LPM Online

September 12, 2006

1. Upcoming Events

   September 12, 2006 - 10:00 AM

   Meet the Candidate Event. Candidates Greg Creswell (Governor) and Scotty Boman (Lt. Gov.) will be at the Center Campus Location (Room P-127). 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM, and from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM.

   Location: Macomb Community College (Center Campus, Room P-127). Near Garfield and Hall Rd. Clinton Township. www.macomb.edu

   Contact: Sarah Lester Phone: 586-286-2242 Email: www.macomb.edu

   
   

   September 12, 2006 - 7:00 PM

   Please join us as we discuss party business, strategy for the upcoming election and finalizing plans for the liberty banquet.

   Location: The LP of West Michigan will be holding its open executive meeting at the IHOP on East Beltline in Grand Rapids (near Knapp's corner).

   Contact: Eric Larson Phone: 616-949-2844 Email: chair@lpwm.org

   
   

   September 12, 2006 - 7:30 PM

   Capital Area Libertarian Party monthly meeting. Discussion of upcoming election and moving the office to Michigan Avenue.

   Location: Barley's Grill, 727 E Miller Rd., Lansing phone 882-7297

   Contact: Will Tyler White Phone: 517 349-3806 Email: whitewi5@msu.edu

   
   

   September 13, 2006 - 10:00 AM

   Meet the candidate event: Candidates Greg Creswell (Governor) and Scotty Boman (Lt. Gov.) will be present from 10 AM to 1:00 PM at the South Campus location. Room K-251.

   Location: Macomb Community College. South Campus (Room K-251) 12 Mile and Hayes. Warren. For campus location information visit: www.macomb.edu

   Contact: Sarah Lester Phone: 586-286-2242 Email: Fax 586-286-2250

   
   

   September 14, 2006 - 6:00 PM

   This will be an interesting meeting. Dinner is optional. The Public is welcome to attend.

   Location: The Libertarian Party of Southwest Michigan will hold it's next meeting at the Benton Habor IHOP. The IHOP restaurant is on Pipestone Road just 100 yards West of the I-94 exit.

   Contact: Bill Bradley Phone: 269 637-4525 Email: wbradley@i2k.com

   
   

   September 17, 2006 - 1:00 PM

   LEC meeting.

   Location: Tentative: Ann Arber Brewery. Ann Arbor, MI

   Contact: Scotty Boman Phone: 313-247-2052 Email: scottyeducation@yahoo.com

   
   

   September 23, 2006 - 5:00 PM

   Samuel Staley will be the featured speaker at this year's event. He is a policy expert on eminent domain and property development from the Reason Institute. Also, the event will feature our annual Guardian of Liberty awards. Come join us as we celebrate our march to liberty in west Michigan and throughout the state. Tickets are $40 which cover the gourmet meal and festivities. RSVP to Bill Gelineau, membership director.

   Location: Liberty Banquet at Sayfee's Restaurant in Grand Rapids.

   Contact: Bill Gelineau Phone: 616-897-0488 Email: wgelineau@firstam.com

   
   

   September 27, 2006 - 11:00 AM

   Equal Parenting Week Rally to be held in Lansing Michigan at the capital building on September 27th, 2006 11AM-5PM. This may be a speaking opportunity for interested candidates. Please let Darrik know if he can count on your help during the rally and whether or not you plan on attending. Please request information at: http://www.fatherachildsright.org/html/rally.html

   Location: in Lansing Michigan at the capital building

   Contact: Darrick Scott-Farnsworth Phone: 269 731-2918 or 269 388-7271 Email: dlscott_farnsworth@yahoo.com

   
   

   September 27, 2006 - 6:30 PM

   Monthly meeting. Members and non members are all welcome.

   Location: Silas

   4033 W 12 Mile Rd in Berkley Just east of Greenfield

   Contact: Nathan Allen Phone: 248-891-3003 Email: knathan_knows@yahoo.com

   
   

   October 05, 2006 - 6:00 PM

   Davenport University is pleased to announce it will again be hosting a Meet the Candidates night. On Thursday October 5, 2006 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, the Caro Location of Davenport will be open to candidates to meet with the public. They welcome LPM candidates to attend this forum for the purpose of meeting with the public in a casual setting. RSVP ASAP.

   Location: the Caro Location of Davenport University. 1231 Cleaver Rd. Caro, MI 48723

   Contact: Audrey Kelly Phone: (989) 673-5857 Email: audrey.kellv@davenport.edu

   
   

   More...

