LPM OnlineAugust 29, 2000 |
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8/23/00 Judge Rules Libertarian Candidate Off November Ballot, Appeal Planned Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Michael Harrison ruled today that Libertarian Party State Board of Education candidate Jon Coon cannot appear on the November ballot. Nominated along with 110 other candidates at the LP's May convention, Coon refused to sign a new Supplemental Affidavit of Identity. The form requires the candidate to swear under penalty of perjury that every statement, form and other requirement for compliance with Michigan's increasingly complex campaign finance laws has been satisfied by everyone ever connected with any of his or her campaigns for public office. "How could I sign such a statement under penalty of perjury?" an incredulous Coon asked. "I know for a fact that there are still open questions about the campaign committee I formed back in 1993 in my run for U.S. Senate." The judge ruled that the Bureau of Elections was justified in not certifying Coon for the ballot since he had not complied with the new requirement. "The decision was made on very narrow grounds," said attorney Ghazey Aleck who appeared on behalf of both the candidate and the party. "Judge Harrison said that candidates were only being required to swear that all statements, reports and so forth had been filed -- not that the information contained on them was true and accurate. That's an interesting hair to split," Aleck said. "In fact the Bureau of Elections attorney didn't even try and make that argument until the judge suggested it," he added. "Unfortunately, Judge Harrison never addressed our main contention," Aleck observed. "The Michigan Constitution authorizes the legislature to regulate 'the time place and manner' of elections. The Supreme Court has ruled that this is so that elections are "fair and honest' to assure that 'order rather than chaos accompanies the democratic process.' But the new requirement concerns candidates' reports about how they raise, spend and account for money in running their campaigns. It has nothing to do with the actual electoral process. The legislature has simply used the threat of denying a candidate access to the ballot to enforce this essentially unrelated campaign finance disclosure requirement. Even if there is a 'compelling government interest' in such disclosures, that is something that could be accomplished by far less draconian means than summarily denying them a place on the ballot." The Libertarian Party and its candidate, Jon Coon, are already planning an appeal. "Maybe we can get the Appeals Court to address the substance of our case," said Tim O'Brien, the party's executive director. "Judge Harrison certainly didn't." Attorney Aleck said the appeal would be filed within the required 21 days. The party still expects the new law to be thrown out by a higher court. However, that will not happen in time to get Jon Coon back his place on the ballot in the November election.
I hope that some will find the following information useful for countering the claims about the danger of firearms. Perhaps those inclined to write letters to the editor can use the data to inform the public of the truth the media seems determined to hide.
What is the truth about the danger from firearms
accidents? During 1998 accidental deaths reported were as
follows: So, 0.918 percent of accidental deaths were inflicted with firearms. In every age group drownings exceeded accidental deaths inflicted with firearms. In the under 15 age category accidental drownings exceeded accidental deaths inflicted with firearms by 820 percent. For all ages drowning was 500 percent higher. Accidental deaths from bicycles are 95 percent of those from firearms. For deliberate deaths the percentages shift substantially. The 11,798 firearms homicides are about 66 percent of the total of 17,893. Firearms suicides of 17,424 are about 57 percent of the total of 30,575. The 866 accidental deaths (19 of which were children under age 5) are the only ones upon which trigger locks and other gun control laws can have any significant impact. Many of those deaths occur when the guns would be unlocked anyway. People who want to kill themselves or others will find a way. Usually they will be able to find a gun if they want it. Targeting the 4,406 accidental drownings with swimming pool and bath tub safety would do far more good than trying to restrict or abolish firearms. These statistics say nothing about the thousands of lives saved (according to some studies) by defending against crime by use of a readily accessible firearm. One researcher concluded that defensive use of firearms prevents about 30,000 murders per year. Even if we did the impossible and eliminated all 866 accidental firearm deaths, it would take only a small decrease in the defensive use of firearms to allow an increase of 866 in the number of murders. What might we accomplish with an increase in the defensive use of firearms? The statistics in this article are from the Center For Disease Control web site ( http://www. cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm ). They are all included in a PDF file at ( http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvs48_11.pdf ) This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded free from a link at the CDC web site. Download time might extend to half an hour. The data are included in the first two pages of Table 19 at pages 72 and 73 of the report. It prints out very nicely. Also Table 16 gives a detailed break down of the firearms statistics.
More than 1200 people have now signed a petition in support of John Stossel, undermining the activist crusade to silence him. The petition is being offered by a Competitive Enterprise Institute sponsored site, http://www.savejohnstossel.org . At this site you can add your name to the petition, find the latest articles for and against Stossel, and email editors who have written against him.
Green Party candidate, Ralph Nader, has filed suit against the Federal Election Commission charging that the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates standards for participation are discriminatory and, therefore, represent an illegal campaign contribution by the sponsors to the major party candidates.
Text of complaint:
Are you starting to receive candidate questionnaires in your mail? Do you want to fill them out with positive, effective, Libertarian responses? Have you been invited to participate in a candidate forum? Do you want to be sure you have the confidence and a solid Libertarian message to present? How can you achieve the most impact from your limited campaign?? Attend the Libertarian Campaigning 101 Workshop! Featuring special presentation and advice from formerly elected Libertarian State Representative Don Gorman of New Hampshire, who will participate in all of the activities, sharing his political experiences, campaigning expertise, and good humor. Bring your surveys (we can work on filling them out), bring a jacket and tie for digital photos, and make the most of your Libertarian campaign. When: Saturday, September 9 9:30 am -- Registration; coffee, donuts 10:00 am - 5:30 pm -- Class (Lunch provided) 6:00 pm -- Supper at the home of Barb Goushaw and Bruce Hoepner Where: LPM Headquarters 619 E. Nine Mile Road (just east of I-75) Hazel Park 248-591-FREE Who should attend: All present Libertarian candidates, future candidates, campaign managers, and key campaign volunteers Cost: Absolutely nothing, 0, zilch, it’s free! Please RSVP by Thursday, September 7: Workshop, Dinner , or Both; Barb Goushaw: bgoush@aol.com or 248-355-5058 |
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