- Upcoming Events
- Candidate 101 Workshop
- LPOC Runs First Candidate of the Millenium
- LPOC Launches Highly Advanced Communications System (HACS)
- LPOC Elects New Officers
- Steinport Campaign Gains Steam.
- LIBERTARIAN PARTY ENDORSES BALLOT DRIVE
- National LP Chair Will Not Seek Reelection
- Leadership Conference This Month!!!
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- Upcoming Events
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February 9, 2000 - 6:00 PM
- Libertarians of Macomb County monthly meeting. Drinks and dinner at 6:00 PM, business begins at 7:00 PM.
- Location: Heinzman's Heidelberg, 43785 Gratiot, Clinton Twp, just north of Mt. Clemens.
- Contact: Keith Edwards Phone: (810) 777-7468 E-mail: keithmarni@aol.com
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February 9, 2000 - 6:30 PM
- LP of Oakland County Executive Committee Meeting Meeting. All dues paying members are welcome. Meet for dinner at 6:30PM, business begins at 7:30PM.
- Location: Sila's, 4033 W. 12 Mile Rd., Berkley. Sila's is located 2 blocks east of Greenfield on 12 Mile Rd.
- Contact: Greg Dirasian Phone: (248) 592-9731 E-mail: greg@newsnetpipeline.com
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February 10, 2000 - 7:00 PM
- LP of Washtenaw Co weekly meeting. Election of officers, convention planning, medical marijuana petition drive.
- Location: Cubs' AC Restaurant, next to Colonial Lanes, 1950 S. Industrial Hwy., Ann Arbor
- Contact: James Hudler Phone: (734) 475-9792
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February 12, 2000 - 9:30 AM
- Candidate 101 Workshop Everything Libertarian candidates need to present a professional Libertarian image for their 2000 campaigns: photos, issues/positions, Q&A, more! coffee and donuts at 9:30 registration; pizza and pop provided for lunch. Seminar runs 10-5
- Location: Barb Goushaw's Home Southfield, MI bgoush@aol.com for directions
- Contact: Stacy Van Oast Phone: (810) 784-8783 E-mail: stacyvo@eesc.com
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February 14, 2000 - 6:30 PM
- Libertarian Party of Livingston County invites you to attend our monthly meeting. Dinner at 7 p.m. and business begins at 8 p.m. Election of officers will be held at this meeting.
- Location: Mexican Jones Restaurante, 675 W. Grand River, Brighton, MI
- Contact: Teresa Pollok Phone: (810) 229-0737 E-mail: tpollok@livingonline.com
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February 16, 2000
- St. Clair County Libertarian Party monthly meeting
- Location: Armbrusters Sports Bar and Grill located at 1211 Griswold, Port Huron, MI 48060. TX: (810) 982-2255. Join us for dinner at 6:00 PM. Business begins at 7:00 PM.
- Contact: Eric Wojciechowski Phone: (810) 598-8618 E-mail: ewojo@worldnet.att.net
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February 17, 2000
- LP of Washtenaw Co weekly meeting.
- Location: Cubs' AC Restaurant, next to Colonial Lanes, 1950 S. Industrial Hwy., Ann Arbor
- Contact: James Hudler Phone: (734) 475-9792
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February 17, 2000 - 6:30 PM
- Monthy dinner meeting.
- Location: CT's Restaurant (South Haven on the corner of Blue Star Hwy and M-140)
- Contact: Bill Bradley (not the candidate) Phone: (616) 637-1788 E-mail: bbradley@cybersol.com
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February 19, 2000 - 7:00 PM
- LPSC Public Meeting. Attorney Greg Schmid of the Personal Responsibility Initiative is guest speaker. Meet at 6 if you want to eat.
- Location: Brenda's Bistro, Durand
- Contact: Ben Steele III Phone: (517) 288-5616 E-mail: bsteele1@tir.com
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February 23, 2000 - 6:30 PM
- LP of Oakland County General Membership Meeting. Public welcome. Meet for dinner at 6:30PM, business begins at 7:30PM.
- Location: Sila's, 4033 W. 12 Mile Rd., Berkley. Sila's is located 2 blocks east of Greenfield on 12 Mile Rd.
- Contact: Greg Dirasian Phone: (248) 592-9731 E-mail: greg@newsnetpipeline.com
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February 24, 2000 - 7:00 PM
- LP of Washtenaw Co weekly meeting. Presentations about firearm ownership.
- Location: Cubs' AC Restaurant, next to Colonial Lanes, 1950 S. Industrial Hwy., Ann Arbor
- Contact: James Hudler Phone: (734) 475-9792
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February 27, 2000
- Deadline for LPM Outstanding Affiliate of the Year Contest.
- Location: Mail entries to: 21835 Cherry Hill Road, Dearborn 48124-1149
- Contact: Ben Steele III Phone: (517) 288-5616 E-mail: bsteele1@tir.com
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February 27, 2000 - 10:00 AM
- Winter 2000 Affiliate Leadership Conference -- Look for more information in the state newsletter, contact your local Affiliate Chair, or call/e-mail contact below.
