MICHIGAN LIBERTARIAN
January 2020

Volume 49:01

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.

Nominate a Defender of Liberty in 2020!

By Greg Stempfle, LPM Chair

Lisa Gioi Randy & Dianne Szabla with their 2018 Defender of Liberty Awards.
Lisa Gioi Randy & Dianne Szabla with their 2018 Defender of Liberty Awards.

During the evening at the March 14 state convention in Grand Rapids, the Libertarian Party of Michigan (LPM) will host its annual Defender of Liberty Awards, aka LibertyFest. The Defender of Liberty Awards are given to those people, Libertarian or otherwise, who have made notable personal efforts in the defense of liberty. The LPM gives three categories of awards to winners.

The Categories

  • Spokesperson for Liberty - a member of the community whose activism and conviction have inspired contributions to the cause of Liberty.
  • Promoter of Liberty - A Libertarian whose efforts have done the most to promote the LP and Libertarian principles
  • Producer of Liberty - a dedicated, behind-the-scenes Libertarian whose quiet labors over the years exemplifies the backbone of the LP.

How to Nominate a Defender of Liberty

If you would like to nominate someone for one of these awards, please send a statement in support of your nomination to this year's awards committee. This year's judges, selected by chairman Stempfle and approved by the LEC, are Bob Broda, (2016 Producer of Liberty Award winner) bob_broda@att.net, Mary Buzuma, (former LPM Chair 2013-2015) mary.buzuma@att.net, and Frederick Horndt, (Macomb Membership Director) fredhorndt@gmail.com.

The submission deadline will be February 22, 2020. Also, nominees must live and or work in the state of Michigan.

Link to list of past winners:
http://old.michiganlp.org/news-and-events/liberty-festivals/

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Historical Commission: Show Us Your Papers!

By Emily Salvette, Historical Commission Chair

John Hancock
John Hancock "We want Yours" (1994 Ballot access restoration) Committee after the 1994 LPM Convention in Salt Lake City Utah. Photo by Art Gulich. James Hudler, Scotty Boman, Barb Vozenilek (left to right).

The LPM Historical Commission is charged with preserving the history of the Libertarian Party of Michigan (LPM). To do this, we're asking those with documents and memorabilia of LPM's past to share them with us. The commission members are Scott Boman, Larry Johnson, Wendi Parker, Mike Saliba, Emily Salvette (chair) and Greg Stempfle.

What the Historical Commission will collect

We will collect items related to the LPM, including affiliate organizations, from all who would like to contribute. While we're grateful for all items, right now we're prioritizing items prior to 1996 so we can get the oldest items done first. The commission will evaluate the material received for inclusion in the archives.

We will be archiving items on the website old.michiganlp.org. We're not planning to keep originals- we will give those we don't return to the donor to the Bentley Library at the University of Michigan, which is where they archive other LPM materials. As an all-volunteer organization without a permanent office, the LPM is not able to reliably store historical material.

How to contribute:

We encourage digital donations-scan what you have and send us the file! Send files to Emily Salvette, esalvette@gmail.com. You may want to check our website first to make sure you're not bothering to scan items we already have (e.g. most Michigan Libertarians). Non documents, such as yard signs, should be photographed and sent to Emily with a description (don't forget the date of the item!) for evaluation.

Here are some of the items we're looking for:

  • Certain editions of the Michigan Libertarian
  • Local newsletters
  • Meeting minutes
  • Information related to special events (e.g. LibertyFest)
  • Campaign items including news clippings
  • Convention information (note we do have all LPM convention packets after 2000)
  • Pictures (please identify as many people as you can in each shot)
  • Audio or video recordings of events (Greg Stempfle is able to transfer old audio and video tapes to digital format)

If you're not able to scan documents, the committee will accept your items, digitize them, and return them to you (if you wish). You may send items to Emily Salvette-contact her to confirm details.

The Libertarian Party has begun its own archive project (see http://lpedia.org/Main_Page) and we encourage you to donate national items to them.

Thank you for helping us preserve our history! If you have questions or information to share, please contact the Historical Commission chair Emily Salvette, esalvette@gmail.com.

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Officers & Staff

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

Chair: Greg Stempfle. chair@michiganlp.org
First Vice Chair: Ben Boren. vcaffiliates@michiganlp.org
Second Vice Chair: Jamie Lewis vcpoliticaldirector@michiganlp.org
Secretary: Wendi Parker. secretary@michiganlp.org
Treasurer: Norman Peterson. treasurer@michiganlp.org
District 1 Rep: Dana Carver. dist1rep@michiganlp.org
District 2 Rep: Mary Buzuma dist2rep@michiganlp.org
District 3 Rep: Nathan Hewer. dist3rep@michiganlp.org
District 4 Rep: Will White. dist4rep@michiganlp.org
District 5 Rep: James Harris dist5rep@michiganlp.org
District 6 Rep: Antonio Smith. dist6rep@michiganlp.org
District 7 Rep: Jason Rees. dist7rep@michiganlp.org
District 8 Rep: Jeff Wood. dist8rep@michiganlp.org
District 9 Rep: Mike Saliba. dist9rep@michiganlp.org
District 10 Rep: Catherine Filus. dist10rep@michiganlp.org
District 11 Rep: Jerry Bloom. dist11rep@michiganlp.org
District 12 Rep: Lawrence W. Johnson. dist12rep@michiganlp.org
District 13 Rep: Jeremy Morgan. dist13rep@michiganlp.org
District 14 Rep: Tim Yow. dist14rep@michiganlp.org

