MICHIGAN LIBERTARIAN
April 2020

Volume 49:04

In This Issue:

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Rescheduled State Convention Saturday, April 4th at Noon

By Greg Stempfle, Chair

Greg Stempfle and Statue of Liberty.

The Libertarian Party of Michigan (LPM) will be holding its rescheduled national delegate selection convention this Saturday, April 4th, at noon EDT, on the Zoom videoconferencing platform.

An email will go out this week to all state convention delegates with log in and credentialing information. There will not be a separate pre-registration process. The conference call will begin at 9:00 AM for registration and credentialing and the convention will be called to order at noon.

Members of the LPM who are not state convention delegates are welcome to attend the video conference, but participation will largely be limited to credentialed delegates. The convention will also be live-streamed and posted after the convention has completed.

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POTUS Hopefuls Make Pitch to Michigan Libertarians (Continued)

Editors note: The Michigan Libertarian invited all of the POTUS candidates, who qualified to be listed on this page, to provide a statement (1400 character limit) for Michigan Libertarians to read. The Michigan Libertarian published statements received by February 29th in the March issue. Adam Kokesh missed that deadline, so his statement is included in this issue. Because there is no debate at the April 4th convention, delegates and Presidential candidates may interact in this Facebook Group.

Adam Kokesh

Presidential Candidate Adam Kokesh with Scotty Boman and Detroit Police Commissioner Willie Burton in the DPD HQ parking lot on St. Patric 's Day 2020.
Presidential Candidate Adam Kokesh with Scotty Boman and Detroit Police Commissioner Willie Burton in the DPD HQ parking lot on St. Patric 's Day 2020.

When elected, I will swear in, walk to the White House, and sign one executive order. This executive order will lay out the process for dissolving the federal government in a peaceful, orderly manner. With it, I will resign as President to become "Custodian of the Federal Government." The only thing I will do as President before signing the order is pardon everyone convicted under federal law for victimless crimes. The executive order will appoint someone to head each federal department as "Custodians" who will carry out the plan outlined in the order.

Some agencies will be very easy to do away with, like those that perform only regulatory or illegitimate functions. Others can be carefully transferred to state governments. American troops abroad will be immediately brought home in a responsible and orderly manner that does not endanger their lives. Federal properties will be transferred to the states, privatized, or disposed of.

Upon winning the election, our transition team will immediately begin the rollout of a new, decentralized monetary system by which we can pay back the American people and fund the bankruptcy process of the federal government.

More important than the politics of this campaign, is the education about the nature of government and how we can apply it to live more free NOW! This campaign is about encouraging people to minimize the role of government in their lives and their role in empowering government. For more details read my platform.

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Postponement and Rescheduling of the LPM State Convention

By Greg Stempfle, Chair

Presidential Candidate Adam Kokesh with Scotty Boman and Detroit Police Commissioner Willie Burton in the DPD HQ parking lot on St. Patric 's Day 2020.
Due to the increasing escalation of the coronavirus outbreak, the Libertarian Party of Michigan (LPM) postponed their March 14, 2020 state convention, which was originally scheduled to be held at the Eberhard Center at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Grand Rapids. The rescheduled convention will be held via video conference on Saturday, April 4, 2020 at noon.

We apologize to everyone for the last minute cancellation. Events unfolded very quickly on that Friday morning before the decision was made and published at about 12:30 PM. The call to postpone the LPM Convention was ultimately made by LPM Chair Greg Stempfle, upon the advice of the Convention Committee Chair Jamie Lewis. The decision was not directly based on any action taken by the Governor, President, or any government official, but by the significant number of convention delegates who said they would not attend or urged us to postpone over concerns of viral exposure.

Over the course of the morning, it was reported, among other things, that four cases of coronavirus were traced to Grand Rapids, and that both the Governor and President would be taking various emergency measures later that day. At this point, the entire banquet program would have been cancelled, and attendance might have been too low for certain business items to have been addressed. Fearing that the fallout from holding the convention, including potentially spreading the virus, would outweigh the fallout of postponing the convention, the Chair ultimately made the decision to postpone.

Rescheduled State Convention to be Held April 4th via Video-conference

The Libertarian Executive Committee (LEC) held an emergency meeting on the evening of Friday, March 13 to discuss the status of the state convention. The LEC voted to hold our rescheduled national delegate selection convention on Saturday, April 4 at noon via video conference. Our bylaws require us to nominate our national delegates by April 10, and it was felt that any in-person convention would not be feasible until the coronavirus outbreak fears subside. This will be a streamlined business session only convention. We also voted to extend the deadline for affiliates to submit names of additional state convention delegates to March 28, and the 30-day membership deadline will be extended to cover those who joined the state party as a dues-paying member on or before March 5th. While the LPM has a business Zoom account, we will investigate other platforms to see which can best accommodate our agenda needs. Before the actual April 4th Zoom convention, the LEC will schedule a trial-run "mock convention" to work out technical glitches in order to ensure that our first virtual convention will run smoothly.

