MICHIGAN LIBERTARIAN
April 2019

Volume 48:04

In This Issue:

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Thank you for all of the articles. Keep them coming with careful attention to our guidelines. We are now on a monthly publication schedule. Articles for the next issue of the Michigan Libertarian must be submitted to chair@michiganlp.org, newsletter@michiganlp.org and vcpoliticaldirector@michiganlp.org no later than the 20th of each month. This allows for publication on the first of each month.

The Libertarian Party of Michigan depends on contributions to carry out it's mission Please Visit us at MichiganLP.org and scroll down to the bottom of our homepage to gain access to our contribution form.

Sign Up Now for the April 13 LP of Michigan Convention in Bay City

By Bill Hall, Chair

Deadline April 3.

Libertarians from across Michigan will assemble for their 2019 convention on Saturday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The deadline for meal reservations is noon on April 3. We will be gathering at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, 2 East Main Street, Bay City, Michigan. Please join us!

Convention Business Session - Free to LPM Members

The convention business session for elected delegates and alternates starts at 9 a.m. It will feature Bylaws consideration, an opportunity to propose changes to the Platform, reports from current state party officers, the election of state party officers for a two-year term, and caucuses to select Congressional district representatives to the state executive committee for two-year terms.

You must be selected as a state convention delegate or alternate by a local affiliate or unaffiliated regional caucus in order to vote at the convention. Each affiliate sets the date of its caucus to select delegates, so check with your local affiliate. You must also have joined the Libertarian Party of Michigan as a dues-paying member at least 30 days prior to the convention in order to serve as a state convention delegate or alternate. However, even if you are not elected as a delegate or alternate, there will be plenty to hear, see and do. We hope to see you there.

Presidential Candidate Forum Lunch

The convention will feature a buffet lunch at which announced candidates for the 2020 Libertarian Party nomination for President will join in a candidate forum. So far 4 candidates have committed to attend. Come listen as these candidates tell you why you should support them at the 2020 national convention in Austin, Texas.

NH State Representative Caleb Dyer to be LibertyFest Banquet Speaker

Our evening LibertyFest banquet speaker will be Caleb Dyer. He is a former Libertarian State Representative from New Hampshire. Like several other elected Republicans and Democrats in the past few years, Mr. Dyer switched to the Libertarian Party when he saw the opportunity to reject nasty partisan politics and advocate for a principled and consistent policy of freedom. In office, he supported the repeal of concealed firearm licensing, marijuana decriminalization, tax credits or refunds for home schooling parents, abolishing the death penalty, and cutting spending and taxes to provide for only essential services. At the banquet, we will present Defender of Liberty awards to our 2018 Spokesperson for Liberty, Promoter of Liberty and Producer of Liberty.

April 3 Deadline to Sign Up for Convention Meals

If you wish to reserve a spot for the Presidential Candidate Forum lunch or the Libertyfest banquet, you must register no later than noon on April 3. Later signups will be honored only if spots become available. Click here to sign up online today, or mail your registration check to Libertarian Party of Michigan, P.O. Box 3685, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49501-3685.

Convention pricing is as follows:

Convention Package (includes lunch, banquet, convention packet) $85.00
  • Banquet only $65.00
  • Lunch only $20.00
  • Convention packet $10.00
  • Vendor table $35.00
  • Registration for business session FREE

Even if you are attending only the free business sessions, please sign up now so we can have your credentials printed and ready.

If you have any questions, please contact Convention Committee Chair James Weeks at jamestweeks@outlook.com or telephone (810) 422-8769.


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Run for City Council or Mayor, April 23 Filing Deadline

By Greg Stempfle, Political Director


Many cities across Michigan will be holding elections this year for city council, mayor, and other city officials. Libertarians have historically been more successful at being elected to city offices. All but three cities in the state hold nonpartisan elections, meaning there are no political party labels on the ballot. Being a nonpartisan race eliminates a lot of the institutional bias against candidates from third parties by treating all candidates as independents. Voters are more likely to evaluate each candidate on their merits rather than by party label.

To qualify for your city ballot, a candidate must file two forms: a Statement of Organization is filed with your county clerk and a notarized Affidavit of Identity is filed with your city clerk (or county clerk). When filing your affidavit, you will need to also pay a $100 filing fee or submit a certain number of signatures. Here are links to the two forms:

Please check with your city clerk to verify the filing requirements. For cities that hold primaries, the deadline to file will be April 23, 2019. For cities that do not hold primaries, the deadline will be July 23, 2019.