- Location: Bavarian Inn MOTOR LODGE (not to be confused with Bavarian Inn RESTAURANT) in Frankenmuth
- Contact: Jim Fitzpatrick Phone: (517) 799-4826 E-mail: jfitzpatrick@webtv.net
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February 28, 2000 - 6:30 PM
- Meeting of the LPM Presidential Campaign Committee.
- Location: Home of Barb Goushaw, 19514 West Nine Mile Road, Southfield MI (between Southfield and Evergreen Roads. Call or e-mail Barb Goushaw if you need better directions.)
- Contact: Barb Goushaw Phone: (248) 355-5058 E-mail: bgoush@aol.com
- More
- For more events, see the online calendar at:
- http://www.michiganlp.org/lpmonline/events.php
- Candidate 101 Workshop by Stacy Van Oast
Just a reminder to all Libertarian candidates: the
Candidate 101 Workshop is being presented this Saturday,
February 12 at Barb Goushaw's home in Southfield.
Registration will begin at 9:30 with coffee and donuts.
Seminar will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. and run til 5:00.
Don't miss this opportunity to get your candidate photo
taken, define your issues and positions, write your bio, and
do all those things necessary to run an effective,
professional campaign with limited financial and time
resources!
Our candidates are promoting our message and our cause;
the Libertarian Party of Michigan is providing these
candidate essentials to help promote the best image
possible.
Contact Stacy Van Oast for info: stacyvo@eesc.com
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- LPOC Runs First Candidate of the Millenium by Greg Dirasian
The LPOC is pleased to announce the first candidate of
the millenium. On January 24, 2000, Martin Howrylak filed
to run for Troy City Council - elections to be held on April
3, 2000. Martin currently sits on the Troy Historic
District Commission, and has run for Troy City Council twice
before - garnering the endorsement of the Troy Eccentric
newspaper in one of his previous races.
Martin will be running an active campaign in this
non-partisan race. Controversial issues, such as tax
abatements, expanded community centers, and a compensation
review commission, make the 2 incumbents in this 4-way race
vulnerable.
Anybody who is interested in volunteering to help or
contribute money, please contact Greg Dirasian
(greg@newsnetpipeline.com or 248-592-9731). We need to win
these small races before we can go on and win the big ones.
Back to Contents
- LPOC Launches Highly Advanced Communications System (HACS) by Greg Dirasian
On January 30, 2000, the Libertarian Party of Oakland
County launched their Highly Advanced Communication System
(HACS). The basis for HACS is a portable toll-free
telephone number. Authorized members of the LPOC can
program the toll-free number to ring at any phone they
choose. This is a useful feature if we issue a press
release and are expecting calls from the media - we can
program them toll-free number to ring at a phone that we
know will be attended.
When unattended, the toll-free number is parked at a
line that is answered by a computer. Multiple voice mail
boxes can be set up for people who need them (for example,
one for the chair, one for the public relations director,
and every candidate can have their own).
Each voice mailbox has numerous capabilities. In
addition to being able to record a voice message, the
mailbox can also accept faxes, and supports fax-on-demand.
The fax-on-demand capability will be used so that members of
the media can retrieve candidate literature.
If either a voice message or fax is left in a user's
mailbox, that information can be immediately delivered to
the user. For example, if a member of the media leaves a
message for a candidate, that message could be immediately
delivered to the candidates cell phone, or, the candidate
could be paged so that he knows to retrieve his messages.
Once again, the Libertarian Party of Oakland County has
used technology to get more done with less.
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- LPOC Elects New Officers by Greg Dirasian
The Libertarian Party of Oakland County held their
annual convention on January 26, 2000.
Lorna Tate was awarded the first annual "Oakie" award
for service above and beyond the call of duty. Lorna, who
is leaving Oakland County to head for the hinterlands of
northern Michigan, served as LPOC secretary and volunteer of
last resort (if nobody else would do anything, Lorna made
sure it got done). The award is a beautiful acrylic flame
with and oak tree engraved on it and an inscription.
John Ward retired as chair and took on the honorary
title of Past Chair (where he will continue to offer his
expertise to the LPOC Central Committee). The new officers
are:
Chair - Gary Bora
Vice Chair - Greg Dirasian
Secretary - Pam Collins
Treasurer - Dianne Szabla
At-Large - Chris Pellerito
At-Large - Steve Schulte
At-Large - Lloyd Sherman
Gary Bora addressed the convention, distributed a
roster of new committees, and immediately began recruiting
volunteers. Members of the LPOC were up to the task, and
several volunteered to take on the new assignments.
Congratulations and good luck to the new officers, committee
chairs, and volunteers.
Back to Contents
- Steinport Campaign Gains Steam. by Jason C. Miller
Libertarian Jeff Steinport has declared that he will
run for (and intends to win) a position on the Grand Rapids
Board of Education. The election will be held in June and
Jeff is already on the right road. He has purchased the
list of registered voters within Grand Rapids (our state's
second largest school district). Jeff plans on mailing to
the 5000 people that voted in the last election and placing
1000 signs throughout the city so the other 120,000
registered voters that didn't vote last time will know Jeff
exists. He's also considering purchasing radio time, though
some local stations have hinted they would like to do some
free interviews. Jeff isn't just running because he's
electable, he's running because of his beliefs.