Current Procedural Status of Convention

On Saturday morning, the day the convention was originally scheduled to be held, three members of our executive board (Jamie Lewis, Mary Buzuma, and Nathan Hewer) met outside the Eberhard Center to perform a parliamentary procedure known as "Fix the Time To Which to Adjourn". What this did is allow us to keep our original call to convention intact and enable our rescheduled convention to be in compliance with Robert 's Rules of Order.

Status of Refunds

It is our intention to provide as much of a refund as possible to those who paid for the various registration items. Jamie Lewis is meeting with GVSU officials today (Monday the 16th) to discuss our financial obligation. However, the Party will still be liable for at least a part of the cost of the banquet and luncheon food purchases. Based on their conversation, the LEC will vote on a refund policy at their next meeting on Sunday, March 22. Some have suggested that, if a significant refund is not feasible in light of the current LPM budget, those fees that persons have paid for this convention could be applied toward future membership dues or convention fees.

The LPM bylaws expressly permit video conferencing for official business.

Many people have asked if our bylaws allow for video conferencing. The answer is yes. There are two places in our bylaws that explicitly state that electronic meetings are acceptable.

IX. ELECTRONIC MEETINGS AND PROCEDURES This [prohibition of asynchronous voting procedures] does not prohibit other synchronous forms of communication and voting, such as conference call or videoconferencing, to be used for official business. IV. LOCAL PARTY ORGANIZATIONS 3.A.1. The affiliate may hold a combined convention for all counties and districts within the affiliate region at the same place(s) and/or via a synchronous electronic meeting;

Robert 's Rules of Order Regarding Electronic Meetings

The most recent version of Robert 's Rules of Order (11th edition, published in 2011) has a new section on electronic meetings, pp. 97-99, which will be used, along with our bylaws, as a guide on to how to conduct the video conference convention. When reviewing these applicable pages of Robert 's, note that the 11th edition is the current one that you should be referencing, and that all of the free versions available online are earlier editions.

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Governor Whitmer's Shelter-in-Place Order: NW MI Libertarian Statement

By Donna Gundle Krieg

This is a resolution of an affiliate of the Libertarian Party of Michigan, but doesn't necessarily reflect the view of the Libertarian Executive Committee or the membership as a whole.

Northwestern Michigan affiliate covers the counties of Charlevoix, Antrim, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, and Missaukee.
Northwestern Michigan affiliate covers the counties of Charlevoix, Antrim, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, and Missaukee.

The following resolution was approved unanimously by the Executive Committee of the Northwest Michigan Party of Michigan. This resolution was written by Ben Carr of the Libertarian Party of Michigan.

RESOLUTION:

The Northwest Michigan Party of Michigan wishes to proclaim its strong condemnation of the recent actions of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in response to the spread of COVID-19, also called Coronavirus.

Governor Whitmer 's actions are a violation of the natural human rights of free movement and interaction. The recent restrictions on local businesses and public meetings will do irreparable harm to the economy of the state of Michigan, at both the personal and public level, which will be felt in the form of lost jobs, homes, and small businesses. Her abuse of state executive authority will only continue to create panic and needlessly isolate thousands of citizens who require personal and economic interactions to survive.

While we recognize the severity of Coronavirus, we do not believe such conditions grant the state additional powers. We instead advocate that the most effective method of protecting lives is reasonable restraint and self-isolation practiced by informed individuals.

The lifting of these government restraints will allow not only for the movement of needed goods and supplies-especially to the most vulnerable during such a time-but will also allow for the charitable aid and spread of needed developments for testing and medical technologies that the existing system will not be able to meet. The current measures are both oppressive and incapable of dealing with the crisis without the inclusion of aid on the part of private citizens.

We therefore call on Governor Whitmer to lift the authoritarian restrictions in place and restore the human rights of movement and interaction to the citizens of Michigan, as well as guarantee their rights to both property and bodily autonomy. We also call upon the public servants of Michigan to resist these orders and act to protect the rights of their constituents. Most importantly, we implore the citizens of Michigan to speak out against these egregious violations of human rights and demand a return to sanity and freedom.

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Civil Libertarians Protest Whitmer Edicts

Editors note: The Michigan Civil Liberties Coalition is a non-partisan group of civil libertarians. This was not a Libertarian Party event, but involved some of it's members.

MCLC protesters: Michelle Grgoire, Scotty Boman, Gregory Creswell, Adam Heikkila and Jeff Phillips.
MCLC protesters: Michelle Grgoire, Scotty Boman, Gregory Creswell, Adam Heikkila and Jeff Phillips.