Judicial Committee Members

Kerry Morgan. judicialcommittee@michiganlp.org
Ken Proctor. judicialcommittee@michiganlp.org
Katie Nepton. 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
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: Connor Nepomuceno, Cjnepo1@gmail.com or Vice Chair Ben Carr at 248-919-8152
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
straitslp.com or facebook.com/StraitsAreaLP
Wayne County: Scotty Boman, (313) 247-2052, scottyboman@hotmail.com
https://michiganlpwayne.wordpress.com
West Michigan: Jake Andrews. (269) 967-4071, Email Jamie Lewis at jkl620@yahoo.com
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.

January 2, 2020 - Livingston County Michigan Libertarians Business 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

January 7, 2020 - Southwest Michigan Libertarian Party (SWMLP) Monthly Membership meeting, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
The SWMLP will meet at The Crew Family Restaurant, 3810 East Cork Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49001.
For more information, contact Jason Brandenburg at swmi4liberty@be-innovative.net

January 8, 2020 - Huron-Raisin Social Meeting, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Aubree's Pizzeria & Grill; 2122 Whittaker Rd, Ypsilanti, MI 48197
This meeting is on the second instead of first Wednesday because of the holiday. The topic of discussion will be the upcoming Feb business meeting and LPM convention.
For more information, contact James Hudler at 734-475-9792 or email james.hudler@gmail.com

January 8, 2020 - 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

January 8, 2020 - Libertarian Party of Wayne County business meeting, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Leon's Family Dining. 23830 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48124. Phone: (313) 563-3713
For more information, contact Scotty Boman at (313) 247-2052 or email ScottyBoman@hotmail.com

January 12, 2020 - Straits Area Business Meeting, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM M-211 Bar& Grill, 3444 M-211, Onaway, MI 49765. Black Lake area (3 miles north of Onaway city)
Facebook event post
For more information, contact Chair Andy Evans, (231) 625-8403, . amevans_1968@yahoo.com
straitslp.com or https://www.facebook.com/StraitsAreaLP/

January 14, 2020 - Libertarian Party of West Michigan (LPWM) Monthly Membership meeting, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Topic: The Politics of Vaping.
The LPWM will meet at Brann's Steakhouse, 5510 28th St SE Grand Rapids, MI 49512.
More details are posted here. For more information, please contact Jamie Lewis at jkl620@yahoo.com.

January 15, 2020 - Northwest Michigan affiliate monthly business meeting, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
This is a remote meeting which will be held via Zoom.
Contact Donna, the affiliate chair, or Ben Boren, affiliate vice chair for details.
Please see the Affiliate 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!
For more information, please contact Donna Gundle-Krieg at dokrieg@gmail.com.

January 15, 2020 - Jackson-Hillsdale Libertarian Party monthly meeting, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM social networking. 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM speaker.
Steve's Ranch Restaurant, 311 W. Louis Glick Hwy. Jackson, MI 49201
Guest Speaker - Mr. Greg Stempfle - Chairman of the Michigan Libertarian Party.
Topic: The upcoming LPM State Convention on 3/14/20 in Grand Rapids, and running for public office as a Libertarian in 2020.
Greg Stempfle has been involved in Michigan politics and the Libertarian Party for over 20 years. In that time, he has run for public office, been a campaign manager and treasurer, county chair and state party newsletter editor. When the Libertarian Party of Michigan qualified for the 2018 primary election for the first time, Stempfle chaired the committee that redrafted the party bylaws to bring them up to date with current Michigan election law. This experience has given him a unique insight into Michigan's election and campaign finance laws and how to improve elections to make them more fair and representative of the voting public. Stempfle has a BS in Clinical Laboratory Sciences and MS in Molecular Biology, both from Wayne State University. He currently works as a Medical Technologist in the Henry Ford Hospital System. He currently lives in Ferndale with his wife Shelly.
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/

January 15, 2020 - The Libertarian Party of Oakland County monthly meeting, Dinner at 6:30 PM, meeting at 7:30 PM.
National Coney Island, 1812 N Main St, Royal Oak, MI 48073. Future meetings will be at the Rusty Bucket
For more information contact Connor Nepomuceno, Cjnepo1@gmail.com or Vice Chair Ben Carr at 248-919-8152

January 19, 2019 - Capital Area Affiliate Convention for Officer Elections, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Harper's Restaurant and Brew Pub. 131 Albert Ave. East Lansing, MI 48823.
We will select LPM convention delegates in February.
Contact Luke Sciberras at 248-302-1064 or email CapitalAreaLP@gmail.com to confirm location.
Times and locations may very from month to month.