   For more events, see the online calendar at:

   http://www.michiganlp.org/lpmonline/events.php

   
   

2. Reflections on the Rainbow Farms Massacre — by Melody Karr
   
   Note from the Chair:
   Tom Crosslin and Rollie Rohm recieved the Defender of Liberty award in 2001. This was sent to me by Melody Karr, who organized the recent activity in remembrance of their death, at the hands of their own government.
   ----------------------------------------------
   
   The faithful gathered once again this Labor Day, 2006, to remember our fallen brothers, Tom Crosslin and Rollie Rohm --- to honor Rainbow Farm, the dream they called into being with magic and sweat; to mourn their deaths at the hand of a machine that cares only for power and control; and to remind the community and the Authorities once again that we will not forget.
   
   The demonstration was a microcosm of the Farm itself: hippies and hillbillies; multiple generations of families; old friends and newcomers; Libertarians, tree huggers, and true hemp believers; folks who helped build Rainbow Farm, and some who watched helplessly while it burned. And, as always of course, the police and the press.
   
   Reporters and photographers showed up from the South Bend Tribune and the Elkhart Truth, along with a crew from channel 22 news who did a live report at 6 o'clock. And the good folks of Cass County can rest easy, knowing that this dangerous collection of tie dyed, bubble-blowing, rainbow-painted sign-holders was well supervised at
   their expense. Several county cruisers, including one pulling a patrol boat, passed through the intersection repeatedly during the two hours we occupied that corner; a couple of fellows who appeared to be courthouse security officers guarded the rear of the building and occasionally peeked around the wall at us then ducked under cover again, muttering on their two-way radios; a Cassopolis police car sat, almost out of sight behind the bank across the street, for about 45 minutes before circling the block to park in front of the bank.
   Several folks
   
   walked among the group with a quiet, "Heads up," as he left his car and crossed the street to us.
   
   Each year it seems the Authorities have some minor rule which requires them to approach us and make their presence known (as though we couldn't see them): keep moving, don't block the sidewalk, stay off the grass, whatever. The specifics always change, and what was acceptable last year may not be so this year; so we always go out, do whatever we want, and wait for them to come tell us how we have to do it differently. It seems to be a ritual equivalent of dogs circling and sniffing one another to decide if they want to fight, and it's never gone further than some raised hairs and maybe a low growl or two.
   
   This particular officer was very easygoing: "I don't want to be out here any more than you folks want me here, so if you could just help me out and stay on the sidewalk away from the edge of the road, I'd appreciate it." And, being reasonable people, we did. Kathy the artist, who was decorating people with rainbows, even convinced the
   nice policeman to let her draw one on his arm, although he did change his mind with two colors left to go. I think he may have noticed the tv camera across the street filming the whole encounter, because he went back to his car mumbling something about seeing him in the unemployment line.
   
   During the second hour of the vigil, several smaller crews broke off from the main group and began crossing the street --- with the lights, of course --- covering all four corners of the intersection, back and forth, sometimes slowing traffic, but always obeying the
   signals. Response from the public was probably 95% positive through out the demo, with honks, thumbs up, peace signs and power fists vastly outnumbering the negative comments and gestures. I always think of the folks going by as the unseen demonstrators: many of them
   are afraid (or, let's face it, just unmotivated), to stand on the corner themselves, but it is important to them that we're there, and their support always helps to elevate the vibe. Some of them drive by repeatedly, just to honk and wave again. One young man put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze as I crossed the street. "You roll on, girl, roll on. Tell them folks how it is."
   
   We had been told over the weekend that Scott Teter, who has been presiding over child support collections in Michigan since leaving his County Persecutor position, believes that things have cooled down enough in Cass County that he can come back and run for judge in the
   next elections. Of course rumors always run rampant, but the source on this one seemed fairly reliable, so we alerted as many locals as we could while standing there, and I want to encourage everyone in the movement to watch that situation. Just from public reaction ("Oh, hell no!" was a common one), I don't think emotions have died down as much as he may think.
   
   As the last reporter left, crossing against the light, the youngest of our group --- a boy about ten years old --- called after him, "Careful with that jaywalking! The police are watching, and they shoot to kill around here!"
   
   Following the vigil, about a dozen of us met on Deadhead Hill, a corner of the Rainbow Farm property bordering Kirk Lake Road and state land. Until this year, we've always just driven in the front gate, but we had heard the property was subdivided and much of it sold. A modular home now stands on the exact spot where Tom and Rollie made their last stand, the site of the old farmhouse.
   
   We stood on the hill and looked across the small valley at the remnants of the old stage, wondering if the people we could see there were strangers or friends. Hollering across the space to them, we established that they were some of the new owners, and Trena called,
   "This is the fifth anniversary of when Tom and Rollie were murdered,
   and we just came here to say a prayer."
   
   The answer came back, a simple statement that broke something free in my heart: "We knew you folks would be coming. You're all welcome here." We looked at each other in happy disbelief.
   