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Everything Important I Learned as LPM Chair

By Bill Hall, Chair

Chairman Bill Hall. Photo By Jess Mears.
Chairman Bill Hall. Photo By Jess Mears.

As I finish my third term, four years, as Chair of the Libertarian Party of Michigan, I'd like to share four rules that I've done my best to follow. Perhaps not everything important I've learned as Chair, but important nevertheless. As I'm not running for re-election, I would hope whoever our new Chair is will take these rules to heart over the next two years of his or her term.

Treat everyone with courtesy and respect

I've always tried my best to treat everyone - Libertarian officers, activists and candidates, the press, public officials and the general public, with courtesy and respect, no matter how they treat me. Libertarian tolerance for the views of others, and professionalism, demand it. President Trump, the Republicans and the Democrats routinely engage in nasty, highly partisan and uncivilized behavior. This is an opportunity for us to display the "softer side" of libertarianism, and contrast ourselves from our political opponents.

Yet don't tolerate bad behavior

It's sometimes hard to be polite to someone who repeatedly calls people names, uses profanity on Facebook, uses juvenile tactics to gain (damaging) media attention, or twists libertarian philosophy to the point they are arguing it justifies the initiation of force. However, you can be polite, yet oppose bad behavior. Call out your political opponents by using facts, not calling names. Make clear you disagree with their views or tactics. Often verbal and written attacks on social media or elsewhere are a person's attempt to create drama, draw attention and make them feel important. Your best response may be to ignore them. Don't angrily respond, don't engage with them; do unfriend them and block them from your Facebook page. Most importantly, don't increase their power to engage in bad behavior. Vote against them for public and party office and urge others to do the same. I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that in the most egregious cases, don't be afraid to expel from the party an activist who repeatedly engages in bad behavior.

Appreciate the fact that we are all volunteers

We are all volunteers in the Libertarian Party of Michigan. That means you need to be grateful for every contribution of time or money an activist gives. You must temper your expectations much more than for a paid employee. Don't press too hard. Give a volunteer more leeway to make their own decisions about how they will fulfill their commitments. If they don't do so, then don't call them names; find another volunteer. Say "thank you" often for all the help a volunteer provides.

Don't second-guess your candidates

The time to question a candidate about his or her policy positions and tactics is before you nominate him or her; not after. Once nominated, the role of the LPM's LEC is to support our candidates, not second-guess their policy positions and tactics. "Support" includes not publicly complaining about them. Candidates commit their own valuable time and money to their campaigns. They are much more invested in them than we are. I've never met a Libertarian candidate with whose policy positions and tactics I have agreed entirely. Yet in almost every case, I've been willing to vote for them, because they clearly offer a superior pro-freedom choice over their opponent. There may be an egregious case of someone gaining our nomination who is clearly unfit to be a Libertarian nominee, but revoking support for such a candidate should only be done after serious and complete consideration, and not because of one or two disagreements on policy issues or tactics.

I wish the best of luck to our new LPM officers and representatives to be elected at our convention on April 13. I plan to continue my 42 years of support for the important work we do.

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Libertarians in Action

By Scotty Boman, Editor

Libertarians don't need to wait for an election to speak freedom to power. This much was clear in March when members of the general public and media witnessed Libertarians in action.

Libertarians hold "Yellow Vest" protests against the Gas Tax in Macomb County and Lansing

Frederick Horndt with Ben Carr at the
Frederick Horndt with Ben Carr at the "Golden Butthole" of Macomb County.
Macomb County and Lansing, MI - On March 24th The Capital Area Libertarians organized a gathering at the State Capitol the Macomb County affiliate organized one on Hall Rd. in Macomb County. Both groups did this to protest the proposed gas tax increase.

Capital Area Libertarians Arrested and Banned From Public Transit for Helping Homeless

By Scotty Boman

Lansing, MI - On January 26th Julia Anne Miller and Martin Mashon were arrested and charged with both trespassing and resisting arrest for handing out bus tokens to homeless people in the midst of the polar vortex. The Lansing State Journal and WILX covered the story. They received sentence in early March.

Martin Mashon of the posted the following comment on the penalty on his Facebook timeline:

Julia Anne Miller and I have officially been BANNED from CATA - Capital Area Transportation Authority. Received the paperwork today. The reason given was "unsafe behavior" and "annoying others". No joke. We were there reaching out to homeless and at risk and witnessed a cop and security talking about putting people into the dangerous cold, but they are stating that WE were engaging in unsafe behavior. The only people we "annoyed" was the cop and security by pleading for them to have compassion. More blatant uncompassionate behavior from CATA.
I have a training next month that will require me to be at my office for 2 weeks straight... I don't have a vehicle. This essentially wipes that out.