January 22, 2020 - Libertarian Party of Wayne County general meeting, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Regular business meetings have been moved to the second Wednesday of the month. However we will now have a general meeting on the 4th Wednesday of the month at Livonia Elks at 31117 Plymouth Rd, Livonia, MI 48150. Directions: south side of Plymouth, just a short distance east of Merriman. Park in the back; enter through rear entrance. - Walk straight ahead through the vestibule, lobby area, and then turn down the hallway to the right. Walk down about 50' or so, and turn left into the short hallway; pass the couple of restrooms - and there we are!
For more information, contact Scotty Boman at (313) 247-2052 or email ScottyBoman@hotmail.com

January 22, 2020 - Libertarian Party of West Michigan (LPWM) Video Conference - Business Meeting, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
The LPWM will meet via Zoom. If you would like to be a part of it, contact us to get a log in.
More details are posted here. For more information, please contact Jamie Lewis at jkl620@yahoo.com.

February 5, 2020 - Huron-Raisin Affiliate Convention, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
This convention will include election of officers and any bylaws changes or other business brought by the members, in addition to selection of delegates for the March LPM convention.
One must have been an LPM member by February 13th to be eligible to be a Delegate to the March 14th convention.
Aubree's Pizzeria & Grill; 2122 Whittaker Rd, Ypsilanti, MI 48197
This meeting is on the second instead of first Wednesday because of the holiday. The topic of discussion will be the upcoming Feb business meeting and LPM convention.
For more information, contact James Hudler at 734-475-9792 or email james.hudler@gmail.com

February 11, 2020 - Libertarian Party of West Michigan (LPWM) Affiliate Convention for State Convention Delegate Selection., 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
One must have been an LPM member by February 13th to be eligible to be a Delegate to the March 14th convention.
The LPWM will meet at Brann's Steakhouse, 5510 28th St SE Grand Rapids, MI 49512.
More details are posted here. For more information, please contact Jamie Lewis at jkl620@yahoo.com.

February 12, 2020 - Libertarian Party of Wayne County Affiliate Convention for State Convention Delegate Selection, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
One must have been an LPM member by February 13th to be eligible to be a Delegate to the March 14th convention.
The Regular Affiliate Convention, at which we will elect new officers and consider Bylaw amendments, will be on March 11. Leon's Family Dining. 23830 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48124. Phone: (313) 563-3713
For more information, contact Scotty Boman at (313) 247-2052 or email ScottyBoman@hotmail.com

February 16, 2019 - Capital Area Affiliate Convention for State Convention Delegate Selection, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Harper's Restaurant and Brew Pub. 131 Albert Ave. East Lansing, MI 48823.
One must have been an LPM member by February 13th to be eligible to be a Delegate to the March 14th convention.
Contact Luke Sciberras at 248-302-1064 or email CapitalAreaLP@gmail.com to confirm location.
Times and locations may very from month to month.

February 19, 2020 - The Libertarian Party of Oakland County Affiliate Convention for State Convention Delegate Selection, Dinner at 6:30 PM, meeting at 7:30 PM.
Rusty Bucket. 30450 Telegraph Rd, Bingham Farms, MI 48025. One must have been an LPM member by February 13th to be eligible to be a Delegate to the March 14th convention.
For more information contact Connor Nepomuceno, Cjnepo1@gmail.com or Vice Chair Ben Carr at 248-919-8152

February 19, 2020 - Northwest Michigan Affiliate Convention for State Convention Delegate Selection., 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Incredible Mo's. 1355 Silver Lake Crossings Blvd. Grawn, MI 49637. Incredible Mo's will offer us the room for free, but hopes that each attendee will order food and/or drink.
One must have been an LPM member by February 13th to be eligible to be a Delegate to the March 14th convention.

  1. We will choose delegates to the state convention, held in March.
  2. We will be reviewing and revising our local by-laws. For example, we may be changing the numbers and functions of our officers.
  3. We will also be voting on new officers for our local affiliate.
We welcome new members to this meeting! Any one is welcome if they reside in Charlevoix, Antrim, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, and Missaukee or surrounding counties. THey also need to be willing to sign a statement of non-aggression. Contact Donna, the affiliate chair, or Ben Boren, affiliate vice chair for details.
Please see the Affiliate 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!
For more information, please contact Donna Gundle-Krieg at dokrieg@gmail.com.

February 19, 2020 - Jackson-Hillsdale Libertarian Party Affiliate Convention, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM.
Steve's Ranch Restaurant, 311 W. Louis Glick Hwy. Jackson, MI 49201
Officer election, State Convention delegate selection and Bylaw discussion..
One must have been an LPM member by February 13th to be eligible to be a Delegate to the March 14th convention.
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/


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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.