and hosting a great state convention. Kudos to Roger Young and crew. The food was good, Ty Hicks of Young Americans for Liberty was inspiring, Tatiana Moroz gave a wonderful concert and like most conventions a little drama to make things interesting.

Second I would like to thank Lorence Wenke, for the beautiful cyclamen. Surprisingly I haven’t killed mine yet. They’re pretty hearty. The delegation selected a good group of 36 candidates for 2014. Not as many as in previous nominating conventions but all ready to promote the message of liberty! Thank you for stepping up and giving the voters a real choice. You can view the list on the LPM webpage. Just click on candidates and current election. Please provide to Webmaster Brian a link to your web page or political Facebook page.

Our political director will be organizing some political training sessions soon and those who are attending the national convention in Columbus the end of this month there will be some candidate training sessions there as well. Speaking of national the LPM will sending a full slate of delegates along with a few alternates. Reminder you do not need to be a delegate to attend. I believe there are packages and rooms still available. Go to LP.org if you’re interested.

The newly elected LEC has some returning members and some new faces. Hopefully together we can put this party in drive instead remaining on idle. Returning members: Chair Mary Buzuma, Vice Chair Scotty Boman, Secretary Jim Fulner, Treasurer Kim Moore, and At-Large Kipp Welch. New members At-Large: Ron Taylor, Karl Jackson, Jeff Wood and James Weeks II. Finally, you the membership wanted the LPM at more events –you got it! Our Lady Liberty wowed ‘em at the Portage Memorial Day Parade. See the full article in the newsletter. Now to Columbus and beyond!

The LPM 2014 Convention in Howell, Michigan, State Convention was a splendid affair. This year’s state convention saw the selection of the following major top of ticket candidates for the 2014 general election:

In state senate districts, the following were selected: Jeff Wood (22), Jim Young (11), Bill Wenzel (26), and notably—because the selectee is a former Republican state representative and successful national businessman—Lorence Wenke (20). A full list of candidates and Michigan LP delegates to the LP national convention in Columbus, Ohio, 26-29 June, 2014, appears here.

LPM Officers for the 2014 Season LEC2014 are shown above right: From left to right: Scotty Boman, Ron Taylor, Jim Fulner, James Weeks II, Jeff Wood, Kimberly Moore, Kipp Welch II, Mary Buzuma, Karl Jackson — Thanks to Ron Taylor for the photo and the awesome Astral Projection motif: Picard, DATA, and the LPM Enterprise crew StarDate 2014.05.17

Judicial Committee Bill Hall, Larry Johnson, Rodger Young. Congratulations to all who valiantly won and to all who valiantly participated! Now let’s everyone get cracking: we have a lot of learning and acting and leading to do.

Brighton-MI. The Libertarian candidate for Michigan’s Eighth Congressional District has been in the headlines as the result of a protest he organized. James Weeks II organized a rally to protest the fact that a teenager, Colin Anderson, was fined $200 for saying, “This is fucking bullshit” in earshot of a Brighton police officer. Weeks named the rally after the phrase Anderson was punished for saying.

In the days leading up to the May 31st protest, Weeks was featured on mainstream radio and television newscasts. This, in a market where libertarian campaigns are typically ignored. Regional print news articles were published in the Livingston Daily, Brighton Patch, the Lansing State Journal, the Fenton Patch, and The Detroit Free Press. Michigan radio stations also covered Week’s involvement in the event. They included WHMI and Michigan Radio. Weeks appeared on some or Michigan’s local television stations including WNEM, WXYZ, and WDIV.

However, the story didn’t stop in his home state. It was also picked up by publications in other states including the East Idaho News, Inquisitr, and Political Moll. Radio stations carrying the story in other states included KMBZ, WPRO, and WMAL. However, the largest audience was reached when ABC News picked up the story. Of course the alternative media also announced plans for the protest including Adam vs. the Man, the Libertarian Republican, and Police State USA.

While the planning of the rally was well-publicized, reports on the rally were limited. WXYZ and WNEM reported protests by teenagers, but failed to mention the Libertarian component, WHMI reported small attendance. According to Weeks, the Livingston Daily was there as well. Weeks told the Michigan Libertarian that, “We had around 60 protesters, an average of 30 at any time. From grandmothers to teenagers.” He said that while many of the protesters practiced “civil disobedience” there was at least as much swearing by hecklers who disapproved of the protest: “We had a mixed reaction, everything from support to people swearing at us.”

Weeks went on to say, “We got flipped the bird a few times. It was funny because they where engaging in civil disobedience and didn't even know it. I loved it. But just about as many people supported us as opposed us, [with] honks, hand shakes, yelling supportive things, and waving as they drove by.” In spite of the colorful language, nobody was ticketed. In fact, Weeks claims the police retreated. “just about the entire Brighton Police Department was watching us, hiding behind buildings, peaking out at us. Every time we noticed them, we moved to where they where, then they moved away until they finally got in their cars and left.”