Congratulations to the 2019-2020 Libertarian Party of Oakland County Officers!

By Greg Stempfle

Left to Right: Tim Yow, Benn Carr, Jeff Pittel, Greg Stempfle, Jim Joung, and Jay Nepo.
Left to Right: Tim Yow, Benn Carr, Jeff Pittel, Greg Stempfle, Jim Joung, and Jay Nepo.
New officers:
  • Chair - Conner Jay Nepo
  • Vice-Chair - Ben Carr
  • Secretary - Jim Young
  • Treasurer - Dianne Szabla
  • Membership Director - Jeff Pittel
  • Development Director - Gregory Stempfle
  • Communications Director - Tim Yow Jr.

Special thanks to Conner Jay Nepo and Brian Ellison for both stepping forward to run for LPOC chair so that I might seek the position of state party chair. I also want to thank outgoing officers Lisa Lane Gioia and Matt Karshis for their dedication to the cause of liberty over the past campaign season. I look forward to working with everyone again during the upcoming exciting presidential campaign!

Boman works on two fronts to keep DPD powers in check

Detroit, MI - On March 14th Scotty Boman of Detroit Residents Advancing Civilian Oversight (DRACO) teamed up with Marilyn Jordan of Detroit People's Task Force to protest a Detroit police Corporal's mistreatment of an emergency room patient. The Corporal, Dewayne Jones succeeded in having a felony misconduct dropped, but was on trial for the remaining misdemeanor assault and battery charge. They found him guilty and will sentence him in May.

The Detroit News Article, which includes a picture of Boman and Jordan is shown here.

Boman has also been part of Detroit's Charter Revision Process and is facilitating a Citizens Focus Group regarding the type of civilian oversight the charter will mandate over the Detroit Police Department.

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Officers & Staff

General Contact: Libertarian Party of Michigan: PO Box 27065, Lansing, MI 48909; Phone: 888.FREE.NOW.

Chair: Bill Hall. chair@michiganlp.org
First Vice Chair: Tim Yow. vcaffiliates@michiganlp.org
Second Vice Chair: Greg Stempfle. vcpoliticaldirector@michiganlp.org
Secretary: Emily Salvette. secretary@michiganlp.org
Treasurer: Jason Brandenburg. treasurer@michiganlp.org
District 1 Rep: Donna Gundle-Krieg. dist1rep@michiganlp.org
District 2 Rep: Mary Buzuma. dist2rep@michiganlp.org
District 3 Rep: Jamie Lewis. dist3rep@michiganlp.org
District 4 Rep: Luke Sciberras. dist4rep@michiganlp.org
District 5 Rep: Mark Sanborn. dist5rep@michiganlp.org
District 6 Rep: Wendi Parker. dist6rep@michiganlp.org
District 7 Rep: Norman Peterson. dist7rep@michiganlp.org
District 8 Rep: Jeff Wood. dist8rep@michiganlp.org
District 9 Rep: Mike Saliba. dist9rep@michiganlp.org
District 10 Rep: John Kanan. dist10rep@michiganlp.org
District 11 Rep: Paul Connolly. dist11rep@michiganlp.org
District 12 Rep: Larry Johnson. dist12rep@michiganlp.org
District 13 Rep: Adam Zientarski. dist13rep@michiganlp.org
District 14 Rep: Ben Carr. dist14rep@michiganlp.org

Judicial Committee Members

Kerry Morgan. judicialcommittee@michiganlp.org
Ken Proctor. judicialcommittee@michiganlp.org
James Hudler. judicialcommittee@michiganlp.org

Volunteers

Webmaster: In Transition. Webmaster@MichiganLP.org
Newsletter Editor: Scotty Boman. newsletter@michiganlp.org
Deputy Editors: Norman Peterson & Mary Buzuma. newsletter@michiganlp.org
Ciculation Director: Catherine Filus.Catherine Filus catherine@catherinefilus.com