   Walking down that overgrown slope to meet them in the middle of the valley, we felt like natives greeting the newcomers who have come to settle on what was once our land and always will be --- not by any legal contract, but by our common relationship with it --- meeting those settlers and finding them neighborly and compassionate. Their names were Jerry and Sue, from Elkhart, and it turns out that the locals among us were familiar with Jerry's family, even went to school with his brother. They had bought the property knowing a little of its history, and Sue had read Burning Rainbow Farm out of curiosity --- so they knew the story, and even recognized the names of some of our group. The piece of land they own includes the old
   stage, and they plan to leave it there and even replace the stolen floorboards, "because we know people are going to want to come here, and why not?
   
   We could feel this is a special place. You're not hurting anything at all, and you're always welcome here."
   
   It felt like true Rainbow magic. Jerry and Sue left us for their family barbecue, and we called in the dusk with circles of remembrance --- a few of us on the stage with a bottle of homemade wine, reading the tributes written on the uprights; others sitting in the grass on the knoll. Eventually the two groups came together for a prayer circle in the middle, with everyone offering some words as
   they were moved to do so.
   
   We straggled back to our cars in twos and threes, and stretched goodbyes past moonrise. It's always been hard to leave the Farm. There's one more joint to smoke, one more story to tell, another address to jot down, another friend to hug, tokens to exchange. It's hard to leave the spirit of peace and freedom that seems to come from the land and the people together, for the dangers and pitfalls of
   Babylon.
   
   As always, I'm grateful to have had the chance to experience that spirit in its full joy, sorrow, outrage, and healing unity.
   
   Thanks to those of you who helped make the magic --- in person, in spirit, in memory.
   
   Thanks, Jerry and Sue.
   
   Thanks, Tom. Thanks, Rollie.
   Back to Contents
   
3. Libertarians Left Out of ACLU Voter Guide — by Scotty Boman
   
   I don't expect any favors from the ACLU; myself and many other Libertarians have made our support of MCRI clear to them. However, there is plenty of room for agreement on First Amendment matters.
   
   Yet I was still surprised to get a voter guide summary from them, when I had never received a questionnaire. I emailed them back, and was told:
   "We used the Secretary of State primary filings list to develop our candidate data for the questionnaires. I apologize for the exclusion. Our voter guide is printed but am happy to add your responses to the web-based document."
   
   When I let Legislative Director Shelli Weisberg, know that we were the first political party to file with the secretary of state, for the general election, she let me know an "intern" got the information off the internet.
   
   In any case, I have taken Ms. Weisberg at her word, and submitted answers to the questionnaire for posting on the “web-based document.”
   
   Any other candidates who were not contacted, but wish to be included, may contact:
   
   Shelli Weisberg, Legislative Director
   ACLU of Michigan
   60 W. Hancock
   Detroit, MI 48201
   313.578.6800 (Detroit Office)
   517.372.8503 (Lansing)
   248.535.7112 (Cell)
   sweisberg@aclumich.org
   Back to Contents
   
4. Pridesource Seeks Candidate Photo's — by Scotty Boman
   
   Dawn Wolfe Gutterman of Pridesource/ Between the Lines is putting together their 2006 Voter's Guide and is in need of high-resolution candidate photographs.
   
   Dawn wishes to have them emailed by Wednesday the 13th. In other words: right away. Include the words: "Voter's Guide" in the subject line. Send them to.
   
   dawnwolfe@pridesource.com
   
   
   Dawn Wolfe Gutterman
   Between The Lines
   11920 Farmington Rd.
   Livonia, MI 48150
   (734) 293-7200 ext. 59
   www.pridesource.comBack to Contents
   
5. Affirmations seeks Libertarians to meet with GLTB voters — by Scotty Boman
   
   Vanessa Marr
   Civic Engagement Coordinator of "Affirmations" seeks Libertarians to participate with "Coffee with the Candidates sessions."
   
   Sessions are on these dates:
   
   Tuesday, September 19
   1:00-2:00 p.m.
   Java Hutt, 165 W. Nine Mile, Ferndale
   OPEN
   
   Tuesday, September 26
   1:00-2:00 p.m.
   Java Hutt, 165 W. Nine Mile, Ferndale
   OPEN
   
   Tuesday, October 3
   1:00-2:00 p.m.
   Java Hutt, 165 W. Nile Mile, Ferndale
   PENDING--Invitation sent to candidate w/ no response
   
   Wednesday, October 4
   1:00-2:00 p.m.
   Java Hutt, 165 W. Nine Mile, Ferndale
   PENDING--Invitation sent to candidate w/ no response
   
   If you are interested, let me know and I will pass your contact information along to Ms. Marr.
   
   Scotty Boman
   scottyeducation@yahoo.comBack to Contents