The Michigan Libertarian attempted to contact the Brighton Police for their side of the story, but the receptionist said that only the Chief could be interviewed and that he wouldn’t be available until Thursday.

While protesters, park officials and journalists have focused on the words Colin Anderson used, the law in Brighton does not prohibit the utterance of “fucking bullshit,” nor does it prohibit any other words or phrases. After repeatedly calling the Brighton Police Department on June second and asking which words were prohibited, the Michigan Libertarian reached Sergeant Bradford who said that the ordinance didn't specify any particular words. When asked to identify the ordinance he said he couldn’t get to it saying, “My hands are full of fingerprint powder right now.”

Before reaching Bradford, the Michigan Libertarian reached an anonymous woman and asked which words were illegal in the City of Brighton. She told the author that he would have to wait to speak to the Chief on Thursday. This reporter asked, “If I were to visit Brighton today, how would I know if I were using illegal words.” She repeated that only the chief could answer that question. The reporter then said, “Since I need to finish this article before then, I will have to report that visitors have no way of knowing if they are breaking the law because the City of Brighton refuses to tell people ahead of time what’s illegal.”

She replied that that would be incorrect information, but hung up when asked what information would be correct. While the Chief was not available for an interview, James Weeks said he had previously spoken to Police Chief Tom Wightman on this issue. According to Weeks, “The police chief says ‘any language [the officer thinks] breaches the peace’ is banned.” ... to be continued in the next Michigan Libertarian (and on the Website).

This year the Portage Memorial Day parade had a new participant - Lady Liberty. She was definitely a hit with the thousands of spectators that lined the mile long parade route down Westnedge Ave to the Portage Veterans Memorial.

The float was accompanied by Jason Brandenburg, his family and members of the newly formed Kalamazoo Libertarian Group; Arnis Davidsons, Chair of the Libertarian Party of West Michigan and Mary Buzuma, State Chair of the Libertarian Party of Michigan who waved to the crowd and passed out candy for the kids. Many thanks to Lorence Wenke, Libertarian candidate for State Representative District 60 and his crew at Wenke Greenhouse for giving “the lady” a class ride.

Although the atmosphere was festive with the floats, bands, politicians, antique cars and veterans groups it had its somber moments. The playing of taps, the gun salutes and the words of Tom Edmonds, former Kalamazoo County sheriff and a retired brigadier general of the Air National Guard, remind us, “It does not to signify a holiday to celebrate the coming of summer…nor is it an opportunity for the commercialization of sales. It is a time to remember and honor those who have died for our nation. It is a time to reflect on our freedom and how to preserve it.”

Memorial Day Weekend 2014 was upon us. Hearing that a spirited group of people from all political persuasions would be marching in support of the "Agent Orange" corporation Monsanto for its beneficence in altering the genetic composition of such crops formerly known as corn and soybeans, thus to create assorted health challenges for babies and others, I knew I had to check it out. [Darwin and reputable scientists have maintained that selection of the fittest keeps a species on its toes, assuring that only the strong survive. In other words, GMOs are good for you.] So I did. I pointed my vintage Mercury Villager, with the Ron Paul sticker on the front bumper and 'Snowden-Manning 2016' on the back, down the road to the environs of Wolverine City.

Memories flooded over me as I walked from the parking structure to my destination. The first LPM official office was located on State street across from the main square where all the antiwar protests took place in the 70s. Indeed, I believe this Wazoo awning covered the actual doorway of address 336, the original headquarters, or close to it for sure. Bringing to mind ghosts of Jim Greenshields, an early secretary or something, but definitely an activist who relished combatting all the leftists at then Commie U. [While many have held that libertarians went awry in not leading the antiwar movement, you had to be there: the legitimate peace people were coopted in a hurry by scary collectivist yingyangs from all corners, and I'm sure floods of agent provocateurs/hard drug pushers from our own neo-Nazi war machine. These young people were NOT generally interested in peace or being led to liberty, at best it was 'get high and get laid.' Okay, so some things haven't changed.]

One of the advantages of being near the standard retirement age as well as an early Libertarian in Michigan is you remember how it was. If you want to know, contact James Hudler, too, who was once a lot younger and at the epicenter of the Way We Were. I lived in the Detroit area and attended Wayne State (sorry I called UofM Commie U above, compared to Wayne State, UofM was like Hillsdale College in those days), so typically when anything of general LPM importance was going on a bunch of us Randian individualist types would climb in a car and barrel westbound on I-94 to get into the action. Once as a dirty trick we rented a van and labeled it Free Haircuts and Fumigation: Ticks, Lice, Fleas; then parked it off the Quad. Priceless to see the expressions. [That's actually not true, but down at Wayne State some of us braver souls did set up a grape concession in the campus center grounds... DURING THE CESAR CHAVEZ GRAPE BOYCOTT. Let me tell you the peace types were not very peaceful about things like that.]