Affiliate Contacts

Capital Area: Luke Sciberras, Chair. 248-302-1064, capitalarealp@gmail.com
https://capitalarealp.wordpress.com
Genesee County: Chair Alex Cooper, alexcooperliberty@gmail.com.
https://www.facebook.com/LPGCMI
Huron-Raisin: James Hudler, (734) 475-9792, james.hudler@gmail.com
https://lpwc.wordpress.com
Jackson-Hillsdale: Norman Peterson, (269) 330-2980 norman.peterson@comcast.net
https://www.jhlp.org
Livingston County: James Weeks II, (810) 422-8769, j.weeks@riseup.net
http://livingstonlibertarians.org
Macomb County: Mike Saliba, chair@macomblp.org
https://macomblp.org
Mid-Michigan: Tim Yow. vcaffiliates@michiganlp.org
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1356267337769739
Northeast-Lower: Zach Boyle, 989-255-4521, livovivo@gmail.com
Northern Lower: Dana Carver, danacarver103@yahoo.com
Northwest Michigan: Donna Gundle-Krieg. nwmichiganlibertarians@gmail.com
www.nwmichiganlibertarians.org
Oakland County: Greg Stempfle, (313) 929-1789, gregstempfle@gmail.com
http://lpocmi.org
Southwest Michigan: Jason Brandenburg. swmi4liberty@be-innovative.net
https://swmlp.com
Straits Area: Chair Andy Evans, (231) 625-8403, . amevans_1968@yahoo.com
https://www.facebook.com/StraitsAreaLP/
Wayne County: Scotty Boman, (313) 247-2052, scottyboman@hotmail.com
https://michiganlpwayne.wordpress.com
West Michigan: Jake Andrews. (269) 967-4071. jwandrew@mtu.edu
http://lpwm.org

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Upcoming Events

Some events are also posted by their hosts at the Meetup.com site. The Michigan Libertarian recommends contacting an affiliate officer or check the Website (or Facebook page) associated with the meeting host (if they have one) before arriving at a meeting. Some meetings can get canceled, or locations can change with short notice. Contact information connected to most events can be found by expanding the item on the "Agenda view" of the Events page of our website.


April 2, 2019 - Southwest Affiliate Meeting 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
The venue the Southwest Michigan affiliate was meeting at in 2019 has abruptly closed. The next meeting of the LP of Southwest Michigan will be on Tuesday February 5, 6-8pm at The Crew Restaurant. 3810 East Cork Street Kalamazoo, MI. (269) 337-9800. Take the Sprinkle Rd/Cork exit off I-94. For more information, please contact Jason Brandenburg at swmi4liberty@be-innovative.net.

April 3, 2019 - Huron-Raisin Social Meeting, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Classic Cup Cafe, 4389 Jackson Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103
For more information, contact James Hudler at 734-475-9792 or email james.hudler@gmail.com

April 4, 2019 - Livingston County Michigan Libertarians social meeting, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
The meetings have two parts:

  1. Meet and greet: Catch up with each other at 7 while we order food and introduce any visitors.
  2. Guest Speaker / Miscellaneous: If we have something going on that requires discussion before the business meeting, we talk about it. Occasionally, we will have a guest speaker.
The other meeting we have every month is the business meeting. At this meeting, usually held at our Secretary's home in Howell, the officers and volunteers discuss affiliate business. The membership is welcome to attend these meetings, which are announced at the prior week's social meeting.
Cleary's Pub, 117 E Grand River Ave. Howell, MI 48843
For more information, contact James Weeks II at 810.422.8769 or email j.weeks@riseup.net

April 4, 2019 - Libertarian Party of Wayne County monthly meeting, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
After several years of meetings at Tijuana's Mexican restaurant, the Libertarian Party of Wayne County decided to have a change of scenery. The affiliate is grateful for the years of excellent service provided by Tijuana's. The new location (At least for January) is Westpoint Bar-B-Que at 25301 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, Michigan 48124.
There may be additional changes in the future, so please call ahead for future meetings.
Business and speakers, for the Wayne County affiliate, are normally scheduled from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, but people arrive around 6:30 PM to order dinner. For more information, contact Scotty Boman at (313) 247-2052 or email ScottyBoman@hotmail.com

April 9, 2019 - Northwest Michigan affiliate monthly business meeting, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
The Northwest Michigan Libertarians recently became an official affiliate of the Libertarian Party of Michigan, as members selected officers and set a regular meeting schedule. In addition, the group created official bylaws, which were approved by the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Michigan.
The officers will conduct a business meeting every 2nd Tuesday of each month. Please see the Events Page for more information.
Business meetings will focus on the group's goals of electing political candidates and conducting outreach and educational activities. Anyone is welcome!
The monthly meeting will be also be held electronically as well. For more information, please contact Donna Gundle-Krieg at dokrieg@gmail.com.

