LPM Online

June 5, 2007

1. Upcoming Events

   June 08, 2007 - 1:00 PM

   Ethan Nadelmann, founder & executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, will talk about ending war on drugs. Requested donation: $5. Free parking on law school lot; enter from the west on Larned.

   Location: University of Detroit Mercy Law School, room 330, 651 E. Jefferson, west of I-75, east of Beaubien.

   Contact: Mike Whitty Phone: 248-723-0105 Email: MikeWhitty@prodigy.net

   
   

   June 10, 2007 - 2:00 PM

   LPM Executive Committee meeting. Agenda to be determined. Park and enter from the back of the building, which has a Xango juice company in front.

   Location: LPM office at 2722 E Michigan Ave., Suite 22 Lansing

   Contact: Bill Hall, chair Phone: 517 853-1900

   
   

   June 12, 2007 - 7:30 PM

   Capital Area Libertarian Party monthly meeting. All are welcome for political discussion and event planning.

   Location: LPM Lansing office at 2722 East Michigan Ave., Suite 22 (lower level)

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

   
   

   June 20, 2007 - 6:00 PM

   The LPSWM will complete business initially, then about 7pm we will adjurn to The Livery (Benton Harbor)to further discuss topics of interest. There is food availible at both locations.

   Location: International House of Pancakes (IHOP) located on Pipestone Rd. - 100 yards West of the I-94 interchange. At about 7 we plan to continue the discussion at The Livery, located in Benton Harbor.

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

   
   

   June 27, 2007 - 7:30 PM

   Libertarian Party of Oakland County membership meeting. Nonmembers are welcome. Optional dinner at 6:30. Meeting at 7:30.

   Location: Sila's Restaurant, 4033 W. 12 Mile, 2 blocks east of Greenfield, in Berkley.

   Contact: Adam Goodman Phone: 248-765-3213 Email: goodman582@hotmail.com

   
   

   August 03, 2007 - 7:00 PM

   Region 3 Convention - Aug. 3-5. Friday night - socializing with Libertarians from LNC Region 3(Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan). Test your skills in the "Are You Smarter Than a Republicrat" game.

   Location: Holiday Inn Dayton - South 2455 Dryden Rd Moraine, Ohio 45439

   Contact: Emily Salvette, LNC Rep-Region 3 Phone: 734-668-2607 Email: registration@lpr3.org

   
   

   August 04, 2007 - 08:30 AM

   Region 3 Convention - Aug. 3-5. Saturday - Training seminars in Grass Roots Organizing and Fundraising by the Leadership Institute of Arlington, VA. State of the Party address by Libertarian Party National Chairman, Bill Redpath. Banquet speaker: Dr. James Lark.

   Location: Holiday Inn Dayton - South 2455 Dryden Rd Moraine, Ohio 45439

   Contact: Emily Salvette, LNC Rep-Region 3 Phone: 734-668-2607 Email: registration@lpr3.org

   
   

   August 05, 2007 - 09:00 AM

   Region 3 Convention, Aug. 3-5 Sunday - Seminar on legal issues facing party organizations by Bill Hall; reports from states and an information sharing session.

   Location: Holiday Inn Dayton - South 2455 Dryden Rd Moraine, Ohio 45439

   Contact: Emily Salvette, LNC Rep-Region 3 Phone: 734-668-2607 Email: registration@lpr3.org

   
   

   More...

   For more events, see the online calendar at:

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

   
   

2. Coalition Supports Pluralistic Elections — by Scotty Boman
   
   Libertarians are not the only people who are routinely disrespected by the political establishment and the mass media. The fact is that any party other than Republicans and Democrats is going to deliberately and systematically be treated as if it doesn't exist. So the idea of a coalition of parties is not a new one.
   
   For a time, Libertarians seemed to be getting enough respect that it seemed advantages to let other parties be ignored, so that we could solidify our place as the Third Major Party in an immanent three party system. Oh well.
   