Lansing, MI - Civil libertarians from all over Michigan converged at the state Capitol Saturday March 28th to express their dismay with Governor Whitmer 's restrictions on peaceful gatherings and the "stay-at-home" order. Individuals and organizations began the protest at 1:00 PM under the umbrella name of Michigan Civil Liberties Coalition.

WLNS reporter Brittany Flowers showed up as did a reporter from an independent news service. The protest was the lead story on the Lansing station 's 6:00 PM News.

Jeff Philips said,

I realize we are dealing with a very serious virus. These restrictions are dismissive of the many thousands of people who, over the years (over our past history), have sacrificed their lives voluntarily to fight for our freedom. If we surrender our freedom, in even this time of fear, then we may save lives now but we will be discounting the lives that were already sacrificed. In the future there are many generations yet to be born who will die from tyranny if we give up our freedom today"

Our rights don 't take sick days

"Our rights don 't take sick days." Said Scotty Boman, Michigan Director of Our America Initiative. "Certainly we should all do what we can to stay safe and look out for our neighbors, but the existence of a contagious disease should not be exploited to violate basic rights like the right to peaceably assemble or the right of innocent people to leave their homes."

Republican State Representative candidate Michelle Gregoire said, "I'm here because all tyranny needs to gain a foothold, is for people of good conscience, to remain silent. "I care about people's health and more people will die from an economic fallout than this virus."

The Michigan Civil Liberties Coalition was formed to organize people from different parts of Michigan, with varying political backgrounds, to stand together in defense of civil liberties at a time when the state is violating them to an unprecedented degree. The groups description on Facebook says,

We strive to defend everyone's rights against government encroachments - especially your rights to self expression, assembly, self defense, petition, and due process.

We are NON partisan and not beholden to any politician, only to The People.

The coalition includes Our America Initiative Michigan Grassroots, the committee to elect Michelle Gregoire, Detroit Residents Advancing Civilian Oversight and the Libertarian Party of Wayne County.

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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
Ciculation Director: Catherine Filus. catherine@catherinefilus.com
Deputy Editors: Norman Peterson & Mary Buzuma. newsletter@michiganlp.org
Social Media Director: Connor Nepomuceno cjnepo1@gmail.com
Historical Committee Chair: Emily Salvette esalvette@gmail.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: Peter Biskupski. 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

For reasons that require no repetition, the regular meeting venues of these affiliates will be closed. The Michigan Libertarian is including the dates of meetings since some affiliates may chose a virtual alternative. Please contact local affiliate officers to learn how to get involved in their meetings.

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 1, 2020 - Huron-Raisin Affiliate Meeting, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
For more information, contact James Hudler at 734-475-9792 or email james.hudler@gmail.com

April 2, 2020 - Livingston County Michigan Libertarians Affiliate Meeting, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
For more information, contact James Weeks II at 810.422.8769 or email j.weeks@riseup.net

April 4, 2020 - Libertarian Party of Michigan Delegate Selection Convention, 9:00 AM Sign in. Business at Noon.
More information is available here

April 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

April 8, 2020 - Libertarians of Macomb County Affiliate Meeting, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
For more information, contact Mike Saliba at macomblp@gmail.com

April 8, 2020 - Libertarian Party of Wayne County Affiliate Meeting, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
For more information, contact Scotty Boman at (313) 247-2052 or email ScottyBoman@hotmail.com

April 19, 2020 - Straits Area Affiliate Meeting, (Sunday @ 3:00 PM)
For more information, contact Chair Andy Evans, (231) 625-8403, . amevans_1968@yahoo.com
straitslp.com or https://www.facebook.com/StraitsAreaLP/

April 15, 2020 - The Northwest Michigan Affiliate Meeting, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
This is our monthly business meeting which will be held online. Please go to this link to join the meeting. https://zoom.us/j/746191100?pwd=Y29rY0pQdGNzZ2hGbG1zWW5VMUo3UT09

April 14, 2020 - Libertarian Party of West Michigan (LPWM) Affiliate Meeting, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
More details are posted here.
For more information, please contact Jamie Lewis at jkl620@yahoo.com.

April 15, 2020 - Jackson-Hillsdale Libertarian Party Affiliate Meeting, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM.
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 15, 2020 - The Libertarian Party of Oakland County Affiliate Meeting, Dinner at 6:30 PM, meeting at 7:30 PM.
For more information contact Connor Nepomuceno, Cjnepo1@gmail.com or Vice Chair Ben Carr at 248-919-8152

April 19, 2019 - Capital Area Affiliate Meeting, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
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 22, 2020 - Wayne County Constitutional De Jure Law Discussion Group, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Not an official LPM Group, but of interest to some LPM members. For more information, contact John Tatar at (734) 968-4715 or email JohnJTatar@yahoo.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.