You get the picture now a little better. [We were all a bit mind controlled in those days, just as today, who were we supposed to believe? As libertarians we just tried to stay the course for doing right by the nonaggression principle where it was most obvious.] So after a long day of handing out libertarian literature or whatever it was, we'd retire to the pub. Ah yes, the Cottage Inn. We'd cram in there in the dark corners. Wow what a claustrophobic death trap it seems to me now. But back then it was new and happening! Beer, pizza. Food pretty good for who it was for, plus no bright lighting to ruin the buzz. There really aren't too many establishments ANYWHERE that have lasted 40 years. To break me out of the reminisce, Ann Arbor has to be the only city in the world with solar powered parking meters. From our own Emily Salvette who stayed on top of A2 government thru the years, "In Ann Arbor if a street was falling apart the municipal authorities' idea of a fix was to put up a sign to motorists, 'Don't drive here.'"

So finally, to the protest. At least a couple of hundred joined in the march, then gathered in the park at Liberty and Division for some speakers and rousing the cause. Upward of 400 cities world wide are participating in the protest of arguably the world's most evil corporation since, well, how about our home boys Dow-Corning of Midland, the stellar manufacturer of napalm?! Still if you start investigating the Monsanto crimes, you can't help but think its motto should be: "Killing is our Business!" It was just the night previous I was sent a link that connected Monsanto's patents for aluminum resistant crops and the chemtrails that have been cluttering our skies virtually daily now—chemtrails (stratospheric aerosol plumes) are principally aluminum, which is democidal. Fortunately a lot of real people, including a high percentage of mothers with children, have decided to fight back, and globally. We'll win, but could sure use some help.

Question du jour: where are all my buds from the LPM? These are our people. These are PEOPLE.

Continuting to repost this excellent column from the March 2014 issue--ed.
By Leonard Schwartz

Our target audience is not loyal Democrats and Republicans. It is (1) libertarians, (2) disgruntled Democrats and Republicans, and (3) independent voters and people who rarely vote. For people who are fed up with Democrats and Republicans, we don't need to convince them to support libertarianism. We merely need to take advantage of their disgust with the two old parties.

Surveys indicate that 15-20% of voters already support libertarianism. That is, they are in the libertarian sector of the Nolan diamond chart. But Libertarian candidates rarely get more than 5% of the vote.

Why? I discovered the answer in 2000, when I first worked at a Libertarian information booth and later became a candidate. I met many people who said they were libertarians. When I asked libertarians whether they voted for Libertarian candidates, they sometimes said "Rarely" and usually said "Never." When I asked them why they [almost] never vote for Libertarians, the typical response was, "Libertarians have no chance of being elected. Therefore, voting for Libertarians is a waste of my vote. Voting for the lesser of two evils is more expedient."

At the LPM election night party in 2000, one member said that he hated Al Gore so much that he didn't dare waste his vote on Harry Browne, the Libertarian candidate for president. Another member said that he hated the incumbent Republican US senator that he didn't dare waste his vote on the Libertarian candidate. Even Libertarian Party members sometimes think that voting Libertarian is waste of their vote.

The biggest problem Libertarians thus face is not convincing people to support libertarianism. Rather it is motivating them to vote Libertarian. People often ask Libertarians, "Who do you consider the lesser of two evils?" I maintain that the only good answer is, "I let the Democrats and Republicans quibble about that. I never waste my vote on the lesser of two evils."

If you say anything that indicates who you consider the lesser evil, people will consider that an endorsement. This will encourage them to vote for that candidate rather than the Libertarian. Through trial and error, I discovered a short, effective message to solve the wasted vote problem.

One version is on www.LeonardSchwartz.us. Another is my stump speech, below. I encourage Libertarians to adapt this message to their own campaigns.

My opponents think they can spend your money and manage your life better than you can. I'm not a busybody. I don't want to spend your money or manage your life. Some people are too lazy or cheap to spend their time and money meddling in your life. They want government bureaucrats meddling in your life. Government busybodies are much worse than private ones. Government can compel disclosure of your private information. Private busybodies cannot. Government can impose taxes, fines, and imprisonment. Private busybodies cannot.

If you think the Democrats can spend your money and manage your life better than you can, please raise a hand. If you think the Republicans can spend your money and manage your life better than you can, please raise a hand.