April 10, 2019 - Libertarians of Macomb County Monthly meeting, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Ike's Restaurant, 38550 Van Dyke, Sterling Heights
For more information, contact Mike Saliba at macomblp@gmail.com

April 10, 2019 - Libertarian Party of West Michigan - Bringing Liberty to Rockford, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
The Libertarian Party of West Michigan will hold this event in the Krause Memorial / Kent District Library - Krause Memorial/Rockford Branch 140 E Bridge St, Rockford, Michigan 49341.
Social time at 630 pm, state convention discussion and delegate and alternate caucus starts at 7 pm. More details are posted on the Libertarian Party of West Michigan Facebook Page: https:/www.facebook.com/WestMichiganLibertarian

April 17, 2019 - The Libertarian Party of Oakland County monthly meeting, Dinner at 6:30 PM, meeting at 7:30 PM.
The Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern. 30450 Telegraph Road, Bingham Farms, MI 48025. For more information contact Greg Stempfle, (313) 929-1789, gregstempfle@gmail.com

April 17, 2019 - Jackson-Hillsdale Libertarian County Convention, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Steve's Ranch Restaurant, 311 W. Louis Glick Hwy. Jackson, MI 49201
Speaker - Mr. Shane Trejo, Journalist at Big League Politics and Liberty Conservative News
Topic - Media Wars in the Age of Trump
Links


BIOGRAPHY - Shane Trejo is a reporter at Big League Politics and Liberty Conservative News. He has been a liberty activist in the state of Michigan for over a decade, helping to organize Oakland County Campaign for Liberty since 2013. He will be speaking about media wars in the age of Trump and how his surprising election has hastened the demise of the corporate media. He will address government and corporate Big Brother censorship, the rise of the digital lynch mob, the hate hoax epidemic, the growing desperation of the fake news and deep state, and other topics important for internet freedom. We encourage Teachers, Politicians and Public Officials to attend this meeting. IT'S YOUR TAX MONEY! For more information contact Norman Peterson (269) 330-2980. JHLP Website: https://www.jhlp.org/

April 21, 2019 - Capital Area Affiliate monthly meeting, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Harper's Restaurant and Brew Pub. 131 Albert Ave. East Lansing, MI 48823.
Contact Luke Sciberras at 248-302-1064 or email CapitalAreaLP@gmail.com to confirm location.
Times and locations may very from month to month.

April 28, 2019 - Greater Flint (previously Genesee County) Convention, 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Dinner at 5:30 PM. Call to order at 6:00 PM
Joe+Louis Penalty Box 2400 Owen Rd. Fenton, MI
For more information, contact Alex Cooper at alexcooperliberty@gmail.com or Jeff Wood at jeffwood531@gmail.com

May 1, 2019 - Huron-Raisin Social Meeting, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Classic Cup Cafe, 4389 Jackson Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103
For more information, contact James Hudler at 734-475-9792 or email james.hudler@gmail.com

May 2, 2019 - Livingston County Michigan Libertarians social meeting, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
The meetings have two parts:

  1. Meet and greet: Catch up with each other at 7 while we order food and introduce any visitors.
  2. Guest Speaker / Miscellaneous: If we have something going on that requires discussion before the business meeting, we talk about it. Occasionally, we will have a guest speaker.
The other meeting we have every month is the business meeting. At this meeting, usually held at our Secretary's home in Howell, the officers and volunteers discuss affiliate business. The membership is welcome to attend these meetings, which are announced at the prior week's social meeting.
Cleary's Pub, 117 E Grand River Ave. Howell, MI 48843
For more information, contact James Weeks II at 810.422.8769 or email j.weeks@riseup.net

May 2, 2019 - Libertarian Party of Wayne County monthly meeting, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
After several years of meetings at Tijuana's Mexican restaurant, the Libertarian Party of Wayne County decided to have a change of scenery. The affiliate is grateful for the years of excellent service provided by Tijuana's. The new location (At least for January) is Westpoint Bar-B-Que at 25301 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, Michigan 48124.
There may be additional changes in the future, so please call ahead for future meetings.
Business and speakers, for the Wayne County affiliate, are normally scheduled from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, but people arrive around 6:30 PM to order dinner. For more information, contact Scotty Boman at (313) 247-2052 or email ScottyBoman@hotmail.com


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If you are new to the Michigan Libertarian, you can link to 2016 issues here, http://michiganlp.org/category/newsletters . Other issues are preserved in our historical archives here: http://old.michiganlp.org/resources-2/newsletter.

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Copyright © 2019 Libertarian Party of Michigan, All rights reserved.

The Michigan Libertarian is a publication of the Libertarian Party of Michigan Libertarian Party of Michigan: PO Box 27065, Lansing, MI 48909; Phone: 888.FREE.NOW. The Libertarian Party of Michigan website is paid for with regulated funds by the Libertarian Party of Michigan Executive Committee, Inc. d/b/a the Libertarian Party of Michigan. Not authorized by any candidate.