Jeff graduated from Grand Rapids Public Schools a few
years ago and saw the problems that plague it. If elected,
he will work to improve education for the students. His
first priority is to cut the wasteful spending that Grand
Rapids has yet to get under control (though important
facilities are crumbling). The eventual goal is the system
that will benefit students the most -- a private one.
If you are interested in supporting Jeff Steinport's
campaign, he can be reached at 616-447-0721, or via e-mail
at jeff@electjeff.com
Back to Contents
- LIBERTARIAN PARTY ENDORSES BALLOT DRIVE by Press Release
DEARBORN. The Libertarian Party of Michigan announced
today its official endorsement of the Personal
Responsibility Amendment initiative (PRA2000) to amend the
Michigan constitution and effectively eliminate marijuana
prohibition in the state.
The ballot proposal would make it legal under state
law for any adult resident of Michigan to privately possess
up to three ounces of marijuana for personal and/or
medicinal use. However, both commercial transactions and
operation of a motor vehicle or other machinery while under
the influence would still be prohibited under the amendment.
"Libertarians have always advocated repealing drug
prohibition," said Tim O'Brien, the party's executive
director. "All drugs," he emphasized -- noting that
marijuana is so mild a drug that there has never been a
recorded case of a fatal overdose and that it is the black
market in cocaine in its various forms and the opiate
derivatives that causes the vast majority of
prohibition-related crime.
"The Libertarian view is stated very succinctly in the
part of the PRA2000 amendment that reads: 'It is not the
proper role of a limited government to interfere with the
discretion of adults exercising informed personal judgment,
but only to prevent and redress acts of injustice to
others.' Why should this reasoning be limited to marijuana?"
he asked.
"Still, we have been around politics long enough to
appreciate the practical difficulties of persuading our
fellow citizens to restore overnight the freedom that was
our heritage until early in the twentieth century when
government nannyism came into vogue. We recognize that this
Personal Responsibility Amendment is an excellent step in
the right direction," he said.
"It is especially important that individuals who are
suffering from chronic diseases and the side effects of AIDS
and cancer treatments be permitted the freedom to ameliorate
those symptoms with marijuana -- if they feel it is the most
effective medicine for them," he concluded. "It is
unconscionable that government bureaucrats should interject
their own prejudices into so critically important and
intensely personal a decision."
Endorsement by the 1600 member Libertarian Party of
Michigan has provided a tremendous boost to PRA2000
organizers who must collect over 300,000 signatures by
mid-summer to get their proposal on the November ballot.
Back to Contents
- National LP Chair Will Not Seek Reelection
To the LNC and LPHQ Staff:
I will NOT seek the position of Chair of the
Libertarian Party at the 2000 National Convention.
During the time I have been Chair, I have been pleased
to observe the emergence of many young, talented,
imaginative and enthusiastic leaders on the LNC and in
affiliate parties. I am confident that the future Chair,
whoever it may be, will not only have great leadership
ability, but a Libertarian National Committee of similar
people to make the best leadership team the Party has ever
had. I look forward to turning over the gavel to whomever
the delegates elect.
Equally important to my decision is the excellence of
our professional staff at LPHQ. Given the nature of the
political beast that is the context in which they operate,
our staff is a model of productivity, good judgment, and the
flexibility needed to deal with whatever arises. Hence, I
am confident that the transition to a new Chair, who is the
Party CEO under our Bylaws, will not pose any serious
problems even though this is a presidential election year.
Lastly, I decided to make this announcement at this
time so that everyone who might be a potential National
Chair would know that the field is open, without an
incumbent seeking re election. (Not that my incumbency
would actually stop any serious contender.) This should
provide plenty of time for anyone who wishes to run for the
position to mount an effective campaign. My best wishes to
each of them, whoever they may be.
Please feel free to publicize this announcement to the
fullest extent. The more Party members who know it, and the
sooner they know it, the better.
David Bergland
Back to Contents
- Leadership Conference This Month!!! by Jim Fitzpatrick
Fellow Libertarians,
The LPM's first leadership conference of the year will
be held THIS MONTH on February 27th in Frankenmuth,
Michigan. This free event takes place at the beautiful
Bavarian Inn Lodge Conference Center (1 Covered Bridge
Lane), and begins at 10am.
This is the opportunity to "learn the ropes" about
running an effective affiliate, dealing with the media, and
preparing for a campaign. We will also be covering LPM
services, state convention, and the Presidential race
(top-of-ticket).
Most importantly, all campaign paperwork usually done
at the state convention will be done here. This will NOT be
done at convention, so if your a candidate, you won't want
to miss this!
As mentioned, the event is free, but a $15 all
inclusive Frankenmuth chicken dinner will be served for
lunch. Those who wish to eat must RSVP no later than the
21st to insure a dinner. Please take a moment to email me
at jfitzpatrick@webtv.net to let me know if you would like
lunch so I can make the necessary arrangements.
We look forward to a great conference! I hope to see
YOU there!
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