Perhaps you didn't know that [almost] all of you are libertarians. If you vote for Democrats or Republicans because you consider them the lesser of two evils, you vote for evil. Why would any decent person vote for evil? Elections are rarely decided by only a few votes. Therefore, your vote rarely determines who is elected.

But your vote always sends a message. If you vote for Democrats or Republicans, you send a message that you agree that they can spend your money and manage your life better than you can. What a waste of your vote. If you don't vote, you waste your right to send a message and you imply that you don't care. Vote for what you know is right, rather than for what falsely seems expedient.

Send a message that you want government busybodies off your back. Vote Libertarian.

Take a stroll down memory lane with this excerpt from one of the longest-running state Libertarian newsletters. Today, check out the newsletter 39 years ago. Click on this link for the full PDF version of this newsletter.

Former editor and LPM archivist Greg Stempfle has compiled the entire body of available Michigan Libertarian newsletters up on this page of the LPM Website (most if not all of the newsletters have been transferred over to the new site if you have a particular issue you're interested in and it doesn't show up on the page, please contact Webmaster@michiganlp.org).

LPM Leadership
State Chair – Mary Buzuma, chair@michiganlp.org
Vice Chair – Scotty Boman, vicechair@michiganlp.org
Secretary – Jim Fulner, secretary@michiganlp.org*
Treasurer – Kim Moore, treasurer@michiganlp.or
Webmaster – Brian Wright - webmaster@michiganlp.org
Political Director – Leonard Schwartz – leonard@leonardschwartz.us

Libertarian Executive Committee At-large Directors:
Karl Jackson - brokarl@msn.com
Jeff Wood -
James Weeks II - uscw168s@gmail.com
Ron Taylor -
Kipp Welch II - kippwelch@yahoo.com

Judicial Committee:
Bill Hall - whall@michiganlp.org
Larry Johnson - michlibertarian@gmail.com
Rodger Young – Chair@LivingstonLibertarians.org

Affiliate Contacts (counties served)

Capital Area LP (Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Shiawassee)
Bob Broda, Chair, bob_broda@att.net
(contact Will White: whitewi5@msu.edu )
Website: www.calparty.org

Kalamazoo Area LP
Starting up officially May 6 contact: Jason Brandenburg at: swmi4liberty@be-innovative.net
The new Kzoo group will be handling the former Calhoun County and Southwest Michigan LP for counties: Calhoun, Berrien, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Branch, Cass, and Van Buren. Location of first meeting on May 6 at 5:30: Gallagher's Eatery and Pub, 4210 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo.

Affiliate Contacts (counties served, continued)

Lakeshore Libertarians
Mary Buzuma, mary.buzuma@att.net

LP of Livingston County (Livingston)
Rodger Young, Chair, Chair@LivingstonLibertarians.org
Website: www.livingstonlibertarians.org

Libertarians of Macomb County (Macomb)
Keith Edwards, Chair: keithmarni@wowway.com
Dan Flamand, Vice Chair: daniel.flamand@att.net

LP of Oakland County (Oakland)
Jim Young, Chair lpocmi@lpocmi.org
Website: http://www.lpocmi.org/

Straits Libertarian Party (SLaP)
James Johnson, Chair, minidu@gmail.com

LP of Washtenaw County (Washtenaw)
Larry Johnson michlibertarian@gmail.com
Justin Altman, sec. mczerone@gmail.com
Also contact Paul Giuliano, pgiulian@umich.edu
Website: http://lpwc.wordpress.com/

LP of Wayne County (Wayne, Monroe)
Ray Warner, Chair, raymondrand@yahoo.com

LP of West Michigan (Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, Ottawa)
Arnis Davidsons, Chair: arnisdavidsons2@gmail.com
Kipp Welch II, Vice Chair: kippwelch@yahoo.com
Website: www.lpwm.org

The Michigan Libertarian is published/posted on the first of each month. Send calendar events and news/articles to e-newsletter@michiganlp.org by the 25th of the prior month. The Michigan Libertarian is one of the longest-running Libertarian newsletters in the country, debuting in 1973 shortly after the founding of the Libertarian Party of Michigan. The "new" Michigan Libertarian (a predominantly online version) debuted on August 1, 2009 and replaced the weekly LPMOnline and the printed-and-mailed ML. We will post the newsletter on the Website and deliver via email on the first of every month. A printed version of the new Michigan Libertarian will be sent free to anyone who signs up, which you may do at the LPM web site www.michiganlp.org (or www.mi.lp.org).

LPM members who need a hard copy may request one be mailed to them by contacting
e-newsletter@michiganlp.org or calling the LPM toll-free number 888-Free-Now (888-373-3669). Subscribe/Unsubscribe to Newsletter [Note: Just send us a message via our Contact page, and we will add you to the list.] We respect all unsubscribe requests.