   There have been a number of barriers. Perhaps the most obvious is that the ideology of other parties is incompatible and in some cases antithetical to our own, thus any cooperation could be seen as a compromise of our principles. Many Libertarians, myself included, doubted any coalition could be formed that would stick to issues of ballot and media access without ending up in an ideological conflict or compromise.
   
   Well, I am pleased to announce that such a coalition has been formed. This Sunday was the second time I met with members of the Green, US Taxpayers (Constitutionalist), Reform, and Socialist parties. The product of these meetings is the formation of the “Michigan Third Parties Coalition” We have agreed on some basic principles, all directed at correcting our exclusion from public debate and (in some cases) exclusion from the electoral process itself.
   
   Here are the beginnings of a web page:
   
   http://mserard.googlepages.com/michiganthirdpartiescoalition
   
   No position is to be published as the position of the Coalition, without unanimous agreement. This prevents Libertarians from being out-numbered by other groups on an issue where we stand alone, such as MCRI. The Coalition is based on one-party one-vote participation.
   
   A press release is in the making. The simple existance of this diverse Détente is historic in it's own right. Perhaps this new strategy won’t help, but it is certainly worth a try.
   Back to Contents
   
3. Free At Last! Jack is Back. — by Scotty Boman
   
   The 1993 LPM Freedom Fighter Award winner, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, is free. Kevorkian’s sister Margo Janus accepted the award on his behalf at the 1993 Liberty Fest.
   
   In our campaigns Greg Creswell and myself challenged the governor to pardon Kevorkian. Good thing he held out until after the election.
   
   Kevorkian has proven himself to be a man of principle, having spent 8 years in jail rather than compromise. He recognized the fact that a person owns his or her own life, and that those who choose death, have a right to that decision. He helped many people bring about that wish. This includes the sister of Libertarian Activist (and Michigan native) Dr. Mary Ruwart.
   
   A condition of his parole is that he not provide such assistance in any way. However, he told Mike Wallace that he will continue the battle by campaigning for "legalization."
   
   One of my favorite "L" words.
   Back to Contents
   
4. Ethan Nadelmann to Speak at U of D Mercy — by Greg Stempfle
   
   On June 8th at 1:00 p.m. Ethan Nadelmann will be speaking at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law room 126. His symposium is entitled: Creating an Exit Strategy to End the "War On Drugs": A Road to Drug Sense & Prison Reform.
   He is the founder and executive director of the Drug
   Policy Alliance. There is free parking in the Law School lot. Enter from the west on Larned.
   For more information contact: Michael Whitty at 248-723-0105 or email
   MikeWhitty@prodigy.net
   
   Back to Contents
   
5. Devoted Libertarian, Al Titran, Dies at 79 — by Scotty Boman
   
   Those who knew Al Titran will miss him. He was active in the party for a number of years. I regret that this information came by me, too late to announce services in advance.
   Here is a portion of the Obituary that may be linked to at:
   
   http://obit.desmondfuneralhome.com/obit_display.cgi?id=423808&clientid=desmondfuneralhome&listing=Found
   
   ALBERT JOSEPH TITRAN ~~~ PROUDLY FLEW THE U.S. FLAG EVERY DAY
   
   Mr. Titran, age 79, died Tuesday, May 29, 2007, at Bon Secours Hospital, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He was born August 16, 1927, in Detroit, to Albert and Leah M. (Brinquet) Titran. He was a resident of Troy, and he loved spending winters in Naples, Florida, with his wife.
   
   Occupation: Mr. Titran was a Senior Manufacturing Engineer with General Motors/Fisher Body, retiring after 40 years.
   
   Mr. Titran was a very giving, hardworking man. He was a man always on the straight and narrow – a true Boy Scout. He was a Scout leader for his son, Drew; and as a true Scout, he was always prepared.
   
   He was a true conservationist, enjoyed gardening, and he was very devoted to his family, including his brothers, whom he joined for breakfast once every month. A man who never quit anything, he installed values of personal responsibility and personal liberty in his children.
   
   Military: Mr. Titran was a proud veteran of the U. S. Army serving during WW II. During this time he worked for General MacArthur in Japan. He was also very proud of the U.S. flag, and flew it every day.Back to Contents